The Washington herald., 1921-02-23


the American diplomatic service
abroad do during their working
hours. as yet governed by no trade
union regulations, Is not widely
known in a more detailed way.
Those behind the scenes. in the
parts Of Europe at least with which
I am familiar. know. however, that
their usual work comprises an
everyday combination of the task
Of foreign newspaper correspond
ent, with smattering of casual
advice to travelling Americans and
a good deal of plain business deal
ing with American business men
undertaking to extend American
trade.
In some of the new states in the
new European Balkans, in addition,
the United States diplomat func-'
tions as disinterested guide and
counsellor and friend to govern
ment officials, who take from him
advice and counsel which they
dodge from the representatives of
other powers suspected of having
diplomatic and political axes to
grind.
Style Of Diplomacy Changed.
1t may be that the war and sub
sequent troubled conditions of
European life have altered the
whole style of American diplomacy.
Difficulties in travel and communi-
cation even before the United
States entered the conflict obliged
Americans to turn frequently to
their government representatives
for aid in ordinary and legitimate
undertakings which in peace times
they would never have remotely
thought to call to the attention of
the embassy or legation. The busi-
ness of relief organization which
had anything to do on both sides of
the line Of trenches, the individual
forced to travel in the belligerent
countries, were obliged to. seek as
sistance from the American repre-
sentative ambassadors, ministers
and secretaries. began. perhaps less
as a result of conscious effort
than OF circumstances, to deal daily
with representatives of the Amer
lean press, American relief organ
izations like the Rockefeller Foun-
dation or the Red Cross, and Amer
ican business houses and corpora
tions which were fortunate or un-
fortunate enough to have officials
and branches in the various bel
ligerent countries.
They did not. of course. become
talented business men over night,
they probably made some rather
costly mistakes, but they established
contact" and acquired the habit or
train of thought of interesting
themselves in business problems and
OF working along the lines to which
the reform of the service must in
the future be more and more di-
rected.
The experience of the new diplo-
macy was of great practical value
when the United States entered the
war and assumed the mission of
clamping down the blockade which
up to that time had been far less
thorough than even the entente
powers suspected. Only those be-
hind the scenes in the diplomatic
service and the war trade board
have full picture of the extent
to which the American representa-
tives familiar with the routes and
devices by which American commod-
tiles found their way into the CEN
trail empires and with some, at
least, of the A. B. C.'s of war, bust
ness, are responsible for perfecting
the instrument which had so much
to do with winning the war.
Business Plays Big Part.
Business factors also played a big
role in the Peace Conference. Presi-
dent Wilson arrived in Paris with a
very large staff of experts and ad-
visers, but it was soon discovered
that trained diplomats had their
function in putting across" useful
ideas and desirable decisions, and
many of our foreign service repre-
sentatives were called to Paris. At
first sight treaty making and draft
ing frontiers appear to have very
little to do with American trade or
industry abroad; In reality CONNER
cial considerations play a tremen-
dous role. and the trained diplomat
should and must in the future as
sist the American business expert
In getting behind the diplomatic
subterfuge and high : sounding
phrases by which desire to monop-
olize trade or exploit natural re-
sources is often covered. Take, for
example. the problem of the former
Austrian provinces of Gaficia, the
eastern part of which yields a prod
uct In these days richer than gold,
namely oil