If Mr. Bevin can really get rid of passports and
visas he will reap much gratitude, but I doubt whether it is wise to be too precipitate. In a completely unsettled Continent, where many countries are extremely anxioks, for good reasons, to prevent an indiscriminate influx of immigrants, some documentary check on movements is really necessary. However, the real trouble is not passports—which are too much maligned—but visas. A passport, once acquired, is good for five years and is almost indispensable as a proof of identity for all sorts and purposes (e.g., claiming a ration-card or a registered letter or cashing a letter of credit) when travelling abroad. The real nuisance is trailing round the consulates of the countries you want to visit to collect visas. If visas were abolished no one need worry much about passports. * *
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