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Memorandum from Joe Aragon to Hamilton Jordan, "Human Rights," 7 July 1978.
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This memorandum discusses Soviet treatment of dissidents, as monitored by Joyce Starr. Aragon notes that the overall Soviet campaign against dissidents continues despite Carter's forceful public stance on human rights. He writes that if anything dissidents have become further shut out of Soviet society since Carter came to office. He specifically mentions the Helsinki group, and Slepak, Orlov, Shcharansky, Nadel and Ginzberg as dissidents in need of United States help. He goes in depth into the Slepak case and the state of his family, characterizing Slepak as the Soviet equivalent of a Martin Luther King, Jr. However, he writes that while the administration so far has made public statements in support of the dissidents, it has failed to act on the diplomatic level. Aragon concludes that Carter cares deeply about human rights, but that this reputation is at risk due to the failure of low-level officials to follow through on the initiatives outlined in the Helsinki Final Act. Aragon calls for a meeting in which he and others will discuss a course of action for the President.

Page 399 of 67413476 document(s) found