Understood. But some of what Sven writes suggests that the Dunhams were compensated by the government for taking care of the child. Even if that was for a short period, he would have needed a Social Security number, I imagine. Perhaps it’s a moot point, you’ll never find it because heaven knows what name it’s under.
Your 14,000 Pedro Pan unaccompanied minors surely would have been issued SS numbers if they were to receive benefits. I think...
Sven’s declarative answers were never properly sourced and were pure conjecture.
The Cuban children were classified as REFUGEES escaping political consequences, therefore the ordinary visa requirements were waived for US entry.
“The creation of Operation Pedro Pan is credited to Father Bryan O Walsh who functioned as the Director of the now defunct Catholic Welfare Bureau (which became the Catholic Charities organization). Fearing that their children would grow up subject to state compelled Marxist-Leninist indoctrination, Cuban parents requested the Catholic Welfare Bureau to allow them to send their children to the U.S., specifically to Miami where many of them had relatives. Once the U.S. announced its break in diplomatic ties with Cuba on January 3, 1961,63 the U.S. Department of State authorized the Catholic Welfare Bureau to inform the parents in Cuba that ............ the government waived the visa requirements for their children,........ thereby enabling the children to come to Miami via U.S. commercial flights. Once the operation of commercial flights between Cuba and the U.S. ended in October 1962, the children would be sent to Spain or Mexico and then re-routed to Miami.
Without a US passport, Barry would have had to possess a valid US visa for entry. Without this in hand, he could not board an international inbound flight to the USA. Perhaps they went to the US embassy in Jakarta and acquired one to expedite his travel.
All the rest is purely conjecture by Sven. An adult boarding an international flight in the 60’s would have been refused at the ticket gate in Jakarta. An unaccompanied minor would have been absolutely undeniably rejected.