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The Ukrainian Weekly 1986

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The Ukrainian Weekly 1986 Published by the Ukrainian national Association Inc., a fraternal non-profit association! crainian Weekl V Vol. LIV No. 6 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 1986 25 cents Congressman pens letter to Medvid Former Svoboda editor-in-chief by Oleh Zwadiuk communities expressed doubts about Anthony Dragon dead at 73 Mr. Medvid's desire to return to the WASHINGTON — An American Soviet Union. They pointed out that WASHINGTON — An- congressman — Fred J. Eckert of New when Medvid jumped he had with him thony Dragan, former long- York — has sent a tongue-in-cheek his birth certificate and other docu- time editor-in-chief of the letter to Myroslav Medvid expressing ments sealed in a container. Svoboda Ukrainian-lan- delight that the Ukrainian sailor, who Rep. Eckert, a Republican whose guage daily newspaper, died last year allegedly attempted to defect district includes part of the city of here on Sunday evening, while his ship was in American waters, Rochester, read the letter at a reception February 2, following a se- is alive and well. last month marking the 68th anniver- rious illness. He was 73. "I was delighted to note that the sary of the proclamation of indepen- Mr. Dragan was editor- official Soviet news agency TASS dence in Ukraine. in-chief of Svoboda, the quotes you as saying, 'rumors of my He told this correspondent that the official organ of the Ukrai- death are greatly exaggerated," " Rep. letter — written in the Ukrainian nian National Association Eckert said, adding, "that Mark Twain language — was addressed to Mr. and the largest Ukrainian touch is nice." Medvid in Lviv and sent by registered newspaper outside Ukraine, He said: "Many of us here in America mail He said a receipt was requested. from 1955 until his retire- were — and remain — concerned that Rep. Eckert was one of several ment ід 1978. He joined the death or the gulag would be your fate members of the U.S. Congress who newspaper's editorial staff in upon your return to the Soviet Union. spoke at the reception held January 23 1946. So we are pleased to hear that you are in one of the Congressional office He was also a noted jour- being warmly welcomed home." buildings. President Ronald Reagan nalist and publicist who Mr. Medvid twice jumped from his sent greetings. The event was sponsored wrote lor many periodicals, ship, the freighter Marshal Koniev. last by the Ukrainian Congress Committee and iht author of several October while the vessel was anchored of America, books. in the Mississippi River near New Rep, Eckert noted in his letter to Mr. Mr. Dragan was born Orleans to take on American grain.; He Medvid that TASS and Pravda report- August 28,1912, in the village was returned by U.S. authorities who ed that he did not jump ship but fell of Holeshiv, Zhydachiv concluded that the 25-year-oid seaman overboard accidentally. He asked: "I county, western Ukraine. wanted to go home. was wondering, Myroslav, when you He completed elementary Many members of the U.S. Congress fell, why did you swim 100 yards to school in his native village, and of the Ukrainian and other ethnic (Continued on page 12) and began his secondary education at the Rohatyn gymnasium. He graduated from the academic high Anthony Dragan OUN leader branded as Nazi school in Lviv in 1912. He then enrolled at Lviv University to Through representatives of the Inter- Sources say allegations are scurrilous study law, but after half a year the national Red Cross, Mr. Dragan was Polish occupation authorities revoked able to make contact with Allied diplo- by Michael B. Bociurkiw as "Subject D," is described as "a certain him of his student status because of his matic circles and to inform them of the high-ranking Nazi collaborator, an active participation in the Organization Ukrainian nation's struggle against JERSEY CITY, N.J. —A prominent alleged war criminal," The Voice re- of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN). both the Communist and Nazi regimes leader of the Organization of Ukrainian ported. in Ukraine. Nationalists (OUN) living in Yonkers, Mr. Dragan was active also in Prosvita, The newspaper alleges that Mr. After World War II, thanks to the N.Y., has been accused by The Village Ridna Shkola and student organiza- Lebed, who is now retired, was let into efforts of the Ukrainian community in Voice of being a Nazi collaborator. tions, and was a contributor to various the United States because he was newspapers, including Holos and the United States, Mr. Dragan was The naming of Mykola Lebed, 75, as considered "an extremely valuable Kooperatyvna Rodyna. freed from the Miranda camp. He a Nazi collaborator, arose with the intelligence asset" by the U.S. Central In July 1934, a court in Lviv sen- arrived in the United States in May 1946 release of a 1985 GAO report in which Intelligence Agency (CIA). tenced Mr. Dragan to five years' impri- and joined the editorial staff of Svo- the former OUN leader, identified only The Voice quotes a report from a sonment for membership in the OUN. boda. three-year investigation by the General He was amnestied and released in Accounting Office (GAO) which was 1937. However, Polish authorities In 1955, after the death of Dr. Luke ordered by the House Judiciary Com- continued to harass Mr. Dragan, re- Myshuha, Svoboda editor-in-chief, Mr. mittee to determine whether Nazis and peatedly arresting him while investiga- Dragan succeeded him in that position. Nazi collaborators were assisted in tions were under way. In 1938 Mr. He retired in 1978. The UNA then entering the United States by federal Dragan illegally crossed the Polish named him editor emeritus and granted agencies. border into Germany. him all the rights of an honorary "The Voice," the article asserted, "has In Berlin he began working for the member of the UNA Supreme As- learned that the collaborator discussed Ukrainian Press Service, and later was a sembly. in the GAO report as 'Subject D' is a co-editor of the newspapers Ukrayinets Mr. Dragan is the author of countless prominent Ukrainian nationalist. In and Khliborob, as well as other publica- articles and several books published in 1934, he was imprisoned for attempting tions for Ukrainian forced laborers the Ukrainian and English languages, to assassinate the interior minister of brought to Germany. among them "The Ukrainian Resis- Poland; he ran the security force of a The Gestapo also harassed Mr. Dra- tance in the Struggle for Ukraine's Ukrainian fascist organization and has gan. After consultation with Ukrainian Independence," "Luke Myshuha,""The been accused of ordering the murders of political and church circles, he fled Ukrainian National Association: Its many of his countrymen." Germany in the summer of 1943, under- Past and Present," "Our Cardinal" (a The Voice also asserts that Mr. Lebed taking a mission to the Allies. While biography of Patriarch Josyf Slipyj) attended a "Gestapo training school" in illegally crossing the border from and "Shevchenko in Washington" (a Poland where Jews were allegedly France into Spain he was seized by collection of documents dealing with murdered for practice. Spanish border guards and was subse- the Taras Shevchenko monument in the The five-page Voice cover story quently imprisoned in the Miranda nation's capital). Mykola Lebed (Continued on page 10) camp for internees on the Ebro River. (Continued on page 4) THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 1986 No. 6 A GLIMPSE OF SOVIET REALITY Shcharansky may be swapped WASHINGTON — Soviet dissident Soviet officials have firmly denied the Anatoly B. Shcharansky will be one of request. Ukrainian Central Committee plenum the prisoners involved in a swap between If Mr. Shcharansky is released, it will the West and the Soviet Union that will probably be interpreted as an important produces no personnel changes take place in the next few days, accord- gesture, the Times reported. Before the ing to the West German daily Bild. Geneva summit last year, French by Roman Solchanyk Ukrainian Party leader. Officials have confirmed the report, leader Francois Mitterrand had raised Curiously, Mr. Rekunkov's presence but cautioned that details are still being questions about the fates of Dr. Sakha- Those Western observers who have at the conference was not mentioned in worked out between officials in Bonn, rov and Mr. Shcharansky. President been predicting that Ukrainian Com- the report on the proceedings published Washington, East Berlin and Moscow. Ronald Reagan had also raised the munist Party leader Volodymyr Sh- in Pravda Ukrainy. Whether Mr. Bild had received the information from question of both these men at the cherbytsky will be ousted were no doubt Shcherbytsky's absence is really rele- "Moscow Kremlin circles." Geneva summit. surprised by the results of the recent vant is impossible to ascertain with any The agreement calls for the release of Since then, Moscow has allowed plenum of the Ukrainian Central Com- degree of certainty. It should be noted, Mr. Shcharansky, a 37-year-old Jewish emigration to the West of a handful ot mittee. The plenum was held on January however, that he did attend the confe- human-rights activist and three or four Soviet citizens married to foreigners. rence of the Kharkiv City Party organi- intelligence operatives who are being 24 to discuss the Central Committee's A vital Shcharansky, Mr. Shcharan- zation that was held several weeks held by the Soviets. An equal number of report to the 26th Congress of the sky's wife, has reportedly been notified earlier, on December 7. In any case, the Soviet operatives will be released, Communist Party of Ukraine, which is of the possible release of her husband.
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