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The New York Times November 8, 1950, p. 2 Passport Denied to Fast, Novelist Howard Fast, novelist, who recently served a three-month jail sentence for contempt of the House Committee on Un-American Activities, announced yesterday that he had been denied a passport to go out of the country. He accused the State Department of having acted to keep him here because of his activities in behalf of "peace." Mr. Fast was one of eleven members of the Joint Anti-Fascist Committee who were convicted in Washington three years ago for refusing to give records and data of their organization to the House committee. They were sent to prison last June. According to Mr. Fast, he received a telegram Monday at his home, 43 West Ninety-fourth Street, which was signed by R.B. Shipley, chief of the Passport Division of the State Department. He said the telegram read: "Department considers it would be contrary best interests United States to grant you passport facilities at this time." In criticizing Federal authorities for refusing him a passport, the novelist declared: "There is only one reason why the State Department denied my request for a passport - because I stated that my intention was to go abroad to speak of peace. Mrs. Shipley states that granting me a passport would be 'contrary to the best interests of the United States.' I challenge this as a despicable fraud. "There is no higher loyalty to the United States of America today than to speak for peace, fight for peace, work for peace - anywhere. For in peace lies the salvation of America; in war there is only death, ruin and suffering." In a reference to his recent imprisonment, Mr. Fast said: "I have already been in one of Harry Truman's prisons; now my whole country is a prison." Return