December 17, 1982
Dear Sir:
I have heard news from a number of sources including the Committee of Concerned Scientists in New York, the media in general, and a number of smaller but very active organizations interested in the human rights problem about the current state of Aleksandr Paritsky.  As you know, Dr. Paritsky was arrested on August 28, 1981, and many disturbing reports have come out concerning his seriously bad state of health, his consequent inability to fulfill work quotas and his complete separation from his profession of acoustics engineering.
Particularly in view of his serious state of health, I am writing to you to urge you to use the power of your position to attempt to alleviate this serious medical and professional problem.  It does appear that Dr. Paritsky has perhaps suffered
well beyond the sentence that he was given and that it would only be the humane thing to do to allow him to resume a normal life situation in which his health and his work could be restored to normal.  I and many other scientists in this country and in the rest of the world would be very grateful to you for whatever you could do along these lines.
Sincerely yours,
Christian B. Anfinsen
Professor of Biology
Johns Hopkins University
Member, National Academy of Sciences, U.S.A.