Konferenz über Sicherheit und Zusammenarbeit in Europa
In 1975, the Helsinki Accords were negotiated in Helsinki, Finland. They were primarily an effort to reduce tension between the Soviet and Western blocs by securing their common acceptance of the post-World War II status quo in Europe. One week after the signing of the treaty, Fenwick went to Moscow as a junior member of a congressional delegation. She met refuseniks who wanted to contact American congressmen and held an unofficial meeting with dissident Yuri Orlov. She was thus convinced that political action in America based on the Helsinki Accords would improve human rights in the Soviet Union. Before departing, Fenwick raised some specific cases with Leonid Brezhnev at a final press conference. Returning to the U.S., Fenwick initiated the establishment of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE), which oversaw the implementation of the Helsinki Accords.