custom-made, tailored to the specific psyche of the defector. The sole absolute requirement here should be the professionalism of those dealing with the defectors. In itself, it is a very tough standard to meet. Any individual amateurism in this field is unacceptable and can result in more harm than good playing thus into the hands of Soviet Bloc authorities. Assistance to on a day-to-day basis could in fact be entrusted to private organizations with a long-term proven experience, and for whom this is a humanitarian and not any other mission.

defectors

Such work requires very high

standards--commitment,

readiness to assist at any time and in any situation, profound knowledge of the defector's country of origin and of the language, and an acute awareness of all problems a defector can face. In other words, it requires people to whom defectors can relate. This is what should be understood under professionalism. It is evident that such work can be handled only by dedicated, if not to say charismatic people.

Mr. Chairman, the handling of high-level Soviet Bloc defectors has already improved over the last two years. I am

convinced that this Subcommittee will contribute in a significant way to a greater awareness of what can be called an important asset for the free world in general, the national interests of the U.S. in particular.

* * *

EXHIBIT NO. 7

THE JAMESTOWN FOUNDATION
RESEARCH DEPARTMENT

SOVIET BLOC DEFECTIONS:
STATISTICAL TREATMENT.

ETIENNE HUYGENS
RESEARCH DIRECTOR

WASHINGTON, DC. DECEMBER 1986.

Introduction

1.

The present paper is intended to present the overall phenomenon of defection from the Soviet Union and Soviet bloc countries. Defection

as such is usually associated with high-level defectors from Eastern Europe and the USSR be they diplomats, officials or intelligence officers. Yet in

terms of numbers, these people constitute a very small minority among
defectors in general. For very obvious reasons, they are the most interesting
and unique cases, but this should not overshadow the wide-spread character
of the phenomenon itself.

As the collected data will show, defection is resorted to by people
of all Eastern bloc countries, people of all ages and walks of life.
Children as well as the elderly are among defectors; workers as well
as scholars. Yet there are certain patterns and every country constitutes
a particular case. This may be due to historical factors, such as the
Hungarian revolt, the invasion of Czechoslovakia or the crushing of "Soli-
darity" in Poland. Each one of these events resulted in more massive
defections. But even without these dramatic events, defection is a continuous
process.

We shall not attempt to analyse the phenomenon as such, but will limit ourselves to providing only statistical data. This is due to two reasons. Firstly, such an enterprise would by far exceed the purpose of the present study and, secondly, defection is a very complex social and psychological phenomenon and, as such, is difficult to study.

We are fully aware of the fact that the data given in this paper are not complete. They are fragmentary and it is difficult to say to what extent our sample is representative. The problem in gathering data on defection stems from the fact that there is no centralized source or data bank. Information is spread throughout a wide variety of sources and often contradictory. This will become very clear in the case of East Germany. With the exception of notorious defections, news coverage is often very poor or inexistent. Access to information is thus very often difficult or even impossible.

HISTORICAL

PERSPECTIVE

2.

In order to understand the phenomenon of defection one must place it within the appropriate historical framework. As we shall see from what follows, defection is a phenomenon of huge dimensions. It is far from being limited to the several cases of the so-called high-ranking defectors or sailors jumping ship who are usually talked about in the media. This is a pehnomenon of long date and a perpetual one.

The present study considers "defector" and "refugee" (if only because of the fact that defectors obtain the status of "political refugee") as synonymous. But even in spite of this simplification, many problems remain. One of these is, for example, that of the displaced persons. Events such as the two world wars led to the displacement of literally millions of people of which some came to be considered to be refugees because they refused to return to their countries of origin. And even though, in the overwhelming majority of cases, they had not left their countries illegally, having been either deported or taken prisoner by the occupying forces, they should nevertheless be considered as refugees (or defectors). In the case of the Soviet Union, the so-called redefection campaign launched under Khrushchev and whose aim it was to talk these people into returning proves the point.

Aside of the two world wars, civil wars also generated a big number of refugees. And even though this is a debatable issue for many, such as Michael Teitelbaum (1) according to whom those who flee the random violence of a civil war are not refugees, for this sort of violence does not constitute persecution, we shall consider these people as refugees. The very nature of a civil war, not any different from a "non-civil" international conflict, entails persecution for reasons of race, religion, nationality or political opinion. In addition, from the point of view of the victim, it does not make much of a difference whether the persecutor is a foreign invader or somebody who shares the same language and culture. In the eyes of the High UN Commissioner for Refugees, persecution for reasons quoted above is what makes a refugee. In view of this, we will include, as refugees, Russians who had fled during the civil war and refused to return. It is also in keeping with this definition that we shall include refugees from Hungary who fled during the 1956 revolution.

Such discrepancies between certain definitions and actual facts are numerous.

3.

In general, when looking at the phenomenon of refugees, one can sense a discordance between definitions and laws and the unde lying social and psychological realities. In fact, what definition and what law can help the person who, without actually being physically persecuted, lives in a constant state of inner fear and turmoil, under constant pressure? The history of defectors, of refugees, is that of a search for human (and personal) dignity and, as such, is difficult if not impossible to "squeeze" into definitions and laws. The grand scale of the phenomenon speaks for itself.

It was Lenin who said that people vote with their feet. Unable to vote otherwise, millions of people have allowed their feet to vote. And even though,

as Carel Stenberg said, "The refugee condition, once experienced, does not wash off", many still take this road. They do so in the hope that maybe their children or their children's children will grow up under more clement skies. As we go through the numbers, we must not forget this human factor, this expression of that of liberty. Mankind's most obsessive and most fragile dream