International Cooperation Administration

 

1955 US Special passport.

 

This agency was active from June 30^th 1955 to September 4^th 1961 and was established under executive order 10610 of May 9^th, and was formulated following a State Department Delegation Authority number 85 from the same date in 1955. In 1961 the Foreign Assistance Act (September 4^th; 75 Stat.445) abolished the ICA and all its functions were transferred to a newly formed body called the Agency for International Development. The agency was responsible for all US assistance programs that did NOT involve military, refugee or international organizations.

 

US aid to Iraq, part of the US Operations Mission (USOM), also consisted of technical aid and a large section of the assistance went towards improving the agricultural, educational and administrative methods in the country. The aid came also in the form of officials & technicians that were sent to train and advise the various government offices; supplies sent over as well for demonstrative use and Iraqi student & government officials going over to the US for training.

 

The head of the International Cooperation Administration from September 30^th 1955 to December 16^th 1956 was director Henry W. Wiens. Later on he would become the Chief of the Near East Division of the ICA.

 

Special passport number 75976 was issued to Julius Harold Lintner (who was also a military governor of a South Korean province after the war) on November 18^th 1955. His official Iraqi visa was obtained on January 30^th the following year (take note to the interesting clause added to his visa stating clearly that “This Visa is considered invalid for entry into or transit through Iraq if the holder obtains and Israeli Visa on his Passport later on“).

 

The US aid was also influenced by the 1958 revolution in the country; this could also explain the exit & transit visas that appear inside the passport that year. The passport has extensive issued visas for Pakistan, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Iran and Lebanon.

 

An interesting visa for Syria was obtained at Amman on June 29^th 1959, issued by the representative for Syrian interests in Jordan: the Legation of Indonesia. Following the establishing of the United Arab Republic (UAR), the unification between Syria & Egypt and its proclamation in early 1958, Jordan cut of ties with both countries since it saw the union as a threat (Jordan always saw Syria as giving shelter to plotters against King Hussein and his regime and as a major instigator).

 

I have added images of this unique cold-war special passport.

 

 

Thank you for reading “Our Passports”.