Students Aid Youth Jailed By Russians

The Harvard-Radcliffe Experiment in International Living is participating in a drive to secure the release of Peter Landerman, a 1963 graduate of the University of California, from a Soviet prison work camp.

Landerman, who went to the Soviet Union last summer as a member of a student tourist group, is now the only American imprisoned in the USSR. He was arrested Aug. 15 after a Volkswagen but he was driving struck and killed a Soviet citizen near Minsk.

An attempt is being made to win his release by means of both a judicial appeal and an appeal for clemency to top Soviet officials, according to Edward M. Ginsburg '55, president of the Experimenters Association.

He said that members are being asked to write letters to Premier Khrushchev, Leonid I. Brezhnev, Chairman of the Presidium, and Anatoliy F. Dobrynin, Ambassador to the United States. The letter-writing campaign has been undertaken because Soviet law provides that public opinion be taken into consideration in clemency appeals.

As part of the drive, Harold J. Berman, professor of Law and an expert on the Soviet legal system, will speak to a Harvard audience about the case on March 3. The proceeds of that evening will be used to help finance the campaign.

Landerman was imprisoned after the bus containing members of the group struck a Soviet man who was wheeling a bicycle on the side of the road. Ginsburg explained that Landerman had switched to parking lights in order to pass cars coming in the opposite direction and did not see the bicycle. The Russian died five days later.

The student was accused and convicted of dimming the lights illegally and speeding, although he pointed out that dimming lights is common practice when passing, and that he was only driving at about 30 m.p.h. at the time of the accident.