Evening star., 1929-12-05
HOOVER PLAN STIRS
FOREIGN SERVICE
Proposal to Man Missions
With LinguistS Heralds
Numerous Shifts.
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.


Nothing short of a bombshell has
been dropped into the United States
foreign service by President Hoover's
pronouncement in his recent message
to Congress that hereafter Ambassadors
and Ministers to Latin American coun-
tries must speak the language of those
countries. Mr.. Hoover'S decision de-
notes a long-advocated departure in our
foreign relations. In particular, it her
aids numerous shifts in the diplomatic
service, involving either the transfer or
retirement of chiefs Of mission" who
are now at Latin American posts with
no linguistic equipment except English.
The President told Congress he would
send to the Senate "at an early date
the nominations of several such men,"
The date will not be later than March
4, 1880.
Mr.. Hoover's references to Latin
America in his message are the direct
result of his goodwill tour" expert
ences there last Winter. One of the
firmeSt impressions the then President
elect brought home was that knoWl-
edge of Spanish (and, in the case of
Brazil. of PortugueSe) is indispensable
if our ENJOYS to the sister republics
are to fill their "jobS"-Hoover's own
idiom--properly. The President-elect
suffered no little personal embarrass-
ment in Central and South America
himself by having to commune with
Latin American Presidents and other
high officials of state through in
terpreterS.
Reaches Quick Decision.
In only a few cases was he able to
carry on in English, because the ma
jority of the Latin American statesmen
did not talk our language. Mr. Hoover
then and there vowed that when the
time came for him to determine the
American diplomatic personnel in that
part of the world our intercourse with
its various governments should not be
hampered by the language problem
The Presidents message to Congress
specifically mentions his desire to 'es-
tablish more firmly our understanding"
with the Latin American countries.
Hoover feels that there has to be very
literal understanding" of some Ian
guage common both to those countries
and to our spokesmen there if business
is to be conducted intelligently, SYM
pathetically and eXpeditiously.
The bulk of our chiefs of mission in
the Latin American countries is made
up of Spanish-Speaking ENJOYS. Robert
Woods Bliss, Ambassador to Argentina,
speaks Spanish fluently. Edwin "
Morgan, longtime Ambassador to Bra
Zil, talks Portuguese fairly well and
French, which is common in Rio de
Janeiro, in scholarly fashion. w. S.
Culbertson, Ambassador to Chile, who
is now in this country, has been work.
ing hard at learning Spanish, and is
conquering it. Alexander P. Moore,
Ambassador to Peru, though stationed
for several years at Madrid, knows little
or nothing of the Spanish language
His early removal from Lima, either by
retirement or by transfer to another
post, is considered certain.
Mexico Post to Be Vacant,
The ambassadorship to Mexico will
become vacant with Dwight w. Nor
rows departure for the London Naval
Conference next month. His successor,
as the new Hoover program indicates,
will be some one who can talk to the
Mexicans in Spanish. Mr.. Morrow does
not command that language, but when
quirementS were for other talents,
which the New Jersey lawyer erbanker
promptly proved he possessed in high
degree.
Recent Hoover diplomatic appoint
ments, though unnoticed by the public,
had the Spanish-speaking asset clearly
in view. Harry F. Guggenheim, named
Ambassador to Cuba, was a mining
engineer in both Mexico and Chile for
several years, and mastered the Span-
iSh tongue George 7. Summerlin, who
was transferred from Honduras to the
ministership in Venezuela, is one OF
the best Spanish scholars in the serv-
ice. Minister Fan E. Young, prU-
NOTED from the Dominican Republic
to Bolivia, knows Spanish we'll For the
concrete advantages President Hoover
has in mind Leland Harrison was taken
from the ministership to Sweden
priced European post, because it is at
a royal court-and sent to Uruguay,
where Harrison's fine acquaintance
with Spanish will serve Uncle Sam III
good stead. Sheldon Whitehouse coun-
selor at the Madrid embassy, has just
been promoted to be Minister to Guate-
'mala, where his excellent Spanish Will
be of high value.
= New ENJOYS to Be Named.
A n-Spanish-speaking Minister un-
derstood to be marked for transfer from
a Latin American legation is Minister
John Glover South, now at Panama. In
Nicaragua the American legations chief
is Charles C. Eberhart, who rates high
as a Spanish speaker. In Costa Rica is
an American Minister similarly equip
ped-Roy T. Davis. To Honduras and