Garry Davis

Harry and I designed the first World Passport in a tiny maid's room at 270 Park Avenue, NYC where he was sharing space and creating graphics for sf stories. It was officialy the office of the United World Service Authority, the administrative organ of the World Government I declared from the city hall of Ellsworth, Maine on September 4, 1953. One day, with Harry carrying the WG flag, we marched down to the sidewalk of the United Nations and I made a declaration of something or other.

As I only had $1,000 filched from my father, Meyer Davis, whose apartment was one flight below, we had 1,000 passports printed at $1/per. But Harry got cold feet when a Secret Service man appeared one day to complain that I had stamped President Eisenhower's signature on my passport, No. 000001. While Harry looked on from the semi-closed door, the agent insisted I give up the rubber stamp after which he would be satisfied and not throw me into the slammer. Harry found another spot to do his work shortly thereafter.

My other story about Harry was at a Chicago Science-Fiction convention when we did a sketch where I played a mad atomic scientist who would split an atom for the expectant audience. Harry came on wearing a turban and holding a velvet pillow on which was the atom I was to split. In his belt was a butcher's knife which he hand me after putting the atom down on the table in front of me. Alas, the atom got away when I picked it up to show the audience and found its way down my shirt and into my pants. I wriggled off the stage in embarrassment while Harry in majestic dignity carried off the pillow.

The applause was frightening.