the ukrainian weekly 1985-47

8/14/2019 The Ukrainian Weekly 1985-47

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G uL I B R A R Y OF: C O N G R E S SS L A V I C R E A D I N G R O O MW A S H I N G T O N DC 205-15

published by the Ukrainian National Association inc., a fraternal non-profit association)

U E a i n i a n Yvol. L I I I N o . 4 7 T H E U K R A I N IA N W E E K L Y S U N D A Y , N O V E M B E R 2 4 ,1 9 8 5 25 Cent! ,C o m m u n i t y l e a d e r s , m e m b e r s o f C o n g r e s s D e s c h e n e s C o m m i s s i o n o n w a r c r i m e sc r i t i c i z e p r o p o s e d I N S d e m o t io n s t o t r a v e l t o U S S R f o r e v i d e n c e

by Natalia A.FeduschakJERSEY C1TY, N.J. - UkrainianAmerican organizations have voicedsevere criticism about the proposeddemotion of the two immigration andNaturalization Service border officerswho forcibly returned Ukrainian sea-man Myroslav Medvid to his ship lastmonth, while officials in Washingtondefend their position, saying appropriate action has been taken."1 think itis a white-wash. think thetwo gentlemen are scapegoats," said Dr.Myron B. Kuropas of Chicago, thepublic relations director of the Ukrai

nian American Coordinating Council."They are being thrown to the wolves topacify the American people."Similar views were voiced by spokes-men of Ukrainian organizations inPhiladelphia, Detroit, New Jersey andWashington.The comments come as a result of arecommendation by the deputy commissioner of the 1NS, Thomas Ferguson, that the two unidentified borderofficers who originally handled Mr.Medvid besuspended from their jobs,one for 90 days, the other for 45. He alsorecommended that both men receive(Continued on page 10)

Dissident and defector appealto first ladies before summitC H I C A G O - one week before theU.S.-Soviet summit meeting in Geneva,a former Soviet political prisoner and asoldier who deserted the Soviet Army inAfghanistan held a press conferencehere to appeal onbehalf of the Ukrainian and Afghan people, as well asdissidents in the Soviet Union.victor Borovsky, 29, a former Sovietdissident who spent five months in apsychiatric hospital for quot ingAlexander Solzhenitsvn during a collegehistory class, and Mykola Movchan, 23 ,a former sergeant in the Red Army inAfghanistan who deserted after he sawthat the blood of innocent Afghan

D.C. Ukrainianstell president:remember Medvidby Myron Wasylyk

W A S H I N G T O N - About 50local Ukrainian Americans gatheredoutside the south gate of the WhiteHouse on Saturday morning, November 16, tourge President RonaldReagan to raise the case of MyroslavMedvid when he meets with Sovietleader Mikhail Gorbachev in Geneva.A large placard urging the president to "Remember Medvid" waslaid out on the ellipse so that it couldeasily be read from the president'shelicopter as it Hew overhead toAndrews Air Force Base. Fromthere the president flew to Geneva,the site of the summit ia',k,.The rally, held at 8:20a.m.. wasorganised by the Ukrainian CongressCommittee of America and TheWashington Group.

people was being shed by Soviet troops,directed their appeal to two first ladies,Nancy Reagan and Raisa Gorbachev.Mmes. Reagan and Gorbachev wereto hold their own meetings during theirhusbands' summit talks.Texts of letters to the two womenwere released at theNovember 12 pressconference.in the letter to Mrs. Gorbachev,Messrs. Borovsky and Movchan raisedthe case of Soviet political prisonerPetro Ruban, 45, a Ukrainian woodcarver, who became apolitical prisoner-after he created a bicentennial gift forthe American people.While Mr. Ruban was serving histerm of six years' imprisonment andthree years' exile, his 7-year-old son,Marko, was hit by a car. The accidentleft him paralyzed from the waistdown.The boy, now 10, has other medical

The full texts of th e letters appear onpage 11.problems as well, and his father hasexpressed wishes that he be givenmedical treatment abroad, inaddition,the boy's mother, Lydia, became ill oftuberculosis. The Rubans have indicated that they would like to emigrate tothe United States.in June, Mr.Ruban was arrested forthe fifth time, and is now being held in aprison in Chernihiv.The letter to Mrs. Gorbachev alsobrought up the case of a 50-year-oldEnglish teacher from Odessa. AnnaMykhailenko's offense was that sheconsistently spoke Ukrainian with herstudents. She was fired from herjoband,as a result of a fabricated case, was atfirst sentenced to hard labor, thentransferred to the Serbsky institute ofForensic Psychiatry. Today she isheld(Continued on page 11)

by Mykhailo BociurkiwJERSEY C1TY, N.J. - The Canadian Commission of inquiry on WarCriminals will go to the Soviet Unionand other East bloc countries to collectmore evidence for its investigation.Justice Jules Deschenes, thehead ofthe one-man commission, said in anews release on November 19 that he willsend representatives abroad to collectmore evidence.But Justice Deschenes set six strictguidelines to which the Soviet Unionand four other countries must agreebefore evidence is collected.The commission which was established last February to determine howmany war criminals live in Canada, howthey got into the country, and how theymight be brought tojusticc - says it hasheard "seriousallegations"against eight

alleged war criminals living in Canada.Evidence concerning these people appears to be available in the Nether-lands, the United Kingdom, the UnitedStates, Poland and the Soviet Union.Justice Deschenes' decision on thelegality and advisability of travelingabroad comes several weeks after thecommission heard the views of Jewishand Ukrainian representatives on thequestion of going behind the ironCurtain to gather evidence.Commission lawyer Michael Meighentold The Ukrainian Weekly that therecommendations presented by Ukrainian community representatives were"very definitely" incorporated into the

Justice Jules Descheneshalf dozen guidelines established byJustice Deschenes.According to the commission's pressrelease, the following strict safeguardsmust be accepted by the governments ofcountries '.vhere thecommission wantsto travel toexamine certain documentsand interview witnesses:" protection of reputations throughconfidentiality;

(Continued on page 12)

U.S.-USSR agree on consulatesW A S H I N G T O N - The unitedStates and the Soviet Union haveagreed to open consulates in Kiev andNew York as a result of the summitmeeting between President RonaldReagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, the White House announced onThursday, November 21.in the Soviet view, however, theagreement is contingent upon thesuccessful outcome of negotiations onthe resumption of civil air servicebetween thetwo countries.The White House fact sheet on theagreement noted that both sides willconduct further discussions on thespecific conditions under which theconsulates will be occupied and openedfor business."This agreement about opening theconsulates is in pursuit of the president'sdesire to expand contacts and enhanceunderstanding between the two peoples,"the White House said. The statementreferred to the agreement as "a usefuland practical step" for both the UnitedStates and the Soviet Union. "A consu

late in Kiev will give us an officialAmerican presence in an importantSoviet agricultural, cultural and commercial center, which is visited annuallyby thousands of American tourists,"thestatement rioted.The original agreement to exchangeconsulates in Kiev and New York hadbeen made by President Richard Nixonand Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev in1974, and arrangements were proceeding toward a formal opening in 1979,when the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan. inresponse, as part of a packageof sanctions, the Carter administrationscrapped theplans.in the summer of 1983, the two sidesagreed in principle to move towardopening the consulates, but progresswas stalled by the Soviets' insistence'that resumption of Aeroflot flights tothe United States be acondition for theopening of the two consulates. TheUnited States did not accept linkage ofthese two issues and continued topursue each issue separately, the WhiteHouse release noted.


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N o. 47 T H E U K R A I N IA N W E E K L Y S U N D A Y , N O V E M B E R 2 4 , 1 9 3 5

5 0 0 Chicagoans continue protests UNA defense committee votesover bungling of Medvid case to establish Washington officeby Marianna Liss

CHlCAGO "Someone goofed."read a large protest sign, "and Myroslave Medvid goes to Siberia."Demanding answers and a completeinvestigation into the Medvid affair.more than 500 protesters circled in frontof the Dirksen Federal Building here ata lunchtime rally on Wednesday, November 13.

The Rev. Peter Galadza, president ofthe Ukrainian American Justice Committee; Julian Kulas, Ukrainian lawyerwho filed suit on behalf of Mr. Medvid'srelatives in the United States; MyroslawCharkewycz, chairman of the localUkrainian Congress Committee ofAmerica; David Roth, representative ofAmerican Jewish Committee, and representatives of ethnic groups werepresent with the Ukrainian communityat the protest.According to leaders of the UAJC,there are still too many unanswered

questions about the twice-thwarteddefection of the Ukrainian sailor. TheUkrainian community here does notaccept the State Department's explahation that Mr. Medvid went back to theSoviet frcghter and the USSR of hisown free will.Roman Golash, vice-president of theUAJC, asked the crowd, "Why was he(Mr. Medvid) not given a blood test todetermine drug levels in his blood?"Later, when questioned he said that thereturn of Mr. Medvid "was a mistakewhich led from one mistake to another,and that led to a cover-up."He also said he believed that thedemotion of the two immigration and

Naturalization Service agents in NewOrleans was only an attempt to placatethe Ukrainian community.Questions and suspicions led toseveral actions by the Ukrainian community here during the week. TheUAJC honored demonstrators w h o hadbeen in New Orleans and presented adebriefing about the events in NewOrleans by Mr. Kulas, after Sundayliturgy on November 17 at Ss. volodymyr and Olha Ukrainian CatholicChurch.The attorney questioned Mr.Medvid's sudden change of heart afterattempting to elude capture by Sovietsunder various circumstances. He pointed to the initial interview by a Ukrainian-language translator, lrene Padoch,noting that the sailor had made it clearto her that he wanted to stay in theUnited States. He had said, "What am going to do, they don't understand mehere?" when Mrs. Padoch stated thatshe could not come to New Orleans. Healso said he was afraid of what wouldhappen to him if the Americans re-turned him io the Soviet ship.Witnesses told Mr. Kulas that Mr.Medvid had pointed to the Soviet shipand then gestured, as if cutting histhroat, to indicate what would happento him on the ship.Witnesses also told Mr. Kulas thatMr. Medvid swam to escape Sovietcapture in choppy waters, at night,during hurricane weather.There is also suspicion that it was notMr. Medvid who was interviewed thesecond time by U.S. authorities, but animposter, Mr. Kulas said. Mr. Medvid

(Continued on page 15)

JERSEY C1TY, N.J. - The Ukrainian Heritage Defense Committeevoted unanimously to establish' a fullystaffed office in Washington to combatthe defamation of Ukrainian-Americans. The decision came after thisspecial committee of the UkrainianNational Association reviewed thework of other committees involved incombatting defamation and seekingcongressional oversight hearings intothe activity of the Office of Specialinvestigations.

The OS1 is the Nazi-hunting arm ofthe U.S. Department of Justice.The Ukrainian Heritage DefenseCommittee was established in May bythe UNA Supreme Assembly at itsannual meeting. The Supreme Assembly also voted to provide the committee with S 100,000 and has appealedto all UNA members to donate fundsfor the work of the committee.The committee, meeting monthlysince June, has been in contact with

virtually all other Ukrainian and non-Ukrainian committees involved withthe issue of OS1 activity. Commentsfrom other committees and individualsabout how the Ukrainian HeritageDefense Committee can be most effective were requested in August.From the comments received it became obvious that a full-time paid staffin Washington was critical.During its most recent meeting heldOctober 26at the UNA headquarters inJersey City, the committee also allocated S 10,000 for the publication of"Ukraine During World War 11: History and its Aftermath" by the Canadian institute of Ukrainian Studies at

the University of Alberta. The book,edited by Prof. Yury Boshyk, is theresult of a symposium held earlier thisyear and attended by leading Ukrainianand non-Ukrainian scholars.The committee also voted to pur-chase 10,000 copies of a pamphlet on

the OS1 and its reliance on Sovietsupplied evidence, published by Americans for Due Process. The pamphletoutlines the problem and presents the.issues in a concise manner. The pamphlets will be made available to all UNAmembers free of charge, but a donationis requested.The UHDC also voted to purchase aphotocopying machine for the Ukrainian-American Justice Committee. TheUAJC is based in Chicago and isinvolved in combatting defamation.in the future, the committee willconsider requests from other committees for specific projects involving theOS1 and defamation issue.The UHDC hopes to open the Wash

ington office within the next couple ofmonths. Applications for the positionof director of th e office will be acceptedupon publication of the job announcement.The Washington office will entail amajor financial commitment of thefunds already raised by the committee,its effectiveness will be contingent onadditional funds from UNA membersto the UHDC. The members of theUkrainian Heritage Defense Committee reiterated the call of the SupremeAssembly to all UNA members todonate funds to the UHDC for thebattle against the defamation of Ukrainians.

Chicago's Ukrainian American Justice Committee: a model of unityby Marta Kolomayets

CHlCAGO - The Ukrainian American community's recent united efforton behalf of Ukrainian sailor MyroslavMedvid made national headlines andproved the community's increasedmedia savvy.One of the most active groups in thisendeavor was the Chicago community,which seized the opportunity to help afellow Ukrainian, who expressed wishesto defect to the United States, individuals manned telephone banks, sentletters to Congress, appealed to President Ronald Reagan, flew down to NewOrleans - followed by three localtelevision news camera crews, demon-started at the city's federal building and,as a result, received wide mediacoverage"The consolidated effort was apowerlul one." said the Rev. PeterGaladza, president of the UkrainianAmerican Justice Committee, a groupinstrumental in defending Mr. Medvid'srights during this international incident.The Ukrainian American JusticeCommittee is a relatively new organization. formed on June 6 on the initiativeof the !llinois chapter of the UkrainianCongress Committee of America.

it is considered an anomaly as Ukrainian organizations go. because it unitesindividuals from all Ukrainian politicalparties and organizations and is chaired by a priest.And this combination seems to work.The Ukrainian American JusticeCommittee, within a three-monthperiod, enrolled more than 6 0 members.That membership continues to grow.The group works well with the Chicagochapter of Americans for Human

Rights in Ukraine, and the two organizations have developed a workingrelationship on various projects.Then whey the need for a new organization? According to the Rev. Galadza.the new organization was needed tocombat the defamation of Ukrainians,particularly at this inauspicious time,and. in many cases, the clergy alone arecapable of uniting the community."The defamation of Ukrainians concerns all of us." said the Rev. Galadza."it transcends political affiliations."And instead of concentrating on theattacks on Ukrainians, we're intent onbuilding a positive public image bygenerating more positive stories aboutUkrainians," he said.For this reason, the UAJC has em-ployed the services of jMAX, a publicrelations firm headed by Andrij BilykolAlexandria. Ya. Serving as a mediaconsultant. Mr. Bilyk has helped arrange several media interviews for theUAJC.The UAJC has staged a series ofevening seminars titled "Advocating theUkrainian Cause in America."

The public seminars, have presentedsuch speakers as Dr. Myron Kuropas,who introduced the series with threeseminars on the history of the defamation of Ukrainians. Myron Kulas.lllinois state representative from the10th Legislative District, spoke on"Lobbying the Government on Behalfof th e Ukrainian Cause,"and New Yorklawyer Askold-Lozynskyj spoke aboutthe"OSland Due Process." Lithuanian-American lawyer Paul Zumbakis .toldconcerned audiences "Why YoungAmericans Should Be Concerned Aboutthe Obi," and George Sajewych, a(Continued on page 14)

The executive board of the Ukrainian American Justice ( ommittee: (from left)Walter Tun, treasurer; lrene Dziuk, secretary; Roman Golash, vice-president; theRev. Peter Galadza, president.

Dr. Myron B. Kuropas points out photos of Ukrainian American activists of the1920s during a UAJC-spdns'ored seminar on "History of the Defamation ofUkrainians."


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T H E U K R A I N I A N W E E K L Y S U N D A Y , N O V E M B E R 24,1985 No. 47

News and an alys is : w or ld congress o f Sovie t and East European stud iesby Nadia Diuk

W A S H I N G T O N - The mammothTh ird W orld Co ngress for Soviet andEast Euro pean Studies was held here onOctober 31 through N ovember 4, withthe participation of many Ukrainianscholars.it is unlikely that anothe r W orldCongress for Soviet and East EuropeanStudies will beh eld again in the UnitedStated fo r some t ime to come, so thehuge six-day gatherin g of Slavists at theW a s h i n g t o n S h e r a t o n w a s a go o doppor tun i ty to . review the current stateof Slavic studies. For many people, itwas also an occasion t o m eet colleaguesfrom across the world.

Th is was the largest of the three worldcongresses held thus far. The first, inBanff in 1974; was atten ded by 820registered delegates. T he second, held inGarm isch-Partenkirchen in 1980, had1,415 registered participants. This yearthe congress, sponsored jointly by thein ternat ional Com mittee fo r Soviet andEast European Studies and the American Association for the Advancementof S lavic Studies (AA AS S ), was estimated to have over 2,500 official participants. W ith 204 sessions on differenttopics there was certainly something ofinterest to be found for everyone.

Slavic studies accomm odates a varietyof academic f ields such as his to ry,literature, language, economics, geography, ethnography, archeology, thehistory of religions, international relations, politics, bibliography and evencomputer studies. All of these werecovered in general and specific ways inthe sessions.There were panels on "Catherine ll 'sCh ar ters ," "Censorship as a W ay of Lifein the US SR .""Semio ticsand the Studyof Soviet Political Discourse," "So vietindustry," "Stalinism Revisited,""Freudand Russia." "The Cradle of EuropeanCivilization: Recent Research on theDevelopment o l Prehis to r ic Societya n d T ec hn o l o gy in the Ba lka n s ,"

Nadia Diuk. who completed herstudies at St. Anthony's College, Ox-ford University, holds a master's degreein Soviet and East European studies.She is currently completing work on adoctorate in modern Ukrainian history,and has traveled extensively in EasternEurope in conjunction with research orher thesis.

"Ch ristians, Jews and M uslims in theSoviet Union: Their C ontacts with Co -r e l ig i o n i s ts A b r o a d , " " T h e S o v i e tU n i o n a n d A r m s C o n t r o l , " " L o c a lPa r ty O r ga n iz a t i o n s i n the USSR,""N ational Bibliographies of Slavic andEast-European Studies,"and "Machine-readable Databases Useful fo r the; Slavic and East European Field," to name but a few.in fact,"Slavic studie s as rep rese nte dat the congress appeared to be broadand flexible. JT ie definition ran beyondthe con cerns of S lavs in Eastern Europe."Anti-S emitism in Rumania During theln te r wa r Y ea r s " f o un d a leg i t im a te.ni che , as did "Muslims in B ulgaria"and( " So vie t - T r a in ed Niger ia n G r a d ua tesand S oviet Studies in Nigeria: impactand Prospe cts." Th e politics and economics of the German Democratic Re-public were treated as part of Slavicstudies.

Pa r t i c ipa n ts i n c lud ed exper t s i nvarious fields from the Rand Corporation . Radio Liberty! Radio Free Europe,the BBC, the Brookings ins t i tut ion ,U.S. Bureau of the Cen sus, U.S. Department of Defense, Library of Congress, Canadian Chamber of Commerceand other professional bodies, as well asuniversity professors, in fact, the mostnotable absence was of the principalsubject of the congress - there was nosignificant contribution or attendanceby scholars from the Soviet bloc.

The Ukrainian perspectiveUkrainians were well-represented atthe Congress in terms of attendance,and formally in the organization ofpa n e l s . T he pa n e l o n " T he Un ia teChurches between Moscow and theva t ic a n s in c e W o r ld W a r 11" wa s

essentially directed towards discussiono n the Ukr a in ia n Chur c h . Bo hd a nBociurkiw of Carleton University inOttawa read a paper on "The UkrainianGreek Catholic Church in the Post-warUSSR and Poland: A Compar ison ,"giving a masterly presen tation of manylittle-known details of the liquidation ofthe Ukrainian Church at the end of thes ec o n d wo r ld wa r a n d the pr es en tsituation of the church in Poland. Prof.Bociurkiw is the leading scholar in thefield of religion in the Soviet bloc, vasylM arkus of Lo yola University in Chicago complemented Dr. Bociurkiw'spaper with his investigation into "The

U krain ian-Jewish Contac ts So cietyreacts to mon ume nt 's destruct ion

N E W Y O R K - T h e N e w Y o r kbranch of the Society of Ukrainian-Jewish Contacts released a statementr e c e n t l y c o n d e m n i n g t h e g r o u p o fvandals who destroyed a Jerusalemmonument to Ukrainian and Jewishvictims of the Nazi Holocaust. Theyalso called for increased cooperationbetween the Ukrainian and Jewishnations.:r"We have for many years told theUkrainian community, and also theJewish community, about the need forcooperat ion among our nat ions . Wepar t icular ly refer to th is , that an t i -Semitism and Ukrainophobia will onlybring t remendous harm to bo th theUkrainian and Jewish nation s and thesephenomena, like all other examples ofinternational hatred and anti-humanitarianism, are a serious illness whichmust be fought. The spreading of suchactions will serve only the interests ofM oscow ," reads the statement, datedN o vem ber 5 .

The group contends that the destruction of the mon umen t was a ploy by theMoscow regime to create bad feelingsbetween the two n ations, in its statement, the group said the government oflsrael must bring the vandals to justiceand stressed that it will continue itsefforts to make sure this is done.The monument, which also recalledthe 7 million victims of the GreatFamine of 1932-33, was destroyed bythe vandals on Se ptember 26 withsledge hammers. The group wasallegedly led by Stefan Grajek, a Soviet Jewishemigre and one-time head of a W orldW ar 11 veterans organization.T h e m o n u m e n t , l o c a t e d n e a r t h eTomb of Kind David on Mount Zion onland purchased by Yurij Deba of vancouver, had been dedicated on May 13.News of the destruction was reported'by Yakiv Suslensky, chairman of theSociety of Ukrainian-Jewish Contactsin Jerusalem.

Peter Reddaway and Bohdan R. Bociurkiw at social gathering.Fa te o f the Un io n o f Uz hho r o d i nT r a n s c a r p a th ia a n d S lo va kia a ft e r1945."The final discussion was on "Thev a t i c a n - M o s c o w R e l a t io n s an d t h eUniate Chu rches" by Richard H. M ar-shall, University of To ron to, andThomas E. Bird,Citv Universitvof Ne wYork.

The session was chaired by PhillipW alters of Keston C ollege, England,which specializes in research into religion in the Soviet Union and EasternEurope. Athanasius B. Pekar OSBMof the Ukrainian Catholic Seminary inW ashington con tributed to the discussion .This lengthy session was extremelywell-attended throughout and listenedto with great interest by non-Ukrainianscholars who were obviously unfamiliarwith the depth of the subject.The Sh evchenko Scientific Society, afull-fledged institu tion al mem ber of the(Continued on page 13) Dr. Omeljan Pritsak delivers paper.

Fa m in e d o c u m e n ta r y w in s a g a inJERSEY C 1TY, N .J . - "Harvest ofDespair," the 55-minute documentaryon the 1932-33 Great Famin e in Ukr a in e , ha s r ec en t ly wo n a ho s t o fprestigious awards at internatio nal filmcompetitions in Canada and the UnitedStates .The 16 mm documentary won twoawards at the 28th Annual lnternational Fi lm and Fest ival of NewYork, it captured the first prize goldmedal in the docum entary category andthe Grand Award Silver Bowl Trophyas the best of 837 f i lms en tered in the entertainment programs and specialscategory.Both awards were presen ted at aN ovember 15 awards banquet in NewYork in front of some 1,500 television,film and music leaders from around theworld. A 60-second clip of the film wasscreened at the banquet which washosted by Louis Gossett. the Oscarwinn ing s tar o l "An (J! l icer and aGentleman," and Phylicia Avers-Alleno f NBC - T vs " T he Co sby Sho w."Accepting the awards on behalf offilmmakers S lavko N ouvtski and Yurii

Luhovy, and the Toronto-based Ukrainian Famine Research Committee wereBohdan Onyschuk, one of th e executiveproducers of the film, and vjctor Rud,who assisted the two filmmakers.in Canada, the filmmakers walkedaway with three awards at the 21stYorkton Short Film and video Festivalheld in Yorkton, Sask. The filmwon theSpe cial Jury Aw ard, an award for bestmusic score and the Antoinette KryskiCanadian Heritage Award.According to "Harvest of Despair"s p o k e s p e r s o n Z o r i a n n a H r y c e n k o Luhova, the Antoinette Kryski award ispresented to outstanding productionswhic h f ea tur e Ca n a d ia n peo ple o revents."Harvest of Despair" has won awardsa t a n u m b e r o f o t h e r i n t e r n a t i o n a lcompetitions, including the Houstonin ternat ional Fi lm Fest ival and the33rd Annual Columbus in ternat ionalFilm Festival, it was featured in the23rd Annual New York Film Festivaland was aired across Canada this fall onthe nat ional T v network of the Canadian Broadcast ing Corporat ion .


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N o. 47 T H E U K R A I N IA N W E E K L Y S U N O A Y , N O V E M B E R 2 4 , 1 9 8 5

interview: Christina Pochmursky, one of Canadian journalism's bestby Mykhailo Bociurkiw

TORONTO - "She's one of thebest reporters this country hasproduced;" said Peter Trueman,one of Canada's leading anchormen.She was characterized as "a newsproducer's dream," by TorontoStar reporter Carole Gault.And victor Malarek of TheGlobe and Mail said, "Watchingher gives hope to the future of Tvnews and documentaries."Christina Pochmursky, by mostjournalistic standards is one of themost promising, intelligent reporters today. As host of Toronto'sCBLT-TY's new current affairsprogram called "Monitor," Ms.Pochmursky, 37, has begun a newphase of H er life, of her career. Onewhich, she said, she's very excitedabout, (jAs one; of the few Ukrainianwomen reporters in Canada, Ms.Pochmursky has a vitality andintensity which draws the audienceto her. Through her work with"Monitor,)" she has had the opportunity to see all forms of Canadianlifestyles and problems.Earlier this fall, she was workingon a documentary on plastic surgery for men in their 50s. Anotheritem covered work accidents inCanada: "Every seven seconds inCanada there's a major work accident and the toughest, fines thatemployers ever have to pay issomething :like 52,000 even ifpeople die," explained Ms. Pochmursky with the enthusiastic senseof discovery that she characteristically exudes.

The topics covered by Ms. Pochmursky in her documentaries are asvaried as her skills. She earned adegree in English literature fromthe University of Toronto and later went on to get ateaching degree. But she never pursued a career ineither field.instead, the years following university saw herwriting copy for a major Canadian publishing firm,McLean Hunter, and then in a host of positions atGlobal Television in Toronto.in fact, it was at Global that Ms. Pochmursky gother unexpected start in journalism, in 1 9 7 3 , when thestation began broadcasting throughout Ontario, shewas first hired as a researcher and after two weeks waspromoted to the position of editorial assistant. Aftertwo years, she moved on to reporting business news;four years later she got to cover provincial politics at

Queen's Park; lifestyle and feature reporting cameafter that.. Later in her career at Global, Ms.Pochmursky helped anchor the 6 p.m. and lateeditions of the newscast.Last fall she left Global and signed up as host of anew current affairs television program at CBLT-Tv the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's flagshipstation in Toronto. One of the reasons Ms. Pochmursky cites for leaving Global had to do with thelimitations of a newscast format. "Monitor," whichairs on Monday evenings, offered her an opportunityto use all of her well-honed journalistic skills toproduce longer documentaries."1 have my own show, essentially, it's moreinvestigative and 1 can get into more investigative-stylethings. There's much more room for experimentation," says Ms. Pochmursky.M s. Pochmursky grew up in St. Catharines. Ont., amedium-sized city located on the shores of LakeOntario between Toronto and Niagara Falls. Herparents "dispatched" her to the Plast and SUMUkrainian youth organizations, and she went toUkrainian school. She can write and speak Ukrainian,but never took a liking to organised community life asa child.Ms Pochmursky has distinguished herscll as anauthoritative and well-informed journalist, in 1983.the iational Radio and Television News DirectorsAssociation recognized her tor excellence : documentaries.M s. Pochmursky is part ol a growing group of

HE"k"rfliu v, -

Sii ^ ^hristina Pochmursky, anchorpersonwomen and a minority group of Canadians that arebecoming commonplace in newsrooms across NorthAmerica.

Women now comprise nearly 40 percent of the dailyU . S . press workforce and about 60 percent of alljournalism and mass communications students in theUnited States, according to a group of researchers atthe University of Maryland.And journalists with Ukrainian backgrounds' arecoming to the fore in several news outlets in Canada.The Globe and Mail, The Toronto Star, The TorontoSun, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, theCanadian Television Network, The EdmontonJournal and the KitchenerWaterloo Record are justsome of the places where Ukrainians hold prominentpositions in newsrooms.

in this field. H a s your minority status presented anydifficulties for you?POCHM U RSK Y: Dealing with the ethnic part, thename caused problems when 1 was at Global. As longas 1 w a s an editorial assistant, they didn4 care what myname was. But when it was time to go on air as anon-air reporter 1 was called in by the executive

producer, by the vice-president of news...by all the sortof top dogs at Global at that time. And they allstrongly urged me to change my name to somethingthat was much, much more accessible like Smith orJones. considered it 1 have to admit that 1 considered it- for about half an hour. And then what happened, itwent to a real confrontation. They said, "You shouldchange your name because this is going to get in theway of your career; people won't be able to rememberor relate to this name and it's going to be like analbatross, if you get really good then you'll reallyregret that your name is Pochmursky because it will bea major pain in the ass."And then. said, "No, l'm not going to change it."Because 1 said people like my father built this country,did all the sort of dirty work and did all the hard work.And 1 thought to myself: you arrogant sons of

bitches...you think that his name is suddenly not goodenough for your air waves. And 1 thought no this isnot a white Anglo-Saxon country anymore; it's acountry that belongs to immigrants. They can copewith a name like Pochmursky.You have other names like Podbursky and Gretzkyand whatever. There are so many ethnic-soundingSlavic names out there that people manage toremember.After we had this little confrontation1.1 said "no," 1wasn't going to do it. And one of the people 1 wasworking for 1 was working on his segment of theshow - and he said, "l'm not going to have a name likePochmursky on my show.,.l not going to say it...l'mnot going to introduce your items." And then 1 said,"Well. 1 guess 1 won't be a reporter." And then whenthev realized that 1 had dug in mv heels so far thev said" . Ok. Ok."And if anything, people remember that part. Theydon't remember the Christina but they remember thePochmursky and they don't have any problem with itat all. People who are walking'down the street, they" yell "Christina Pochmursky" and little kids say it. oldpeople say it and in-between people say it.WEEKL Y : 1 guess a lot of people with long namesare faced with the temptation to shorten their names.What kind of advice would you give them? Would youtell them to resist?POCHMURSKY: Yes. Because 1 think someonelike Fred Jones has a name that is really forgettable inthe sense that it has nothing of distinction, it's soordinary and it's so easy that it slides right off yourmemory. think that if you look at a lot of stations in Canada,

it's almost like they're going out of their way to get anethnic mix. And everybody's got weird names and 1

They said "you should change your name because this is going tog e t in the way of your career"... said, "No, l'm not going tochange it." ... People like my father built this country, did all thesort of dirty work, and did all the hard work... it's a country thatbelongs to immigrants.

The following are excerpts of an interview con-ducted with Ms. Pochmursky earlier this fall inToronto. The conclusion of the interview will appearnext week.in it, Ms. Pochmursky talks about her careeras a journalist and shares some of her views onthe Ukrainian community's relationship with themedia and mainstream society.

PART

WEEKL Y : 1 suppose you can be considered amen her of two minority groups in the field ofjournalism First, you're a woman - and statisticssht ' -omen are tnder-representedin theCanadui iia.aridst you're Ukrainian am ofwio'ther-groui is not well represented

think the public is not that stupid or prejudiced thatthey can't let it in.WEEKL Y : How does itfeel to get up in front of the

camera and be viewed by thousands of viewers?POCHMURSKY: Well, 1 hated it at first. ! stilidon't like myself, l'm very self-critical, but you getused to it.When you're really feeling good or strong about ;istorv it's really quite a passioi tie experience, becauseyou're really sayingsometh . lhatyourea lyfe '!,andthat you've seen. . mght , ind

vou know. And ii .. ,o ;ir..people .rut you're letti . .life yt,s something tha


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6 T H E U K R A I N IA N W E E K L Y S U N D A Y , N O V E M B E R 2 4 , 1 9 8 5 ^ ^ N o j t f

U k r a i n i a n W e e kGiving thanks

Y

As Ukrainian Americans gather next week with their families toobserve a truly special American holiday, the fate of a fellowUkrainian who yearned to become an American will doubtless occupytheir thoughts. And their Thanksgiving holiday will be a sadder onethan most.

Myroslav Medvid, the Ukrainian sailor who twice jumped ship insearch of American freedom and a new life in "an honest country," hasa future that is, at best, uncertain, in the eyes of the Soviet system, hecommitted treason.

He must have believed that freedom, a commodity foreign to theSoviet Union, was worth the risk of his "treasonous"act. He must havethought that in America there is plenty of freedom for everyone.

But, this time, that precious commodity was temporarily andinexplicably in short supply. There was no freedom for MyroslavMedvid, and so U.S. authorities returned the young seaman to thesystem he so desperately sought to escape.

The Ukrainian community will never forget the Medvid tragedy, astory of freedom denied, for Ukrainians know very well perhapsbetter than many other Americans the value of liberty.

That is why each year they piously give thanks for the blessings ofliving in thiS'country and being its citizens. That is why Ukrainians inthis country are proud to call themselves Ukrainian Americans. That iswhy countless numbers of them were ready to give their lives andmany did in defense of this country and its principles. That is whythey hope for the day that Ukraine, too, will flourish in freedom.

This Thanksgiving, as we bow our heads to give thanks for thegraces of God that we enjoy here in the United States, we should add asilent prayer for Myroslav Medvid. May the Good Shepherd watchover him.

L E T T E R S TO T H E E D 1T O RQuestions regardingpsychiatr ic reportDear Editor:

it is obvious by now to anyone whocarefully followed the events connectedwith the attempt by Myroslav Medvidto seek asylum in the United States thatour government agencies, especially theimmigration and NaturalizationService and the State Department, areresponsible for a . number of seriousblunders.

As stated by The New York Times(November 10): "The decision to let theship leave came after aWhite Housemeeting among senior officials of theState Department, Justice Department,immigration and NaturalizationService and Customs Service."Furthermore, the paper stated: "Thegovernment based its conclusion onstatements the seaman made October 28and 29 to a psychiatrist,.who saw him atthe request of the State Department".The psychiatrist in question, Maj.William M. Hunt 3rd, interviewed Mr.Medvid twice and spent six to eighthours in direct contact with him.The psychiatric report, published inpart in The New York Times onNovember 9, stated: "While restrainedafter he swam to shore he was veryagitated, banging his head on theground," and..."upon forceful return tothe ship became depressed andagitated."The psychiatrist further stated: "Thepossibility however still exists and cannot completely be ruled out that this

individual, around the period inquestion. -74 to 29 October was

exhibiting the first manifestations of abipolar disorder, i.e. manic-depressiveillness."This crucial psychiatric report raisessome disturbing questions in terms ofhow the evaluation was conducted andwhat conclusions were reached, it isknown how difficult it is to establishrapport between a patient and his! herpsychiatrist. At the minimum, theinterview should have been conductedin Ukrainian, by a clinician familiarwith Ukrainian culture.it should not be suprising to anyonewhy Mr. Medvid, after failing in hisattempt to escape became agitated andhypomanic. This of itself should havebeen the evidence that he did not desireto return to the Soviet Union.There wasnot a strong reason to assume that Mr.Medvid exhibited first manifestationsof a bipolar disorder simply on the basisof a situationally agitated behavior.Diagnosis of bipolar disordersrequires a history of both depressiveand manic episodes, lasting from a fewdays to months. (Diagnostic andStatistical Manual of MentalDisorders, third edition, , 1980).it is clear that Mr. Medvid did nothave a sufficient time to rest andrecuperate before being given anopportunity for a psychiatric interview.The minimum the U.S. StateDepartment can do to prevent futuretragedies is to develop sound guidelinesfor handling similar cases in the future.

ivan Z. HolowinskyDiplomatcAmerican Board

of Professional PsychologyNew Brunswick, N.J.

ZJACtHTSeSThanks America!

Koziak campaign:some observationsDear Editor:Today (November 7), 1 received yourOctober 6 edition of The UkrainianWeekly, which includes the articleheadlined "Koziak has 'outside chance'of second ballot victory." ironically, 1received the paper which reported Mr.Koziak's close call on the second ballottwo weeks earlier. Obviously, your postoffice is just as bad as ours. Unfortunateas it may seem, there really is nothing wecan do about this (and 1 speak fromexperience), except get the readers tocall in complaints to the Post Office on aregular.basis. But 1 digress.Mykhailo Bociurkiw wrote an excellent and well-researched article, butthere is one point 1 would like to clarify.Ukrainian News did not run several adstitled "Let's elect a Ukrainian premier."We ran one editorial and advertisementin Ukrainian and English with that titleand then, upon the request of theKoziak campaign, the ad was changedto "Julian Koziak is for all ofus," whichis how all subsequent ads were run.

incidentally, it might be useful foryour U.S. readers to explain preciselywhat this was all about and how itrelates to the delegate selection process,since it is quite different (and lessdemocratic, 1 may add) than yourAmerican system of primary elections.With the exception of the PartiQuebecois, which recently held a leader-ship convention in which all registeredparty members were allowed to vote in ageneral ballot, ail other political parties canaaa seieci delegates to the leader-ship convention on the basis of consti

tuency elections plus ex-officio dele-gates, basically members of the Legislative Assembly (provincial), members ofParliament (federal), party executives,and so on. in Alberta,, each of the 79constituencies had the right to elect 20delegates which constituted 1,580 of the1,900 delegates.Anybody who buys a 55 party membership before the voting starts has theright to vote at the delegate selectionmeeting in his or her constituency,which basically means that whoever cansell the most memberships can get themost delegates committed to his candidate.The idea of the ad was to get as manymembers of the Ukrainian communityas possible to buy party memberships sothey could vote in their constituencies- which is precisely what happened.Everything in the Koziak campaign washandled ethically and within the rules.Reported abuses allegedly committedby individuals not in our camp includedhanding out memberships for free andbringing in members after the deadlinefor sales had passed.One of the more colorful storiesrelating to this process occurred during

the federal Progressive Conservativeleadership campaign in which PrimeMinister Brian Mulroney was elected,in one Quebec constituency, Mr. Mulroney's organizers apparently draggedin derelicts off the street to vote in thedelegate selection meeting with promises of free beer afterwards.Marco LevytskyEditor and General ManagerUkrainian NewsEdmonton


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w o. 4 7 ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ - T H E U K R A I N IA N W E E K L Y S O N P f l Y , N O V E W B E R 24 , W S S ^ ^ ^ 7

FO R T H E R E CO R D N E W S AN D v iEW SE x a m o f M e d v i dser iously f lawed

Th e following letter to the editor wa spublished in the November 7 issue ofThe Washington Post., am writing in regard to the medicale x a m i n a t i o n o f t h e S o v i e t s e a m a nM yroslav M edvid, conducted for U.S .officials o n O ctober 26 and Octobe r 28,to ascertain his competence to decidewhether o r no t he wished to return tothe Soviet Union .T h e m e d i c a l e x a m i n a t i o n o f t h i sSoviet sailor was incomplete, and wecannot judge if free will was expressedwhen he stated his desire to return.O n N o v e m b e r S , a d m i n i s t r a t i o nofficials from the State Departmentadmitted to , a S enate Judiciary sub-committee that no ur inalysis o r bloodtest was performed during the physical

examination of M r . M edvid. Th e omiss io n o f u r i n a l y s i s a n d blo o d t es t sprecludes objective determination of

the pr es en c e o r a bs en c e o f ps y c ho -tropic drugs that may have influencedhis rW is ion-m atino abili t iesit is well known that neuroleptic drugsare com mon ly used as a form of punishment against Soviet dissidents. Thosedrugs include major tranqutlizers suchas Haldol and Thoraz ine. The Sovietsare also known to oun ish with inser tionsof Sulphazin, a preparation of purifiedsulphur, which leads to a variety ofdistressing symptoms including highfever , body pai ns and ge ne ral discomfor t . This la t ter t reatment has noknown therapeutic value.

Screening tests for the presence ofvar ious t ranquil izers , hypnotics andsedatives are readily available in A merican medical laboratories. believe thatthe omission of such an evaluation inthe case of M r. Medivid is a seri ous flawin his medical examination and prevents any sound psychiatric judgementof his mental state during his latestin terview with A mer ican author i t ies .Andrew M. Hruszkewycz, M.D.W ashington

va l i d i t y o f repor ti s d o u b t e d

The following letter to the editor wassent to The Ne w York Times on November 10.The content of the recently releasedpsychiatric report on the Soviet sailorM yroslav M edvid poses serious questions regarding the validity of its f inalconclusions.Supported by its own admission, the

gathering of data was incomplete. Thec o n d i t i o n s o f the exa m in a t i o n wer esubstandard, pat ien t-physician confidentiality was absent with a Sovieto f f ic ia l a lwa y s be in g pr es en t . T hea s s e s s m e n t fa i le d t o c o n s i d e r M r .M edvid's language barrier and culturalbackground.Although th e examiner knew that inthe immediate pre-examination per iodM r. M edvid was administered majorpsychotropic drugs, specified by theSoviet physician, no blood or urine tests(Continued on page 10)T h e M e d v id c a s e :w h a t y o u c a n d oM yroslav M edvid could have spent this Th anksgiving Day with us in theUnited S tates, thankin g G od for all the blessings enjoyed by the people of thisplentiful land.Ukrainians will long remember the Medvid episode. The issues involvedshould not be allowed to disappear from the minds of the people, from theminds of public officials, or from the pages of American newspapers.Attention can continue to be focused on the treatment of Medvid and allUkrainians by the Soviet government.UNA mem bers are urged to act on as many of the following suggestions aspossible." 1. Co ntact your,senators and representative by letter or telegram urgingor demanding a full congressional investigation of the administration's

handling of the M edvid case. Th e letter need not be long. A few sentences w ill.do .Addresses are: U.S. Se nate, W ashington , D.C . 20510; U.S. House ofRepresen tatives, W ashington . D.C. 20515." 2. if you have been involved in political campaigns and know yourcongressman, senato rs , o r even local pol i t ical off ic ials , con tact thempersonally and express your outrage at the handling of the Medvid case.Demand that they work for a congressional investigation of the matter.During the holiday, most members of Congress will be in their distr icts orstates, if they have public meetings, attend and raise the Medvid issue." 3. All Republicans should contact Frank Fahrenkopf and Sen. PaulLaxalt to protest the Republican administration's handling of the Medvidcase and demand that tht (acts be presented to the American people.Addresses are: M r. Frank Fahrenkopf, Chairman, Republican NationalCom mittee, 310 First S treet , SE, W ashington , D.C: Sen. Paul LaxaltGeneral C hairman, Re publican N ational Com mittee, 310 First S treet , SE,W a sh in gto n , D.C ." 4. Send than k-you letters to those members of Co ngress who have beenhelpful in trying to save the life of M yroslav M edvid. W hile than king them ,also urge that they continue to press for a full congressional investigation.The members of Co ngress who have taken th e lead in th is issue are: Sens .Gordon Humphrey, Jesse Helms, Paul Simon and Jeremiah Denton; Reps.Don Rit ter , Tom Lantos, M ary Rose Oakar , Chr is topher S mith and EdwardFeighan .Only the con certed effort of.all Ukrainian A mericans, to whom the M edvidmatte r is close and dear, will bring about the possible safeguards which willensure the proper handling of any future attempts by Ukrainians to gainliberty and freedom in Am erica. ,UNA Supr em e Executive Com m ittee

The Ha rvard M illenn ium Pro jectand Ukra in ian communi ty act ionsby Gloria y'Edynak

The Harvard Millennium Project isan ambitious program of translatingand republishing a series of Ukrainianreligious and cultural wo rks up to 1800,including Ukrainian literary worksfrom the early chronicles through lvanKotliarevsky's "Ae nied" (1798).it is f inancially supported by the National M illennium of Ru s' UkraineChristianity Committee based in NewYork City and chaired by Dr. StephenW o r o ch .T he project itself is directed by Prof.Omeljan Pritsak and coordinated byDr. Lubomyr Hajda, and it involves thescholars of the institute, such as lhorSevcenko, Frank Sysyn. Paula Lewin,Bohdan Struminsky, George Gajecky.and o thers .Other goals of the Harvard Millennium Project include the compilation ofa th r ee- vo lum e r e f e r en c e wo r k o nUkr a in ia n ec c les ia s t i c a l h i s to r y , a ninternational conference on the Christianization of Kievan Rus', and theen d o wm en t o f a c ha i r o n r e l ig io ushistory at the Harvard Divinity School.

Millennium seriesThe Ukrainian Studies Fund, withthe Frie nds of H UR1 , has undertakenthe publication of booklets and pamphlets on Ukrainian religious and culturalhistory. Persons involved with these

publications are HUR1 Associate Director Frank E. Sysyn, who advises theM illennium Se ries, Dr. Lubomyr Hajda,who reviews and edits articles, the stallof the Cambridge-based USF office,and T amara N ary of Fr iends of HU R1,who sees to layout and printing.in addition , the fund has sponsored aUkrainian researcher at Keston Collegein England, which has a well-established re putation lor solid work onthe religious situation in communistlands. The main purpose of this projectis to research and publish substantialworks on some aspect ot religion inUkraine.Andrew Sorokowski. hired for theproject, compiles summaries of Ukrai

nian samvydav documents for publication in the college's jour nal. Religion inCommunist Lands, and writes newsitems lor the Keston News Service.The USF has under taken an ambitious program of mailing appropriateparts of the series to Ame rican churchesand scholars interested in Central andEastern Europe, it has sent informationto Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthod o x h i e r a r c h i e s ( G r e e k , A r m e n i a n ,Ruman ian), as well as to Episcopalianand Evangelical groups, and scholarsinterested in Ukrainian, Polish, Russianand Central European histories.The Hellenic College, the seat of theGreek Or thodox School of Theology,has requested 200 copies of "ByzantineRoo ts of Ukrainian Ch ristianity." Thefund received a gracious, supporting

Gloria 'Edynak is the English-language information officer and amember of the board of the UkrainianStudies Fund at Harvard University.For information on the pamphletspublished b y the Harvard UkrainianStudies Fund, write to the und at 1581-83 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge,Mass. 02138.

letter from Archishop lakovos, head ofthe Greek Or thodox Church of N or thand South Amer ica.Some 1,200 scholars enlisted in theCatho lic Historical S ociety have rec e ived m a i l i n gs , a n d the USF ha sreceived warm support from Boston'sCardinal Bernard Law.New England Ch urch Life, the communications ministry of the Evangelistic Association of N ew England, carriesa r t i c l es o n r e l ig io us pe r s ec ut i o n i nUkraine and on the millennium as ar es ult o f m ee t i n gs with the US F.S cholars, churchmen and Am ericanlaity have written kind letters acknowledging the approachin g M illennium ofUkrainian Christianity.

The Ukrainian community can beinvolved in distr ibuting information onUkraine's M illennium . Cultural organizations are superbly suited for this task.Pr o f es s io n a l a n d c iv ic gr o u ps l ikemedical, legal, business and professional associations can disseminate theliterature among their colleagues orhave such inform ation available in theiroffices as reading material.

Religious groups and organizationsshould distr ibute the information attheir meetings. The American publicshould be invited to any and all eventscommemorating the Mil lenn ium andgiven pamphlets. Booklets and pamphlets should be given to libraries andmuseums. Religious holidays should bea particular tim e of "gift-giving" to o urAmerican friends. These materials canbe sold at any fund-raising event, likechurch bazaars, picnics and meetings,and displayed in church cases.

The media's roleW hen you plan a M illennium commemoration event, send a brief letterwith a pamphlet to an editor invitinghim or her to attend. The most appropriate editors would be city, news, arts,education and assignment. Avoid inviting reporters. They usually do notmake the decision on what they mustcover. Find out the name of the editor ina d va n c e bv c a l li n g the n ews pa per ,r ad io o r s ta ti o n .W rite a letter addressed personally tothat person. Describe the event that youare having, explain briefly the signilicance of the M illennium for Ukrainiansand enclose a pamphlet. For this pur-pose, "The Christianization of KievarRus' " is perfect, and it fits neatly in aregular-size envelope. Keep your lettersimple and no more than one page inlength.in a separate letter, send a calendarlisting or a press release to newspapersand a public service announcement toradio and T v s ta t ions .Two days before the event follow upyour letter with a phone call to theedi to rs . (Do send let ters to more thanone editor at a station or newspaper.)

Try to get a commitment on hisyherpar t to a t tend o r cover the even t .After the even t, call the edito r to askwhethe r he ; s he i n t en d s to wr i t e a nar t icle about i t . M ention that there arescholars at H arvard University who cananswer historical questions.Grasp every opportunity afforded byan American press report on religiousoppress ion in communis t-dominatedlands. W r i te the edi to r of that sect ion ofthe newspaper, as well as the reporter,( C o n t i n u e d o n p a g e 1 5 )


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TH E U K RAINIAN W EEK LY SU NDAY, NOVEMBER 24,1985 No. 47

A photo report: Ukrainian community mobilizes to prote

in Chicago, community member protest the handling of the Med., incident, in the photo on the left: !l!inois iau ..Walter W. Dudvcz and state Rep Myron kulas read the state legislator

(,alad;a leads protestersutions on the case. At right: the Re

Americans for Human Rights in Ukraine rail


9/16

No. 47 TH E U K RAINIAN W EEK LY SU NDAY, NOVEMBER 24,1985 test mishandling of Medvid's attempted defection

The Hotel Meridien in New Orleans was the site of a press conference called byUkrainians and the Save The Oppressed People committee.

ral^ in ouisiana.Aboard a boat chartered b) STOP , protesters seek 1 krainian saili

freedom.Human Rights ( ommittee with Svyatoslav K arav ans^ dwring

their press conference in New Orleans.


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10 T H F U K R A I N I A N W E E K L Y S U N D A Y , N O V E M B E R 2 4 , 1 9 8 5 N o . 47

Community leaders . . .(Continued from page 1)

salary cuts of about 54,000.The proposals were the result ofrecords presented in federal court lastweek which showed that U.S. officialsfeared violence if they tried to removeMr. Medvid from the ship for a thirdinterview. The New York Times reported.Duke Austin, a spokesman for the1 N S , defended his agency's recommendation, saying the action takenagainst the border officers was appropriate. He denied allegations thatofficials higher up had actually madethe first decision to send Mr. Medvidback to his ship, the Marshal Koniev."The minute Washington knew hehad been returned (by the borderofficers), we did everything in ourpower to get him off that ship," he toldThe Weekly. Mr. Austin said the border

officers admitted they returned Mr.Medvid to the ship the first time withoutconsulting their superiors, a move thatviolated U.S. immigration laws.Leaders of Ukrainian Americangroups throughout the country, however, have said they feel the governmentis trying to protect officials higher in theadministration. Some claim the decision to send Mr. Medvid back to hisship could have come from as high up as

the White House."1 think that'sjustchickenfeed,"WasylKolodchin of Detroit said regardingthe proposed demotions. Mr. Kolodchin was in Louisiana for a business tripwhen Mr. Medvid jumped ship in NewOrleans. "First of a l l , 1 don't think thosepeople should be punished. They werejust following orders. 1 think someoneat the State Department buneled thewhole thing. He should be identified(and punished). We should find out thetruth. The truth is someplace in Wash

N O T I C ET H E SvOBODA PRESS ADM1N1STRAT10Nhereby informs all organizations and individuals that the administrationwill not accept anyadvertisements

if previous bills are not paid.individuals letters concerning unpaid bills will not besent.A ll b i l l s m u s t be p a i d w i t h i n 15 days after th e publication of a n advertisement.

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ington, not in Louisiana. There seems tobe a cover-up," he said;lhor Olshaniwsky, president of Americans for Human Rights in Ukraine,based in Newark, N . J . , asked why, if theborder officers planned on sending Mr.Medvid back to the ship, would they telltranslator irene Padoch that they wouldcall her in the morning."in my opinion, it was not theirdecision. The investigation should notstop at two people, it . should go higherthan that," he said.Although senators and congressmencontacted in Washington have notissued official statements in response tothe proposed disciplinary actions, theyare nonetheless unhappy about how thecase was handled.Tom Kline, a spokesman for Sen.Gordon Humphrey (R-N.H.)said,"Thesenator made statements critical (of thehandling the case) on all levels, including the final decision by the administration. if specific procedures were violated, action certainly should be taken.But we also don't like people to be usedas scapegoats." if other people wereinvolved on a higher level, then appropriate action should be taken against

those individuals as well, he added."Certain information has not beenprovided to the public," Mr. Kline said.Ron Phillips, a spokesman for Sen.Jesse Helmes (R-N.C.) said, althoughthe senator has no jurisdiction over theaction taken against the border officers,he was looking at other forms of actionwhich could be taken once Mr. Medvidreturned to the Soviet Union."One of the things we can do is keephim on the rolls of human rights (prisoners)," he said. "That kind of thingcan be done."R e p . Gary Ackerman (R-N.Y.) hasalso been a severe critic, not only of howthe Medvid case was handled, but of the

entire leadership of the 1NS.Jonathan Bernstein, press secretaryfor the congressman, said the Medvidaffair was not an isolated incident."There is an insensitivity on the part ofthe 1NS. The congressman feels thoseresponsible should bear the responsibilitv of conscience. The border guardsshould get the same due process denied

G r i v n i n a d i s r u p t s . . .(Continued from page 2)Other reporters yelled lor them to sit

down.M r s . Grivnina had also complainedabout human-rights violations at a newsconference on Sunday, November 17,

when Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev arrived at Geneva's CointrinAirport.M r s . Grivnina said she spent 13months in Soviet prisons, then receivedpermission to leave last month.As she was carried out of the international press center by policemen, Mrs.Grivnina told reporters she was immediately leaving for Amsterdam.When asked if Mrs. Grivnina had theright to protest, Mr. Lomeiko said,"Shehas the clear right, but not in thisconference."The issue of human rights was alsoraised by the Rev. Jesse Jackson at animpromptu news conference with Mr.Gorbachev on luesday, iNovemoer .

When asked by the Rev. Jackson aboutthe plight of Jews in the Soviet Union.Mr. Gorbachev replied, "We wouldlike to say that the Jews are a part of theSoviet people. They are fine people.They contribute a lot to the development of our country. They verytalented people. Therefore, the so-called problem of Jews in the Si ietUnion does not exist."Or. if it does exist. Mr. Gorbachevsaid, it is only "with those who like tomar relations."

Mr. Medvid," he said.Claiming the 1NS has lost its direction under its present leadership. Rep.Ackerman said to Commissioner Nelsonat a recent hearing on the Hill, "1 wouldsuggest your agency carefully re-examine its policies, both the detention ofasylees and the manner in which youremployees administer our asylum laws.At this time, both appear to be inshambles."As talk of the case continues onCapitol Hill and within the Ukrainiancommunity, rumors are spreading of anagreement between the United Statesand the USSR to send back any potential defectors who jump ship."There could have been a plan fromthe beginning to make a deal," said Mr.Kolodchin."There's been a lot of talk on the Hillabout a very possible agreement betweenthe State Department and the Soviets toreturn as many defectors as possible,"said the Rev. Peter Galadza of theUkrainian American Justice Committee in Chicago.Mr. Kline said he also had heard therumors. "We've heard those, too. don'tknow, but this is being investigated." ifthis type of agreement did exist betweenthe two superpowers, he said, its effectwould be detrimental to how the UnitedStates and its immigration policieswould be viewed abroad."it would make a mockery of a lot ofstatements this country has made.There's been a great deal of language asto those fleeing oppression. After the(Simas) Kudirka case, Nixon spelledout specific guidelines concerning

human rights in this country, it wouldbe a disgrace," he said.One of the guidelines which had beenestablished was that any potentialSoviet defector be held until immigration officials and the State Departmentreview the case.Mr. Austin, however, discountscharges of a deal between the United 'States and the Soviets, calling itludicrous."is there one ounce of evidencesupporting that? Do you think 3,000border patrols (would know about it)and not one of them would comeforward and say something? No agencyis that tight. Think about what you'resaying. You've got to talk to every 1NSofficer and get the message out there.Nobody believes that."he said. "They'renot responsible statements."The border officers now have 10 daysto appeal the proposal, Mr. Austin said.After that. Commission Alan Nelsonwill review their arguments and decidewhat disciplinary measures should betaken.

v a l i d i t y . . .(Continued from page 7)for the presence or absence of thesedrugs were performed. A sWgle averagetherapeutic dose of the stated categoryof drugs can be detected for over 48hours after administration. These drugsexert profound effects on mental pro-cesses.

in view of this clinically insufficientbackground, lack of any known historyof psychiatric illness and extreme stressto which Mr. Medvid was subj ecd. thediagnostic implication of a 1 disorder, manic-depressive ;: indimmature personality is si.We are extremely concerneu that inour country a man's yearning to be freewas contorted into a possible psychiatric disorder.

Andrew Hruszkewycz, M.D., Ph.D.Washington

George Sopko, M.D., M.P.H.St. Louis


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No. 4 7 . ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ T H E UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 2 4 , 1 9 8 5 ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^

D i s s i d e n t a n d d e f e c t o r . . .(Continued from page 1)

in the Kazan Psychiatric Hospital.Messrs. Borovsky and Movchanasked Mrs. Gorbachev to "intervenewith your husband on behalf of thesetwo individuals, and in the case ofRuban, request that his son be allowedto leave the USSR for medical treatment."The letter went on to note the "tra

gedy of Afghanistan" which "has become not only the tragedy of the Afghanpeople, but also that of the variousnations of the Soviet Union whose sonsare forced to die." included with theletter was a photo of a 9-year-old boyfrom Afghanistan whose hand wasblown offwhen he picked up a booby-trapped toy.An inscription on the photographsaid: "One of thousands of childrencrippled in Afghanistan by 'toys'dropped from Soviet aircraft onto theAfghan countryside. Please rememberthis child in Geneva."in their letter to the American FirstLady, Messrs. Borovsky and Movchanasked her to "kindly request Mr. Gorbachev to discuss with her husband theplight of two Ukrainians presentlyincarcerated in Soviet penal institu

tions, as well as the plight ofmillions ofAfghan children suffering untold hard-ship due to Soviet military policy in thatcountry."Enclosed was a copy of the letter toMrs. Gorbachev, and thephoto of theAfehan boy. as well as a copv of MironDolot's eyewitness account of the 1932-33 Great Famine in Ukraine, "Execution by Hunger." The inscription in thebook said: "To First Lady NancyReagan with sincere gratitude for your

work on behalf of children throughoutthe world. Please remember that Afghanistan started with Ukraine "The texts of the two letters werereleased at the press conference sponsored by the Ukrainian AmericanJustice Committee and the illinoischapter of Americans for Human Rightsin Ukraine. The letters and enclosureswere sent to Mrs. Reagan via LinasKojelis, the ethnic liaison at the WhiteHouse Office of Public Liaison, whoreceived the packet on November 13.The First Lady was expected to presentMrs. Gorbachev with the materials.The press conference received widemedia coverage. Local and networkTvnews crews came to cover the event, asdid the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, The Washington Post and theReuters news service.

Afghan boy whose band was blown off when be picked up a booby-trapped toydropped in the countryside by the Soviets.

Letter to Nancy ReaganDear Mrs. Reagan:Next week you and Raisa Gorbachev will meet in Genevaduring yourhusbands'summit conference. Allowus, on our behalf and on behalf ofmillions of Ukrainians in this country and throughout the world toaskof you thefollowing favor.

During your conversations withthe Soviet First Lady could youkindly request Mrs. Gorbachev todisuss with her husband the plight oftwo Ukrainians presently incarccrated in Soviet penal institutions aswell as the plight of millions ofAfghan children suffering untoldhardship due to Soviet militarypolicy in that country.Regarding the two imprisonedUkrainians, we hope that their situation will interest you, owing to yourconcern for the plight of children aswell as the question of human culture.

The enclosed translation of a letterto Mrs. Gorbachev fully explains thecase of Petro Ruban and his crippledson, as well as the situation of AnnaMykhailenko, a language teacher inOdessa. These two adults are nowfacing severe forms of oppression inthe Soviet Union.Also, we ask that you intervene withMrs. Gorbachev on behalf of thechildren of Afghanistan. Enclosedplease find a color photograph of anine-year-old boy who picked upwhat he thought to be a toy. The

"toy" turned out to be one of thehundreds of thousands of lethalexplosives dropped from Sovietaircraft onto the Afghan country-side.Also enclosed please find a copy ofMiron Dolot's book, "Execution byHunger," which describes a policysimilar to that pursued by the USSRin Afghanistan today, but implemented more than 50years ago in ourhomeland of Ukraine. Please undcrstand that the "scorched earth"policy of de-population presentlypursued by the Soviets in Afghanistan is not an exception, but rather- part of aconsistent pattern of Sovietdomination by terror. The massacreof millions of Afghan people beganwith the murder of more than 7million Ukrainian farmers by forcedstarvation in 1932-33.With every hope that you will takeour request into consideration weremain. amcerciy,

victor BorovskyAge 29, former Soviet dissident,incarcerated in a Soviet psychiatrichospital for five months in 1975forquoting Alexander Solzhenitsynduring a college history class.

Mykola MovchanAge 23. former sergeant, SovietArmy. Deserted in Afghanistan in1983 after deciding to stop theshedding of innocent blood.

Letter to Raisa GorbachevDear Madame Gorbachev:Allow us on behalf of millions ofUkrainians throughout the worldtoexpress to you our concern regardingthe following victims of oppressionin Ukraine, as well as our heartfeltconcern regarding the policies of theSoviet government in Afghanistan.We sincerely hope that you will bewilling to discuss our concerns withyour husband, Soviet leader MikhailGorbachev.

The first case is that of PetroRuban, age 45, a Ukrainian woodcarver, and his son Marko.Ruban's case has a particularlytouching connection to the UnitedStates. Ruban worked in a largefurniture factory in Prilyuk andbecause of his great talent as a woodcutter was given specialprivileges touse a nearby workshop where he wasoften asked to carve souvenirs.For example, a local ministryasked Ruban to carve a "GloryMemorial" to commemorate Ukraine's liberation from the Nazis,and the city party committee alsocommissioned several carvings fromRuban. in the summerof 1976, whenthe United States was getting readyto celebrate its bi-centennial, Rubanused his own initiative to carve a giftfor the American people, it consistedof a wooden book, whose cover borethe likeness of the Statue of Libertyand the figure "2000." inside was abeautiful sunflower along with thename of George Washington. Whenthis special book was about to becompleted, there was a mysteriousbreak-in into his workshop. Nothingwas stolen, not even an expensiveradio, except Ruban's Americancarving.Ruban w as placed under investigation and by October 13, 1976, he wasarrested and sentenced to six years'special-regime labor camp and threeyears of internal exile. When Rubanwas inprison, his seven-year-old sonMarko was hit by a car, which lefthim paralyzed from the waist down.The boy, now 10 years old, has othermedical problems, and Petro Rubanhas expressed the desire that his sonbe given medical treatment abroad.Ruban's wife. Lydia. developedtuberculosis and spent a year in thehospital.Ruban has written about 50 lettersto friends living in the U.S. andEurope. Not all of the letters reachedtheir destinations, but those thathave gotten through clearly indicatethat Ruban would very much like toemigrate.This man and his unfortunatefamily surely deserve a chance tocome to the United States, wherehecould carve another gift for theAmerican people, and where it couldfinally be received.

We have recently learned that atthe end ofJune Ruban was arrestedfor the fith time and he is now beingheld in a prison in Chernihiv.The second case involves AnnaMykhailenko, a 50-year old Englishteacher from Odessa. Mykhailenko's"offense" was that she consistently

spoke Ukrainian with her studentsand suggested to them that they readmore Ukrainian books than Russian.She was fired from her job forallegedly beating her pupils. Duringher trial a former pupil testified that a"friendly old man" (an employee ofthe KGB) offered him candy andasked that the former testify that hehad been beaten in class byMykhailenko. When it became obvious that the KGB had been involved in fabricating testimony, allcharges were dropped.in 1977 the KGB searched Mykhailenko's home. Having found alarge kitchen knife, the secret policeaccused her of concealing weaponsand "hooliganism." Mykhailenkowas then sentenced to one and a halfyears of forced labor. Being ill andtherefore incapable of hard labor,Anna was accused of "parasitism"and in February of 1980 was transferred to the Serbsky PsychiatricHospital in Moscow, ironically,Mykhailenko's trial took place inNovember of 1980 on the same daythat the Madrid conference on theimplementation of the Helsinki Ac-cords began. To this day, Anna is aninmate at the Kazan Psychitric Hospital.We ask taht you intervene withyour husband on behalf of these twoindividuals, and in the case ofRuban, request that his son beallowed to leave the USSR for medical treatment.Regarding the policy of the Sovietgovernment in Afghanistan, wc askthat you accept the enclosed pictureof a nine-year-old boy, whose handwas blown off when he picked upwhat he thought was a toy. Certainlyyou will agree that this child couldnot have been a counter-rcvolutionary agent, ora servant of Chineseor American intelligence services.Please consider the future of suchchildren. What can they realisticallyexpect out of life?The tragedy of Afghanistan hasbecome not only the tragedy of theAfghan people, but also that of thevarious nations of the Soviet Unionwhose sons are forced todie,destroying the present, instead ol buildingthe futureWith every hope that you willraise our concerns with your husband. we remain,

victor BorovskyMykola Movchan

NOTICE T O P U B L IS H E RSA N D A U T H O R Sit is T h e Ukrainian Weekly's policy to run news items and or reviewsol newly published books, booklets and reprints, as well a s recordsand premiere issues ol periodicals, only alter receipt by th e editorialoffices of a copy of the material in question.News items sent without a copy of the new release will not bepublished.Send new releases and information (where publication may be pur-chased, cost, etc.) to: T he Editor, The Ukrainian Weekly, 30 Montgomery St., Jersey City, N.J. 07302.


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12 T H E U K R A I N I A N W E E K L Y S U N D A Y , N O V E M B E R 24,1985 No. 47in te rv iew. . .

(Continued from page 5)want to know abou t. So i t can be qui te exhilarat ing.

WEEKL Y: Wh at is the most pleasant aspect o f yourwork?POC HM URS KY: The m ost pleasan t par t o f i t isthe connection of the people you work with. At"M oni to r" we have 10 people who put these showstogether, and we get along great, and we like eachother ' s company. So that you get up in the morn ing

and you got out with this little chunk of people thatyou really like. And you work really hard, and thenyou sit down and have a beer at the end of the day andhave lunch and sort of know what's going on in eachoth er 's lives. T hey're like friends...they're like family.S o th at's the p leasant par t of "it.W hat makes it interesting is that it 's interesting, in asense it's like going to school forever in the bestpossible way. You learn thing s all the t ime, and you geta chance to be - 1 guess a voyeur in a lot of ways.But not just to see how other people live or whatthey're worried about or what they're doing, but to, ina sense, make judgements.You're supposed to be objective, and you are tosome extent, but you've got that camera and you'vegot a very powerful too l, and you have to discriminatea n d d e c i d e w h a t ' s i m p o r t a n t a n d c o n v e y o t h e rpeople's realities.But, you see, because you're there first-hand, youget to see li fe f i rs t-hand. . .people see it on second-hand. You've got the main-line connection to what's

happening. And there are lots of times when there aretremendous events happening and you're caught r ightin the middle of the m, and yo u're not only experiencing them first-hand but re porting, assembling and thenpassing it on.1 hate it. . .a lot of it. mean 1 hate it in the sense thatit 's hard, hard, hard work...in the sense that whenyou've finally gotten out there and you've done all yourwork you've done the in terviews and you've doneyour research and you've done all the pictures you've got to sit down and it 's like having 40 balls ofcolored wool that have all been mixed up and nowyou've got to make a sweater out of it.So meho w it's very hard. 1 dread it. Once 1 get into it1 love it, but the moment 1 sit down to eithe r write thescript or structure it, 1 always get a knot in mystomach, it 's such a tussle sometimes.

WEEKLY: What's the most memorable or uniqueexperience you've had either behind or in front of thecamera?JPOCH M URS KY: W ell cer ta in ly the one that islegend in T oro nto anyw ay, was when 1 was working ona series called "M ean S tree ts." Th is was four or fiveyears ago before 1 go t fashionable, 1 was do inginterviews with child prostitute s on the streets and bag. ladies. We were doing basically what happens on thestreets of To ron to after two o'clock when the n ightpeople come out .A n d wh i l e we wer e s ho o t i n g th i s 1 hea r d a nenorm ous crash. went runn ing around the corner andthere was a ro bbery in progress and a guy had broken

the window and was coming out of the building withbunches of stereo e quipmen t. called my cameramanover, and we filmed this guy coming out. We had lightson him and everything and he didn' t know what hadhit him. He put th e stuff in the back of the car and spedoff and we got the license plate. S o they were caught.But then, people later said, "W ell, this could havebeen really dangero us; this guy could h ave had a gun ."1 mean he was breaking in and entering and he couldhave shot us. And it never occurred to me.it's so exciting to be right in the middle - it's likebeing in a war zone in a strange way. have lots of very vivid (memories) in the sensethat ther e are people that l 've met and there are thingsthat i've seen and there are faces that l've watched thatjust stay with you forever, it's almost like in some casesyou're haunted by them ...like you can' t ever forget thatperson and thei r s i tuat ion .

There are moments l ike when 1 went to Australiawith a cameraman and we were doing shots of a sheepfarm. W hile we were coming out at night - it wasalmost like the outback of A ustralia an d we were inth i s j eep a n d th e m o o n wa s o ut a n d the r e a r ekangaroo s sort of spranging along ... there are justmom ents like that, that you would have never had if ithadn't been for the job and the camera.The most impor tan t th ings you don 't always captureon camera. The public never sees the things that staywith you forever.So lso rt of figure (it 's as if) 1 go out shopping, comeback w ith four bags full and serve u p a small plate forconsumption, for people. But l 've still got the fourbags full myself. And that's what makes it great.

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(Continued from page 1)e the use of independent in terpreters ;" a c c e s s t o o r i g i n a l d o c u m e n t s :" access to witn esses' previo us staterhents;" freedom of examination of witn es s es i n a gr eem en t wi th Ca n a d ia nrules of evidence;- " video taping of examin ations.Justice Deschenes said he will notpersonally travel abroad. Th e commission head explained that he did notwant to r isk running into a confrontation with representatives of governments on foreign lands.Th e press release did not indicate whowill t ravel abroad or how the s ixguidelines will be negotiated with thethree W estern countr ies , Poland andthe Soviet Union ."Failure to agree (to the conditions)ought then to be considered as a refusalto cooperate with Canadian just ice,"Justice Deschenes said.A Soviet official in Ottawa said hisgovernment will clear the way for thec o m m is s io n to ga the r ev id en c e a n dinterview witnesses in the Soviet U nion.Soviet Embassy spokesman YevgeniPozdnyakov was quoted as saying thatthere would be no objections by theSoviets to the commission's six guide-lines.Justice Deschenes' guidelines wereincluded in a 47-page report released onNovember 19.The Ukrainian community's reactiont o t h e r e p o r t w a s m u t e d . T o r o n t olawyer John Gregorovich, who heads agroup of about 25 people coordinating theUkrainian Canadian Committee's campaign, told T he W eekly that a statement from his group was to . have beenreleased on N ovember 21 or 22. "it willtake us some time to sift through th e 47 -page report," Mr. Gregorovich said in atelephone in terview.Canada's Jewish community, whichhas urged' the inquiry to obtain theevidence it needs from whatever sourceis available, applauded Justice Deschenes' decision.Sol Littman. the Canadian reprcsentative of the Simon W iesenthal Cen ter,the promin ent N azi-hunting organizano n. to ld re por ters it would be "catasirophic" if the Deschenes Corrimission did not travel abroad to collectmou evidence. "Justice requires it."

said Mr. Littman.Yaroslav Botiuk, a lawyer f romT oron to who represen ts veterans of the1st Division of the Ukrainian N ationalArmy, was quoted as saying that he is"dismayed and disappointed" with thecommission's plans to travel abroad.M e a n w h i l e , M y r o n S p o l s k y, t h ec h a i r m a n o f t h e M a n i t o b a A c t i o nGroup of the Ukrainian Civil LibertiesComm ission , to ld The W eekly that thefederal government and not JusticeDeschenes should decide whethe r atrip -abroad in search of evidence isnecessary."it 's not a judicial decision." M r.Spolsky said, "it's a political decision.W e think the government should makethe decision.

M r. M eighen said the commissionwill ne gotiate th e six guidelines thro ughthe Canadian Depar tment of ExternalAffairs and Canadian embassies in thec o un t r i es wher e ev id en c e is t o becollected.Th e W eekly has learned th e commission may investigate allegations regarding as many as 15 alleged war criminalsl iving in C anada. On September 13 th ecommission announced that it wasinvestigating only eight Canadian residents against whom serious war-crimesallegations have been made.According to Mr. Meighen, JusticeDeschenes looked closely at the U.S.Justice Department's Office of Specialinvestigations for guidance in decidingon the "legality and advisability" ofcollecting evidence in the S oviet Unio n.Justice Deschenes took "great pains"to r e f e r t o the O Sl ' s exper i en c e i nd e a l i n g w i t h S o v i e t e v i d e n c e , M r .Meighen saitL "He looked at all thecases and in m ^case was Soviet evidenceinaccur ate...it was just weighed differcntly."T o d a t e , M r . D e sc h e n e s a n d t h ecommission lawyers have refused toidentify the suspects or to say whichcountries they are from. Mr. Meighenruled out the possibility of inviting thesuspects to send their own lawyers onthe tr ip to represent their interests.Th e commission is due to repo rt backto the government by 1 )ecember 31, b v . .Brent Spencer, an assistant to :ommission lawyers Y - Fortici and M rMeighen told The W eekly ;-iat"quite po ssible" M r. Dcschlor an :xi nsion


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N o. 47, : - ; . ; . . ; ,: : . . ; ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ T H E U K R A I N I A N W E E K L Y S U N D A Y , N O V E M B E R 24,1985 4 3

N e w s a n d a n a l y s i s . . .(Continued from page 4)A A A SS, s po n s o r ed a panel on " T heChristianization of Rus' ." The panelva s chaired by lhor Shevchenko ofHarvard University, and began with apaper by Andre de vincenz, HeidelbergUnivers i ty, on "Kievan Chr is t ian i tyBetween East and W est."

Prof, de vincenz po in ted out that nonew facts in the subject are likely to bediscovered now, so that scholarship caninvestigate only new in terpreta t ions .H is own analysis of words and thelinguistics of the sources had led him toconclude that theKievan Church wasmuch closer to the W estern Churchesthan previous 19th century scholarshipon the subject had supposed.Omeljan Pritsak, Harvard University, followed with a stun nin g display o fscholarship on " W hen an d W here wasOlha Baptized?" This seemingly in-nocuous question has set four scholarsinto debate since 1980 over conflictingevidence in the sources. Prof. Pritsakskillfully defined and discussed all thesalient points and presented hisaudiencewith the punch line: there was no doubtthat the date of Olha's baptism was -9 5 7 .The f inal con tr ibution to the panelwas Jaroslav Pelikan's paper, "MedievalM is s io n s , Ea st and W e st , and theChristianization of Rus'," which wasread in absentia by J o hn T. W ortley,Un iver s i ty of M a n i t o b a . T h e l iv e lydiscussion that followed was join edfrom the panel by M iroslav Labunka ofLa Salle College.The final session of direct Ukrainianin te r e s t wa s " M ic ha el H r us h evs ky ,1866-1934: Contributor to Ukrainianand East European historiography."co-sponsored by the Association for theStudy ol the N ational it ies (USSR andEastern Europe) and the, .ShevchenkoScientific Society.The chair for this session was takenby Ro m a n Sz po r luk . Un iver s i ty of

M ichigan, who introduced the subjectby outlining Dr. Hrushevsky's placea m o n g the historians of Central andEastern Europe.S t e p h a n H o r a k , E a s t e r n i l l i n o i sUniversity, presented the first paper on" ' Kiev Rus ' - Ukr a in e ' or ' K ieva nRussia': Hrush evsky's. Scheme ofEastern S lav History"wherehediscussedDr. Hrushevsky's reinterpretation ofthe h istorical scheme for East Europe anhistory. Orest Subteiny, York University, followed with a paper on "M ichaelHrushevsky's 'History of Ukraine-Rus 'from the perspective of the 1980s." Hed e s c r ib e d t h e h i s t o r i a n ' s p i o n e e r i n geffor ts in i n t r o d u c i n g a c o n c e p t u a lframework into the study of Ukrainianand East European history for the firsttime after the "documentalist"school ofvolodymyr Antonovych.

J o hn A. Armstrong, University ofW isconsin , added a new dimension tothe subject in his role as discussant. Hee x p l a i n e d the n eed for a " n a t i o n a lidentifying myth" for the developmentof a modern nation and explained whythe study and redefinition of history,rather than philology or religion, wereimpor tan t to the Ukrainia

the ukrainian weekly 1985-47

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