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␈↓ ↓H␈↓␈↓βS␈↓∧ Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, STANFORD UNIVERSITY, Stanford, California 94305

␈↓ ↓H␈↓∧Telephone 415 497-4430␈↓ 
-July 3, 1979 




␈↓ ↓H␈↓Mr. Michael Regan
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Manager, International Relations Branch
␈↓ ↓H␈↓O≠ce of International Postal A≥airs
␈↓ ↓H␈↓U.S. Postal Service
␈↓ ↓H␈↓475 L'Enfant Plaza W., S.W.
␈↓ ↓H␈↓ Washington, D.C. 20260

␈↓ ↓H␈↓Dear Mr. Regan:

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        As␈α
you␈α
undoubtedly␈α
recall,␈α
I␈α
am␈α
writing␈α
you␈α
at␈α
the␈α
suggestion␈α
of␈α
Congressman␈α
Gilman␈αto
␈↓ ↓H␈↓elaborate␈α∂some␈α∂of␈α∂the␈α∂suggestions␈α∂made␈α⊂at␈α∂the␈α∂San␈α∂Francisco␈α∂hearing␈α∂aimed␈α∂at␈α⊂improving␈α∂the
␈↓ ↓H␈↓delivery of mail to individuals in the Soviet Union.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        I␈α⊃am␈α⊂sure␈α⊃it␈α⊃must␈α⊂have␈α⊃been␈α⊃painful␈α⊂to␈α⊃you␈α⊃to␈α⊂be␈α⊃pressed␈α⊃to␈α⊂do␈α⊃something␈α⊃about␈α⊂the
␈↓ ↓H␈↓problem,␈α∂when␈α∞you␈α∂believe␈α∞that␈α∂nothing␈α∞signi≡cant␈α∂can␈α∞be␈α∂done␈α∞as␈α∂long␈α∞as␈α∂the␈α∂Soviet␈α∞political
␈↓ ↓H␈↓system␈α∞remains␈α∞what␈α∞it␈α∞is.␈α∞ However,␈α∞in␈α∞other␈α∞matters,␈α∞for␈α∞example␈α∞in␈α∞the␈α∞matter␈α∞of␈α
emigration
␈↓ ↓H␈↓itself,␈α∩a␈α∩great␈α∩deal␈α∪has␈α∩been␈α∩accomplished␈α∩by␈α∩persistent␈α∪pressure␈α∩even␈α∩when␈α∩the␈α∪chances␈α∩of
␈↓ ↓H␈↓accomplishing anything must have seemed quite unfavorable.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        As␈α∞I␈α
explained␈α∞in␈α
my␈α∞testimony,␈α∞although␈α
its␈α∞representatives␈α
undoubtedly␈α∞pretend␈α∞that␈α
its
␈↓ ↓H␈↓policies␈α⊗are␈α⊗matters␈α⊗of␈α⊗principle␈α⊗and␈α∃unalterable,␈α⊗this␈α⊗claim␈α⊗is␈α⊗false.␈α⊗ While␈α⊗their␈α∃values
␈↓ ↓H␈↓undoubtedly␈α
di≥er␈αfrom␈α
ours,␈αmany␈α
Soviet␈αo≠cials␈α
know␈α
that␈αmany␈α
of␈αtheir␈α
actions␈αin␈α
persecuting
␈↓ ↓H␈↓dissidents␈α∞are␈α∞wrong␈α∞by␈α∞their␈α∞own␈α∂moral␈α∞standards.␈α∞ Pressure␈α∞on␈α∞them␈α∞is␈α∞often␈α∂successful,␈α∞even
␈↓ ↓H␈↓though␈α
there␈α
is␈α
no␈α
recipe␈αthat␈α
guarantees␈α
success␈α
or␈α
even␈αenables␈α
one␈α
to␈α
predict␈α
when␈α
success␈αis
␈↓ ↓H␈↓likely.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        Here are some actions that the Committee of Concerned Scientists thinks might be e≥ective.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        1.␈α∞Continue␈α∞to␈α∞press␈α∞Soviet␈α∞postal␈α∞o≠cials␈α∞by␈α∞letter␈α∞and␈α∞in␈α∞person␈α∞about␈α∞particular␈α∞issues
␈↓ ↓H␈↓and␈α
about␈α
the␈α
problem␈αin␈α
general.␈α
 Treat␈α
with␈α
skepticism␈αany␈α
claims␈α
from␈α
them␈α
that␈αthe␈α
situations
␈↓ ↓H␈↓is␈αjust␈αabout␈αto␈αimprove␈αor␈αwas␈αabout␈αto␈αimprove␈αif␈αonly␈αyou␈αhadn't␈αgot␈αtheir␈αbacks␈αup.␈α Pressing
␈↓ ↓H␈↓the unfairness of their actions in personal conversation is particularly important.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        2.␈α∞Raise␈α∂the␈α∞issue␈α∂at␈α∞the␈α∂International␈α∞Postal␈α∂Union␈α∞in␈α∂any␈α∞form␈α∂that␈α∞might␈α∂be␈α∞e≥ective.
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Perhaps a technical approach would be most e≥ective there.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        3.␈α∂Develop␈α∂a␈α∂form␈α∂for␈α∂complaints␈α⊂about␈α∂falsely␈α∂signed␈α∂receipts.␈α∂ Perhaps␈α∂the␈α⊂form␈α∂could
␈↓ ↓H␈↓contain␈α
one␈α
part␈αfor␈α
the␈α
post␈α
o≠ce␈αin␈α
the␈α
city␈αof␈α
the␈α
recipient␈α
and␈αanother␈α
for␈α
the␈α
sending␈αpost
␈↓ ↓H␈↓o≠ce.␈α∂ Copies␈α∂of␈α∂the␈α⊂form␈α∂will␈α∂get␈α∂to␈α⊂the␈α∂Soviet␈α∂Union,␈α∂and␈α⊂the␈α∂recipients␈α∂can␈α∂use␈α⊂their␈α∂own
␈↓ ↓H␈↓judgment␈α∃about␈α∃how␈α∃and␈α⊗whether␈α∃to␈α∃express␈α∃their␈α∃protest.␈α⊗ If␈α∃the␈α∃form␈α∃were␈α⊗an␈α∃o≠cial
␈↓ ↓H␈↓International Postal Union form, it would be even better.
␈↓ ↓H␈↓αMr. Michael Regan␈↓ ¬|July 3, 1979␈↓ 
nPage 2␈↓ 


␈↓ ↓H␈↓        4.␈α
Make␈α
it␈α
easier␈α
for␈α
people␈α
to␈α
follow␈α
up␈α
their␈α
complaints␈α
of␈α
non-delivery.␈α
 If␈α
a␈α∞form␈α
and
␈↓ ↓H␈↓brochure␈α∞were␈α∞available,␈α∞then␈α∞people␈α∞could␈α
direct␈α∞their␈α∞complaints␈α∞to␈α∞o≠ces␈α∞where␈α∞the␈α
problem
␈↓ ↓H␈↓was better understood.  The present method of complaint should remain available.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        5.␈α
It␈α
would␈α
be␈αworthwhile␈α
to␈α
pursue␈α
the␈αproblem␈α
of␈α
theft␈α
from␈αthe␈α
mail␈α
to␈α
the␈αSoviet␈α
Union.
␈↓ ↓H␈↓According␈α
to␈α
an␈α
article␈α
that␈α
appeared␈α
in␈αthe␈α
␈↓↓New␈α
York␈α
Times␈α
Magazine␈↓␈α
this␈α
Spring,␈α
books␈αand
␈↓ ↓H␈↓records␈αundelivered␈αto␈αthe␈αrecipient␈αoften␈αappear␈αon␈αthe␈αblack␈αmarket␈αin␈αMoscow␈αand␈αLeningrad.
␈↓ ↓H␈↓If␈α
a␈α
few␈α
just␈α
published␈α
popular␈α
books␈α
or␈α
just␈α
issued␈α
records␈α
were␈α
marked␈α
and␈α
sent,␈α
there␈α
is␈α
a␈α
good
␈↓ ↓H␈↓chance that one would turn up and that some dissident would report back on it.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        There␈α
is␈αevery␈α
reason␈αto␈α
hope␈α
that␈αan␈α
active␈αpolicy␈α
will␈α
achieve␈αsome␈α
result␈αin␈α
this␈αarea␈α
just
␈↓ ↓H␈↓as it has in others.


␈↓ ↓H␈↓Sincerely,



␈↓ ↓H␈↓John McCarthy
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Director
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Professor of Computer Science

␈↓ ↓H␈↓cc:␈↓ α_Congressman Gilman,
␈↓ ↓H␈↓␈↓ α_Ms. Ruth Levine, Committee of Concerned Scientists,
␈↓ ↓H␈↓␈↓ α_Professor Owen Chamberlain