Here are some items from this chart: In the year 1957 a worker had to work hours and minutes to buy: It can be assumed that the real value of the wages at the present time is even lower, due to the fact that in Czechoslovakia the lack of food compelled the regime to raise the prices of some food at the beginning of February this year. The first secretary of the Communist Party, Antonin Novotny, tried to explain the necessity of raising the prices of food during his speech in Bratislava on February 23, 1962. He used terms similar to those of Nikita Khrushchev in his speech in Kremlin, June 2, 1962, when he attempted to explain why the prices of meat, meat products, and butter were raised suddenly in Soviet Union. So for once the Communist regime in Czechoslovakia will be able to claim that it was the Prague which showed the Kremlin the way how to deal with shortage of goods. SOCIAL INSURANCE Czechoslovakia has always been famous for its extensive system of health and social insurance. Since 1948, however, the whole of the social insurance system has been perverted into the instrument of the Communist influence. The sickness and retirement payments and other social allowances are not only insufficient but often affected by arbitrary will of Communist organs and their political motivations. The Communists turned all the system of insurance into a tool for discrimination and chicanery of the subjugated people and misuse it for the needs of the Communist regime. The housing situation is catastrophic. The Government housing program has proved insufficient. Many married couples are forced to live apart because they cannot find living quarters. And it is needless to say that the Communist regime is cynical enough to misuse even that catastrophic housing situation as a tool for discrimination and chicanery by the Communist regional councils which make rulings concerning the applications for living quarters quite at their discretion following the instruction by the organs of the Communist Party. CONCLUSION In conclusion I would like to mention a few well known facts: The Communist political, economic, and social system was imposed on the countries of central and eastern Europe against the will of the peoples under the threat of Soviet intervention. It is branded: By the suppression of national independence; By the denial of human rights and political liberties; By intimidation, terror, purges, executions, and enforced ideological unformity; By the rule of the oligarchy controlled by Kremlin and not responsible to the people; By new forms of inequality, exploitation of labor, and formation of a new, privileged class of Communist hierarchy. Far from winning the allegiance of the people, the Communist regimes have been faced with discontent and resistance. Open resistance started in Czechoslovakia already on June 1953 with strikes and uprising in Pilsen and then with the rising in Eastern Germany to culminate in 1956 in the Poznan rising and revolt in Poland and revolution in Hungary. The resistance has been born striving for freedom and democracy. The constant Communist campaign against "revisionism" and "dogmatism," the recent struggle within the ruling Politburo in Czechoslovakia (imprisonment and then release of former Minister of Interior and the Deputy Premier Rudolf Barak is just one example) testifies to the strength of the opposition and the support of its commands among the people and youth. It means that despite the grim reality of today the nations of central and eastern Europe believe in the future. Their minds and their hopes are set upon a great alliance of Western democracy. And may I say: I deem that the fact that millions of enslaved people did not lose their faith and hope and the fact that despite many disappointments they are united with the West by ideals of freedom and democracy is a very important one in the crucial struggle between the Communist conspiracy and the free world. STATEMENT OF HON. ABRAHAM J. MULTER, MEMBER OF CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF NEW YORK, BEFORE THE HOUSE FOREIGN AFFAIRS SUBCOMMITTEE ON EUROPE IN SUPPORT OF ASSISTANCE TO CAPTIVE NATIONS, JULY 20, 1962 Madam Chairman, I appreciate the opportunity to present my views before the subcommittee on this vital subject. As once again we commemorate Captive Nations Week the question arises: What are we doing and what more can we do to assist the people behind the Iron Curtain? Are our expressions of hope for their liberation meaningless cliches? Have we in reality already written off eastern and central Europe the Baltic States, the Balkans, Poland, and Czechoslovakia, and even East Germany-as irrevocably lost to the Soviet Union? Is our commemoration of Captive Nations Week simply a vacuous attempt to convince the rest of the world of our support for the liberation of Communist countries, and does our inaction belie our intentions? If "liberation" is interpreted as physical deliverance through military intervention, then surely we can be accused of inaction, for direct interference in eastern and central Europe, I think all will admit, would be folly. Soviet suppressions of the revolts in East Germany in 1953 and in Poland in 1956, the bloodbath in Hungary, and the raising of the concrete wall in East Berlin in the summer of 1961 are convincing examples of the Soviet determination to squelch by whatever means necessary any attempts to shake off Communist rule within the satellites. Unquestionably, direct military attempts by the United States to free eastern and central Europe aside from the fact that they would be severely criticized by world public opinion as interference in domestic affairs, as great power meddling-would bring into play the full force of Soviet recriminatory power. Most likely such action not only would accomplish nothing in the heart of Europe, but might even provoke Soviet missiles into zooming toward New York and Washington. But military intervention is not the only means of assisting the captive nations. In this epoch of cold war there are subtler and less futile methods. For the current battle between the Communist and the Western World is less a physical war of territorial expansion than a psychological duel for the minds of men, and the most effective weapons are words rather than guns. Thus, a very important factor in the mid-20th century labyrinth of international poritics is communication, and it is by keeping the channels of communication open between the free world and the satellite states of eastern and central Europe, I submit, that we can best assist the captive nations toward liberation. For in communicating with them we can remind them of what life in the free world is like so that they do not forget any way of life but communism, so that they do not lose sight of the goal of eventual liberation. In communicating with them we can constantly reassure them of our dedication to our own way of life, of our humanitarian motives, of our support for their right to freedom. And in spite of Soviet restrictions on relations between the satellites and the Western World, there is one thing the Iron Curtain cannot keep out-a radio beain. The Voice of America is the most effective single weapon of the United States behind the Iron Curtain. Its efficacy is twofold: it offers contact with the outside world to the captive nations behind the Iron Curtain, it reassures them that the West has not forgotten them; and, at the same time, by presenting an undistorted picture of how the West lives and of what U.S. objectives are, it is a most effective weapon of U.S. foreign policy. In these times of cold war its penetration into the satellites has become such a piercing thorn in the side of the Soviet Union that it has been estimated the Kremlin spends more money in jamming Voice broadcasts than the United States spends in producing them. With the establishment of the U.S. Information Agency in 1953 as an independent agency responsible for the Government's oversea information program the Voice of America became the radio network of the USIA. The objectives of the Agency are: (1) to explain U.S. policy and goals; (2) to counter hostile propaganda; (3) to demonstrate the harmony of U.S. policies with the legitimate aspirations of other peoples; and (4) to promote understanding of the life and culture of the United States. Over 200 hours of programs weekly, consisting primarily of factual news and commentary, are directed toward the Iron Curtain countries. In order to overcome Soviet jamming, programs originating in Washington or in Munich, Germany, are recorded at oversea relay bases and then repeated over short, medium, and long wave. Many programs are repeated at peak listening periods throughout the day on various wavelengths. And in spite of extensive Soviet attempts at jamming, reports of defectors and letters from behind the Iron Curtain indicate that the Voice of America does nonetheless get through. But are we doing enough? Could our program be more effective? The report of the President's Committee on Information Activities Abroad contained some telling conclusions. The report revealed that the total of U.S. information aetivities abroad constituted about 1 percent of the approximate total of $50 billion spent annually for national security. The committee, not surprisingly, recommended that our oversea information efforts be increased. It pointed out that our period of history has seen a marked shift in the mission and style of diplomacy, resulting from technological developments in transportation and communications, the growing role of public opinion in world affairs, and the persistence of the ideological, economic, and strategic struggle with the Communist world. These changes pose a challenge we must meet. How do our efforts compare with those of the Soviet Union? It is here that the seriousness of the challenge comes into sharpest focus. A conservative estimate of the amount spent by the Soviet Union and its satellites in 1957 on propaganda has been listed as somewhere between $500 million and $750 millionwith an additional $100 million or so devoted to jamming free world broadcasts. The USIA appropriations for 1962, on the other hand, were a mere $111.5 million, and the requested budget for 1963 is slightly over $141,200,000. Obviously, in order to counter Soviet propaganda, our efforts must be of commensurate proportions. In the war of ideas we must have the financial resources to make our ideas effectively heard. As just one instance of the means at our disposal for countering Soviet propaganda or for presenting information withheld from the public by the Kremlin, in November 1961 the Voice of America broadcast to the Iron Curtain countries a program called "Have You Been Told?" Presented in Russian, English, Ukrainian, Georgian, Armenian, and the Baltic languages, the program told about the Soviet breach of the nuclear test moratorium while negotiations were still in progress, the magnitude of the tests, the possible consequences of fall-out for future generations, and the worldwide protests against the Soviet breach of the moratorium. Fifty-two transmitters were used for the purpose, and the broadcast was carried during 8 hours of prime listening time. The program was repeated later to the satellite countries on regular broadcast hours. USIA monitors reported that in spite of intense efforts, the Soviet Union was unable to jam the broadcasts adequately, and that even in some areas of Moscow itself, which is heavily jammed, the broadcast came through. This is one very good example of how the United States can seize the political offensive in Eastern and Central Europe. Our policy must adapt itself to the reality of political conditions and must meet the challenge posed by the new means of direct contact with the people of foreign countries offered by modern communications. The reality of political conditions behind the Iron Curtainthe firm control of Communist totalitarianism over the populace and the determination of Moscow to hold on to its satellites-dictate the futility and rashness of a Western military offensive behind the Iron Curtain. The possibility of direct contact with the people of these countries offers an alternative means of taking the political offensive. Programs such as "Have You Been Told?" present facts about Soviet policy and its implications which would otherwise never have reached the peoples behind the Iron Curtain. Regular news programs keep these peoples informed of what is really happening in the world and act as an antidote to Soviet distortion. Explanations of our policies and information about the life and culture of the United States enhance their understanding of our country and uncover the falsity of Soviet propaganda. 1 See the Department of State Bulletin, Feb. 6, 1961, pp. 185-194. 2 George V. Allen, "Information Is a Two-Way Street," Challenge, February 1958, p. 48. * U.S. Information Agency, "17th Review of Operations, July 1-Dec. 31, 1961." Most important of all, the broadcasts in themselves are a means of communication inside the Iron Curtain. They are an arm of the free world reaching to the Communist bloc. They reassure the peoples of the captive nations that the West has not abandoned them. The Voice of America is a very important weapon in the cold war of words, and it is our single most effective means of seizing the offensive in the psychological war over Eastern and Central Europe. But any weapon, military or political, is expensive. To be more effective, to counter more completely the challenge of Soviet propaganda, USIA's budget appropriation should be increased so that the Voice of American can hammer at the Iron Curtain from still more directions, so that its broadcasting hours can be extended, and so that its power can be intensified in order better to combat Soviet jamming. In conclusion, the importance of the Voice of America for the captive nations of Eastern and Central Europe cannot be better summed up than in the words of the Director of the U.S. Information Agency, Mr. Edward R. Murrow: "The truth may not alone make us free. But we shall never be free without knowing the truth." * U.S. SENATE, COMMITTEE ON LABOR AND PUBLIC WELFARE, June 22, 1962. Hon. EDNA KELLY, Chairman, Subcommittee on Europe, Washington, D.C. DEAR MADAM CHAIRMAN: In connection with the hearings being held by your Subcommittee on the Captive Nations, I noted with interest the favorable comments made by Mr. John Richardson, president of the Free Europe Committee, Inc., supporting President Kennedy's request for $2,800,000 toward completing the construction of the American Children's Hospital in Krakow, Poland. I have the pleasure of serving with Mr. Richardson on the board of directors of the International Rescue Committee, and I know firsthand of his tireless efforts for this worthy project, which is also of great interest to me. In fact, without dwelling on the political implications of projects of this type, I have no hesitation asserting that the completion of the children's hospital is certainly in our enlightened self-interest. The humanitarian aspects are obvious and I think it would be preposterous to imply that depriving the children who would use this hospital of the fine care which it could offer, would in any way assist a Communist regime. As you know, our Government has already provided $1,550,000 worth of Public Law 480 zlotys toward this project. An American private committee under the vigorous leadership of the Honorable Robert Murphy and Mr. BiernakiPoray, the Committee for the American Hospital for Children in Poland, of which I am a member, has already started raising funds and equipment for the hospital. Thus, it would seem most inadvisable not to complete this project which has already received so much time and effort. For all these reasons, I very much hope that the Congress will support the President's request for $2,800,000 worth of zlotys for this most important and worthy project. Warm regards. Sincerely, CLAIBORNE PELL. STATEMENT OF HON. PHILIP J. PHILBIN, MEMBER OF CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS, BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON EUROPE OF THE HOUSE COмMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF THE CAPTIVE EUROPEAN NATIONS I am honored and pleased to join today with my valued colleagues in this most impressive and convincing presentation on the vital subject of the "Captive European Nations." At the outset, I would like to express my warm appreciation to my very able and distinguished friend, the Honorable John S. Monagan, of Connecticut, who has assumed the direction of these hearings at the request of our 4 U.S. Information Agency, "Voice of America, 20th Anniversary Commemoration, Mon day, Feb. 26, 1962." able, distinguished colleague, the Honorable Edna F. Kelly, for the opportunity to be heard in support of freedom from Soviet imperialism for all the unhappy peoples behind the Iron Curtain. Let me commend the members of this outstanding subcommittee for their great work in holding out the hand of friendship, encouragement, and cooperation to the oppressed captive nations in their quest for personal liberty, justice, and peace. As one of the original sponsors of the captive nations resolutions, I am particularly glad to commend and salute this great subcommittee, which has already heard valuable testimony from persons having a knowledge of conditions in Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Rumania. The subcommittee is rendering great service by arranging these important hearings. Mr. Chairman and members of the subcommittee, let us make it clear to the gallant peoples behind the Iron Curtain that we are truly inspired by their courage and their fight for freedom in the face of oppressions, tyranny, and terror. Let us keep bright the burning flame of liberty and self-determination which the ruthless and powerful Soviet masters have been unable to smother despite their chains, their brainwashing, their malign persecutions, their mass starvation tactics, their brutal suppression of the individual, their harsh and brutal treatment of religion, their destruction of culture, and their relentless and incessant warfare against free institutions. None of these brutal and horrible deeds, continuing to this day under the yoke of Red slavery and tyranny, has managed to suppress the shining armor of courage, spirit, and loyalty of the helpless small nations behind the Iron Curtain whose peoples look to America for hope, encouragement, and assistance in being liberated from Communist bondage. Not too long ago the world was shocked by a renewed wave of anti-Semitism in the Soviet Union as part of the intensified atheistic propaganda campaign against all creeds. These outrageous incidents and malicious outbursts have left a deep sense of outrage among all enlightened peoples and races and serve as another reminder of the cynical duplicity of the Communists who constantly engender and promote racial hatred and strife in their unrelenting efforts to create misunderstanding and division wherever they have infiltrated. The heart of every true American is stirred with profound indignation over these anti-Semitic incidents in the Soviet and I urge that this great subcommittee explore fully this latest example of Communist intolerance and assault upon human dignity and rights. The liberation of enslaved millions who are the victims of cruel oppression, exploitation, and aggression remains the great challenge of the hour. I urge this outstanding subcommittee of the great and powerful House Committee on Foreign Affairs to let it be known in its report that the United States stands firm and resolute on a policy to give encouragement and help to the captive European nations and oppressed peoples everywhere. Let it be known throughout the world that our Nation is behind them in their efforts to restore freedom and liberty to their unhappy lands. Let us pledge anew our hearts and hopes in the liberation and aspirations of the captive nations to help speed the day of their deliverance from tyranny and slavery. Let us hold out the hand of friendship and assistance to these helpless and downtrodden peoples so that they may soon regain in full measure the great liberties they cherish. It is a great privilege for me to appear before this able and distinguished Subcommittee on Europe and I am very thankful to you, Mr. Chairman, and the other members of the subcommittee for this opportunity to be heard. Again, let me compliment and commend you for arranging these important and valuable hearings on the captive European nations. STATEMENT OF HON. MELVIN PRICE, MEMBER OF CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON EUROPE, HOUSE COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS, ON CAPTIVE NATIONS Mr. Chairman, I appreciate this opportunity to appear before this distinguished committee to urge consideration of the problems of captive nations of the Soviet imperialists and to encourage discussion of these problems in the hope |