Soviet Evangelicals Since World War II, Walter Sawatsky, 1981

ed early or given amnesty in connection with Khrushchev's ouster. Leaders of the Orgkomitet also met with Anastas Mikoyan, president of the Soviet Union, on September 22, and presented their concerns, although receiving no promises.°¢ If the authorities did indulge in some criticism of the Khrushchevian religious policy and the beginnings of a high-level debate were apparent, the absence of any clear directives for the future prompted Professor Andrew Blane to describe 1965 as the year of drift, of no policy. The Orgkomitet, in contrast, continued to pursue clear goals. At a meeting in September 1965, its name was changed to the Council of Churches of the Evangelical Christian Baptists (CCECB), challenging the AUCECB to leadership of all the ECB churches. A congress of all the churches, they said, should’settle the matter. Phase VI: Pressure Is Resumed, 1966-70 ‘A new policy of resumed administrative pressure on dissidents and of intensive vospitanie finally emerged in early 1966. The two councils for re- ligious affairs merged into the single Council for Religious Affairs and the tough-minded chairman of.the Council for Russian Orthodox Church Af- fairs, Vladimir A. Kuroedov, became the chairman of the joint council. Puzin, former chairman of the Couneil for Religious Cults, disappeared from view. The new council received: a constitutior: which represented increased centralized power arid increased discretionary power in the in- terpretation of the law.57 : nS Bde Spy The Khrushchev Campaign Against Religion 147 More indicative of the new pressures were several changes in the criminal code which were approved on March 18, 1966. The first was an order by the Supreme Soviet giving the official interpretation of what constituted a violation of the legislation on religion. These were: Refusal by religious leaders of communities to register them with state organs; i. Violating the legally-established rules for organizing and conducting re- ligious gatherings, processions and other cult ceremonies; The organizing and conducting, by servants of the cult and members of religious communities, of special children and youth meetings, and also of workers, literary and similar circles and groups, not related to cultic activities... 58 Local administrative commissions could fine violators 50 rubles. At the same time, Article 142 of the Criminal Code was expanded and violations were interpreted as: Ree requiring compulsory collections and taxes for the use of religious or- ganizations and cult servants; The preparing for the purpose of mass distribution plus the actual mass distribution of statements, letters, leaflets and similar documents, which call on people not to observe the legislation on religious cults; Carrying out deceitful acts with the purpose of awakening religious superstition in the population; Organizing and carrying out religious meetings, processions and other c