Americans ‘Our Only Hope,’ Latvians Say

JURMALA, Soviet Union — Scores of Latvians, braving a tight ring of Soviet secret police, told a U.S. participant at a conference on superpower relations Thursday that “you are our only hope” for freedom.

KGB officers Thursday tightened security around Jurmala, a Baltic resort in the Latvian Republic where about 2,200 Soviet and U.S. officials and citizens have gathered for a five-day, town hall-style meeting on arms control, human rights, regional problems and the role of the media. The meeting was organized by the Chautauqua Institute of Jamestown, N.Y.

“We are waiting for freedom and you are our only hope,” said an elderly man in a crowd of about 50 Latvians.

Edward P. Djerejian, spokesman for the U.S. National Security Council and a former White House deputy press secretary, gave the American address in Thursday’s debate on the role of mass media in superpower relations.

Referring to the arrest of U.S. News & World magazine correspondent Nicholas Daniloff, charged by the Soviets with spying, Djerejian said, “The arrest . . . undoubtedly is a deprivation of the rights of journalists.”