Biography
William Worthy was an African American journalist who in 1955 traveled to Moscow and became the first American to interview Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev. Worthy then traveled to China in 1956 to report on the state of the country. Worthy's passport was seized upon his return to the U.S. Without a passport, Worthy traveled to Cuba in the early days of Fidel Castro to report on the Cuban Revolution. He was able to return to the U.S. by showing his birth certificate at the Miami Airport. Months later, in April 1962, he was charged with, "returning to the United States without a valid passport." He was sentenced to 3 months in prison.
Custody chronology correction: The Fifth Circuit's February 20, 1964 opinion, 328 F.2d 386, recounts the passport prosecution and original three-month sentence and reverses the judgment and sentence. It does not support the former 2013 sentence/admission or Petersburg prison attribution. Actual custody endpoints and exact original sentencing day remain unknown; the appellate decision is not a physical release date.
