Three Senators Urge President to Keep Soviet Seaman in U.S.

Three Republican senators, joining a growing chorus in Congress, on Saturday urged President Reagan to stop a 22-year-old Soviet sailor who jumped ship in Louisiana from being returned to his homeland.

Sens. Gordon J. Humphrey of New Hampshire, William L. Armstrong of Colorado and Rudy Boschwitz of Minnesota made their appeal in a letter as lawyers for Ukrainian-American groups moved to petition the U.S. Court of Appeals to reverse a federal judge’s order that will allow the Soviet ship carrying the sailor to leave U.S. territorial waters.

U.S. District Judge Louis F. Oberdorfer late Friday refused to block the ship from leaving, even though he said he believes the testimony of an interpreter who said the sailor, Miroslav Medvid, a Ukrainian, told her that he wanted political asylum.

Appeal Filed

The lawyers for the Ukrainian groups filed an appeal of Oberdorfer’s ruling late Saturday afternoon in the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia.

The ship with Medvid on board is anchored in the Mississippi River north of New Orleans awaiting a shipment of grain at Reserve, La.

The sailor on Oct. 24 was taken to a Border Patrol office in New Orleans, where he was interviewed by telephone by a Ukrainian translator. Agents determined that Medvid was not seeking asylum, so they returned him to the freighter, the Marshal Koniev.

En route, he jumped off a skiff into the river again but was later placed on the Soviet vessel. Later, U.S. officials took Medvid off the ship again and interviewed him twice. He went back to the freighter after signing a statement expressing his desire to return home.

In their letter, the senators said that the initial interpreter involved, Irene Padoch, contends that Medvid wanted asylum. Despite a signed affidavit by Padoch, “in the middle of the night, U.S. officials attempted to return Medvid to the ship,” they said.

‘Unanswered Questions’

Because of the “unanswered questions” about the case, the senators suggested that the President take action.

Democratic Reps. Don J. Pease and Edward F. Feighan of Ohio asked Reagan on Friday to hold the ship because two of their constituents believe Medvid may be a relative.