Word: bonner
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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Last year, after Sakharov staged two hunger strikes on behalf of his ailing wife, Bonner was given permission to visit the West for medical treatment. A heartbypass operation in Boston last January was a success, and Bonner took her doctor's advice to stop smoking. Her health and political status were all important; before leaving the Soviet Union, say family members, she signed a pledge not to call press conferences while abroad. Bonner showed every intention of living up to the letter of the agreement. When she first arrived in Rome last December, she told expectant reporters, "Please excuse...
Indeed, during the first three months of her U.S. stay, Bonner resisted numerous temptations to speak out. But as time went by, she found it difficult to remain quiet. She was outraged when shown a series of five secretly recorded Soviet videotapes of herself and Sakharov that gave the impression they led a comfortable life in Gorky. And she was disturbed last February when Soviet Leader Mikhail Gorbachev told the French Communist Party newspaper that Sakharov, a nuclear physicist who helped develop the first Soviet hydrogen bomb, could never leave the country because he was still privy to state secrets...
...York City last month, Bonner had a highly publicized reunion with Anatoli Shcharansky, the Soviet dissident who was released from prison earlier this year. Then, addressing members of Congress on May 21, Sakharov's 65th birthday, she warned, "In Gorky, anything can happen, and the world will never learn the truth about us." On each occasion, Semyonov insists, Bonner's public appearances were arranged for her by others. She was denied an audience with President Reagan, possibly because the Administration did not want to insult Gorbachev. Instead, National Security Adviser John Poindexter received her for a 30-min. closed-door...
...London and Paris. "If my husband didn't remain in Gorky," she said after meeting French President Francois Mitterrand, "I would never return there." Her jitters were evidenced by a request that two U.S. Congressmen accompany her back to Moscow. Underscoring the importance of Western pressure on the Soviets, Bonner told reporters in Paris, "Nothing that you do can jeopardize us. On the contrary, every public step is useful...
Soviet authorities have been silent about Bonner's conduct. But last week for the first time, there were hints of Moscow's displeasure. Soviet Journalist Victor Louis, who often serves as an unofficial conduit for the Kremlin, said that Bonner's boldness has dimmed her chances of winning a reprieve from exile. Said Louis: "She went abroad for medical treatment, but she is seeing politicians, not doctors. Her political activities have undermined the situation. She's lost any sense of reality." After meeting briefly with Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in London, Bonner dismissed Louis' remarks as "blackmail...