Officially, he was barred from entering the U.S. because he was a communist, but the conference organizer, playwright Arthur Miller, eventually prevailed upon the Johnson Administration to grant Neruda a visa.
Resminya ia dilarang masuk ke AS karena ia komunis, namun penyelenggara konferensi, penulis drama Arthur Miller, akhirnya berhasil meyakinkan pemerintahan Johnson untuk memberikan visa kepada Neruda.