More ethnic Germans able to leave USSR

December 17, 1981

Soviet authorities have allowed a sharp increase in emigration by ethnic Germans following President Brezhnev's visit to Bonn last month, West German officials say.

In November the number of Soviet Germans given visas to leave for West Germany was the lowest in a decade.

But officials say there has already been a ''very sharp upward trend'' in the first half of this month.

Chancellor Helmut Schmidt raised the question of ethnic German emigration during his talks with Mr. Brezhnev last month and urged Moscow to grant more exit visas.