Evening star., 1955-11-15
'pauling Links
Passport Okay
To Nobel Prize
BY L. EDGAR PRINA

Prof. Linus G. Paultng today
told a Senate subcommittee it
was reasonable to conclude"
that his winning of the Nobel
Prize last year forced the State
Department" to issue him a pass
port less than two months after
it had formally turned him down.
Testifying before the subcom-
rnittee on Constitutional Rights.
the chemistry professor from
California Institute of Technol-
ogy told Of q series Of refusals by
the passport division to validate
his passport interspersed with
limited approval to make trips to
specific countries for short Pc
RODS of time.
He said his first difflculty arose
In January. 1852, when he re-
quested passport to attend a
meeting of the Royal Society in
London. DR.. Pauling said he was
told that his request had been
denied because such travel
would not be In the best inter-
ests Of the United States"
Signed AfIidayit
But In June, 1852, he said he
was granted q limited passport
to attend scientific meetings in
Paris and London. He was given
permission, he asserted, on the
day his plane was to. leave and
only after he signed q nom
Communist afildavit.
The 54-year-old professor said
that this sson again-oh again
policy" continued up until Oc-|
tober /, 1854. when Mrs. Ruth
B. Shipley. the head Of the pass
port division. advised him that
his consistent adherence to the
Communist Party line, even
through its shifts and turns" !"
had precluded the issuance Of a
passport TO him. Mrs. ShipleyI
advised HIM he could appeal this
to the Board of Passport
Appeals in the State Department.
Prior to this decision Mrs.
Shipley had written to DR.. Pau
ling. advancing "a allegations
"of misbehavior on my part y
the witness said.
''Ihe first one was that was
a concealed member OF the Com
nunist Party and the rest have
to do with activities on my part
some Of which are true and some
OF which are not true" DR.. Paul
ing said.
First Charges in Writing
This was the first time he had
received any written charges
against him. This was q year
and-a-half after his first denial
Of passport. DR.. Pauling
asserted.
In early November last year.
DR.. Pauling said he was advised
that he had been awarded a
Nobel Prize for chemistry. He
said he was told King Gustav
Of Sweden would present the
check, medal and diploma De-
cember 10. 1864. .'if / could get
there.
According TO Or. Pauling, he
wrote to Mrs. Shipley again ask
ling that his passport be vail
dated for q trip to Sweden and
also to India. Israel, Thailand
and Japan. the itinerary he had
recently Cancelled because Of his
inability TO get q passport. He
received the passport as request
ed on November 10.
Ground Rules Urged
Earlier. q young University Of
Illinois physics professor told the
subcommittee that Congress
ought to lay down the ground
rules ITO help guarantee the
right to travel.
Geodrey +. Chew. chairman
Of the Passport Committee, Fed
Grafton Of American Scientists,
said Congressional action Is nec-
eSsary because Of the State De-
partment's record Of arbitrary
refusals Of passport applications.
He told the subcommittee on
constitutional rights that, al
though the State Department
now is reviewing its passport
procedures, III Congress were to
establish that the passport--as o
permit TO travel ID q right Of
every citizen, which can be de-
MED only by due process Of law. !"
the pressure on the Passport Di-
vision would be greatly relieved.
Il should like to emphasize
our conviction that one Of the
basic difficulties In the present
situation Is that the State De-
partment feels it is doing q favor
TO citizen in granting him aI
passport: and quite naturally the
department Is loath to do fayors|
for people 1t doesn't Like" he
asserted.