The Washington herald., 1920-04-12
DIPLOMACY VS..
TRADE ETHICS
Alexander Protests State
Departments Activities
In Foreign Fields.
POINTS OUT REASONS
Says Commerce Department
Should Have Full Con-
troll of Situation.
POINTS OUT REASONS

Under the guise Of preventing du-
plication in governmental work
abroad, the State Department is
steadily trying to undermine the
foreign trade promotion efforts of
the Department of Commerce with
q view to getting the work under
the former department, according to
a letter which Secretary Alexander,
Of the Department of Commerce sent
to Senator William j. Harris, OF
Georgia, a member Of the Senate Ap-
lpropriations Committee.
The Secretary of Commerce points
out, that there Is no justification for
the statement made by the State De-
partment to Congress that the con-
sular service can perform the work
now performed abroad by the Bureau
of Foreign and Domestic Commerce
Agents. He tells Senator Harris also
that the efforts of the State Depart
ment to obtain the appointment OF
thirty economic consuls" is merely
a substitution for the commercial
attaches and trade commissioners of
the Department Of Commerce.
The duplication so vigorously con-
demned, he says, 'is largely due to
new services provided for by the
House committee in the appropria-
tions for the Department OF State.
'.It should be borne in mind" the
letter continues, that this was not
a question OF transferring services
from one department to another. It
was a case of destroying services in
the Department of Commerce in or
20 In ha O.
partment of State. It is hard to see
the justification for abolishing these
services in order to create new posi-
ticns in another department"
While admitting that diplomacy is
related to commercial policy. the
secretary, in his letter continues:
1T is a grave mistake in my opin-
ion to join too closely diplomacy
and commerce. 1t is both a bad
thing for diplomacy and a bad thing
for commerce. Aggressive secret
trade diplomacy on the part of Ger
many did not make for friendly re-
Iations with other countries. Dollar
diplomacy is not truly representa-
tive of American ideals. On the
other hand, the necessary dignity.
secrecy and careful circumspection
of our State Department are not in
line with American business prac-
tices and are not conducive to effec-
tive trade promotion abroad"
Pointing out that il would be in
effective to have the State Depart
ment gather trade information
abroad and the Commerce Depart
ment disseminate II in this country,
the Secretary tells OF instances
where adequate trade information
could be obtained through the State
Department forces abroad. The ne
'cessity of sending trade commits
sions abroad was due to the failure
OF the State Department representa-
tives to obtain necessary informa-
ton. he said. Information gathered
by the employees Of the foreign af-
fairs department is so interviewer
with political and diplomatic mate
rial which has to be kept confiden-
tial. that many times the State De-
partrent officials here consider It in
expedient to give il out. In addi-
tion to this disadvantage, there is
another one of delay.
He pleads for permanency for the
Commerce Departments trade pro-
motion machinery. saying that the
feeling Of its temporary status on
account OF the efforts to transfer its
duties to another department is
hurting its operations and ability to
obtain trained men.