Semi-weekly herald., 1913-12-25
DIPLOMATS MUST BE
REAL ESTATE MEN

ROME, Dec. 23.-One Of the most
essential and imperative requisites oil
an American amba assador to Europe
is that he possess all the qualifica-
tions of an expert real estate dealer
This, at least, is the opinion of Thomas
Nelson Page, the new United States
ambassador to Rome. And the author
ambassador knows whereof he speaks.
"a new American ambassador in
Europe says Mr.. Page, may have
all the diplomatic acumen and finesse
of Metternich, but unless he is also
enough of practical real estate man
to solve the problem of finding
house in which to locate his embassy
he is not likely to ever get far enough
along to begin as diplomat
| Up to several weeks ago when MI.
Page finally found a house, his dip
lomatic career was by force of neces-
sity, confined largely to house hunt
ing. His experience has even been
a little bit harder than that OF most
of the other American ambassadors to
European capitals where unlike most
of the nations the United States does
l not own its embassy. Despite the TACT
that in all his efforts Mr.. Page has
lhad the help of his cousin, Commen-
datore George Page, director of the
commercial bank of Rome, who grew
up from boyhood here and knows every
: foot of Roman real estate, he had
ldifficult time solving the problem.
OF the few houses which Mr.. Page
found and which would really serve
as an embassy, nearly all of them
were refused for precisely the same
reason. The owners first demanded
rental that was almost incredible.
Later, when Mr.. Page, unable to do
better, accepted, the proprietors at
once became suspicious of anyone who
was willing or able to pay so much,
and withdrew the property.
Other prospective embassies had to
be refused for different reasons For
example, large apartment offered
. to Mr. Page in the famous Bancadoro
Palace for moment seemed to fill
the bill. There were all of the i'm
Z mense dining rooms, salons reception
halls necessary for an embassy. Upon
examination, however, Mr.. Page dis
lowered that of bed rooms there was
!. not one. He was foced to the suss
lpicion that if the ancient Romans, who
= formerly occupied the palace, ever
slept at all, it must have been under
= the table when the banquet was over.
II Another entire palace which Mr..
u Page could have had was so big that
l. he could not have possibly occupied
= more than the first two floors. Even
+ this, however, would have been accept
I able had it not been for the fact that
a the kitchen was on the fifth floor
at the farthest possible point from
1.-THE dining room. Although local do
mestic engineers tried to solve the
y problem of food transportation, they
: failed, and Ambassador felt he could
i hardly risk the certain interruption
d of the ambassadorial dinner with the
r request to his guests that they join
S him in hunting for the waiter, who
while bringing the fish, had evident
e ly gotten lost in the interminable lab
& lyrinth of floors and rooms between
: the kitchen and banquet hall.
T. The famous Villa Millafiore, for
: mer home of the American art school
e could have also have been had by Mr..
S Page at the modest figure of $4,000
t q year or two-thirds of his ambas-
: sadorial salary. The contract, how
3 ever, provided that after furnishing
S the villa the tenant should vacate it
: on a moments notice should it be
e wanted for other purposes. Profiting
5 by the experinece of Ambassador o.
Brien last year, this, Ambassador
Page declined to do. Ambassador
O'Brien had just gotten nicely locat-
. ed in a magnificent villa at Rome,
under a similar contract, when the
: palace was sold. He had to get out
, good deal sooner than he had been
! able to get in-and great deal soon
er than he was able to get anywhere
else.
An apartment offered to the
American ambassador in the famous
Barberine palace might have been &C.
cepted but for the stairs. In Italy,