U.S. PARK SERVICE PULLS PLAQUE FROM STATUE OF LIBERTY.

Byline: John Sullivan The New York Times

A plaque that was placed in the entryway of the Statue of Liberty by a spiritual group led by Sri Chinmoy has been removed after a review by the National Park Service.

The service's district superintendent, who approved the plaque and attended its unveiling ceremony just three weeks ago, decided to order its removal after news reports about the placement.

``A review of National Park Service policy indicated that the authorization for the placement of a plaque has to come from either the director of the Park Service or from Congress,'' said Manny Strumpf, spokesman for the service in New York. ``The plaque is down and it will remain down unless or until it is approved by the director. And I don't see that happening in the near future.''

The placement of a commemorative marker at the Statue of Liberty is extremely rare. Among the few are historic markers, dedications to and from the statue's builders and engineers, and a brass rendering of the poem ``New Colossus,'' which includes the lines ``Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses, yearning to breathe free.''

The Sri Chinmoy marker was placed in the statue after followers of Sri Chinmoy approached Diane H. Dayson, the superintendent of the Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island National Monument. Dayson has said she granted approval because the plaque was not religious and was an apolitical appeal for peace.

The marker, about a foot square, was placed at the statue Aug. 27, featuring a short poem by Sri Chinmoy, the leader of a spiritual group that believes athletic feats are a means of transcendence.