Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1912-09-03

One of the foreign dipiomatists call
ed at the State Department recently
I'm great hurry in quest of informa-
ton concerning an intricate question
of diplomatic procedure. He paid his
respects at the Secretary's office and
asked for the quickest. most direct
way Of getting an: answer to Ms in
quiry. .~..
1.-The quickest and simplest way"
said one of Mr.. Knox's secretaries,
will be for me to take you right to
Miss Hanna, in the office of the Sec
ond Assistant Secretary or State"
Miss Hanna, Second Assistant Sec
rotary OF State?" repeated the puzzled
diplomatist.
"Of course, that isn't her official
title," was the reply, but now that
Mr.. Adee is away in Europe she is
acting, so to speak--that is. she is our
authority on matters of tnis kind
doubt if anyone else in the depart
ment could answer your question"
The diplomatist was escorted
through the double doors to Mr.. Adee's
sanctum, where he was presented to a
young woman who looked as il she
would be more at home on tennis
court than I'm a sweltering office on a
hot summer day. There was just the
suggestion OF a blush as Miss Hanna
listened TO the questions propounded
TO her. Then she proceeded with a
detailed answer, citing precedent after
precedent TO make her point clear, and
referring the dipEomatist to pages 374
to 379 Of the Foreign Relations vol
umes .-...r ......-
Leading Woman DipIomatist.
The diplomatist now shares the view
OF State Department officials that Miss
Hanna is by all odds the leading wo-
man diplomatist of the United States.
Indeed. her close association with
Mr.. Alvey A. Adee as confidential Sec
rotary, together with her natural apti-
tude and interest in her work, has
made her an Indispensable part of the
government machinery She mas ac:
companied American delegations on
two foreign missions, where her work
proved most helpful, and her services
are so valuable in Washington that
during Mr.. Adee's absence in the sum-
amer she can not be spared for even a
few days vacation, which, incidental.
ly, she would like very much to get
Miss Hanna is the daughter of the
late Edwin p. Hanna, Solicitor of the
Navy Department She is not the type
of girl who starts out to make ca
reer. Her efficiency and development
came through fondness for her work
after she had started it and from a
natural desire to do we'll anything she
undertakes. She has absorbed some
thing of Mr.. Adee's remarkable and
logical power Of reasoning, has profit
ed by her experience in diplomatic
matters and incidentally has become
proficient French and Spanish schol-
ar because she found this would help
her in her work. .....
Has Been to The Hague. =.
She accompanied the American del
!, egation to The Hague several years
ago, and her French was a "life saver"
to several of the Americans who could
not speak a word of it. On the trip
of the American delegation to the
Pan-American conference at Buenos
Ayres in 1910 Miss Hanna went along,
and among her other duties taught
the families of several of the dele
gates and several of the delegates
themselves enough Spanish to get on
with.
Miss Hanna's work on this trip was
a splendid example of her versatility.
: She would be found in the midst of the
brilliant receptions at the opera and
in the workroom helping the delegates