The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1921-01-04

SQUALID QUARTERS
IN MANY PLACES

High Rents in Many Foreign Capitals
Make il Impossible to Secure Proper
Accommodations Valuable Codes
Without Protection.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 1.-The serious
need by American embassies and legations
of facilities for greater protection OF con-
tidential and other valuable papers and
materials is regarded by officials as hav-
ing been emphasized by the thorough
cleaning out of the cash box in the Ann
erican legation at Warsaw on Dec. - by
thief apparently familiar with the le-
CATION premises.
The most confidential and secret codes
| in which some of the most important
business OF this government is transacted
with its embassies abroad are at present
protected only by the vigilance OF de-
| voted member of the legation staff Some
| coo Polish marks, 1000 French francs,
/ $40 in American money, and all the per
/ sonal funds of the American Legion at
| with little effort required on his part. He
| had only to break two locks to do his
work.
The legation at Warsaw has no safe in
which to keep its confidential codes and
funds, and the reason is that the depart
With the current appropriation made
quate to supply enough clerks to the en-
| bassies and legations, safes and office fur
niture are in the class of Injuries. In the
office of the chief clerk of the state de
Dartment is a file OF requests, pressing
and urgent, from the American legations
that are untitled because the apprOpria-
tiOns cannot cover them. Much effort has
been expended in trying to find American
I citizens who would go abroad as clerks IN
! ! L. zql
airy permitted by the appropriation.
There has been some success in finding
men and women sufficiently patriotic to
make the sacrifice involved. Yet in snite
of this. the American minister to Serbia
at present is forced to typewrite his own
dispatches and reports to the department.
/ The department cannot afford HIM the
luxury OF a stenOgrapher.
The American mission in Berlin IS
housed in a building which the govern
ment holds on long lease, and it is in
such condition that water soaks through
cracks in the walls during storms, and
the wall paper Is peeling off in all the sec
Ondst0ry rooms. The roof is SO defective
THAI in a rain storm pals have to be
placed about the rooms to catch the Wa
ter. The American embassy building in
| COnstantInOple has actually reached the
stage OF deterioration because of the need
of repairs which cannot be undertaken be
cause there is no money to spend. In
Picking and Toxic. also, notifying cOndl-
| lions exist that are proving actually EN-
barrassing to the prestige of the United
States.
The most distressing conditions pre-
vail in Budapest. where the only quarters
that could be obtained within the means
available for the American mission are
declared to be in shocking state. The
approach is through court yard and
then up two steep flights of rickety stairs.
smelling of sewer hues and always
crowded with people making applications
for vises or engaged on other legitimate
business. The offices themselves are
gloomy cramped boxes, and the code
room is a dungeon where the odors from
a drain are uncomfortable.
All requests for furniture sent in by
American embassies and legations abroad
have been refused by the state depart
ment for three years. no matter how ur-
gent the situation might be Dozens of
officers are using ordinary unnainted
wooden kitchen tables for desks and pack
ing boxes for typewriter desks. Diction-
aries and law books are placed on kitchen