Mr. Paine. That was my impression. That it was the commencement of a citizenship paper.
Mr. Dulles. Did he tell you about any difficulties he had in getting permission to stay on in Russia?
Mr. Paine. Well, this was a question. I asked him how was it they so readily accepted—you know other Americans have a hard time staying more than 30 days there, "How was it that you were so readily accepted into the bosom of Soviet Society?" And to that he answered, "well, it was just a fortunate mood between the countries or something to that effect," is something that I gathered.
I didn't remember the history and I thought it would be—he smiled a little bit. I can't remember whether he smiled a little bit when I then asked him how did he manage to get out, at one time, but at one time I do remember he smiled as though there were a story there, and I didn't—I supposed the story would be too intricate, not interesting enough to try to get him to relate it.
Mr. Liebeler. You did not ask him to relate the story?
Mr. Paine. No; I did not.
Mr. Liebeler. Did you ever learn the circumstances under which he left Russia, from him?
Mr. Paine. As he told me at that same half hour before we came back to our house on Fifth Street,——
Mr. Dulles. Was this the first time you had seen him?
Mr. Paine. All this happened in the first half hour.