Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-07-08

Herbert Hoover swung into his old
Belgian relief and Food Administration
stride during the two and one half
hectic weeks CT the moratorium nego-
tiationS. He was every inch the
Chief" All roads-especially al trans
atlantic telephone calls-led to his desk.
No move was made that he did not
approve in advance. Virtually every
step of major Importance was inStigated
by him. The whole incident was ideal
for display Of the driving power that
distinguishes Hoover's methods when he
Is unhampered. Undoubtedly the Pres
ident thanks Heaven for the proNdential
absence Of Congress at the time he de-
cided to strike. With Capitol Hill in
action it is more than doubtful whether
he could have performed with such
neatness and dispatch. At all events.
his style would have been cramped.
Hoover must have felt good deal like
Dewey at Manila-untramneled master
of the situation and free to do what
he thought best, as well as when and
how to do It. Political friend and foe
acknowledge that the end has 1usti-
fed the means.
All of us are too near the thing to
realize its immensely. Americans wor-
VI.
that standpoint, the debt holiday trans
action is O staggering achievement. 1t
sets a world record for time, just as
the Post Gatty globe -circling flight did,
which was being accomplished, by the
wav. at the self-same moment. Hustle
is a term the Old World henceforward
will have to associate with Yankee
diplomacy, too. Exactly II days-June
10 to July 6, inclusive-were consumed
between the first announcement OF the
Presidents move and the final accord
with France. Confidential adviceS
pouring into washington indicate that
European statesmen have not even yet
fully recovered consciousness after the
dizzy PAGES through which Uncle Sam
nut them, The most conservative esti-
mate is that the old diplomacy, I'M
subjected to the Hooverian touch,
would have needed II weeks-or even
months-to arrive at the decisions to
which Mellon and Laval came, over the
champagne land orangeade), in Paris
in the waning hours OF last Monday
night.
Already professional diplomats in
Washington are wondering to what eX-
tent the telephone Is destined to dis
place the mote" as method OF COM
Presidents and prime ministers, in light
of recent events, be content to wait for
long winded replies to long-winded mes
sages sent in cipher when an oceanic
telephone conversation serves the pur-
pose instantaneously? It Is lead-pipe
certainty that the debt negotiations
have opened up q new chapter in the
CONDUCT of Americas foreign relations.
no matter whether other countries stick
to old-fashiored cables and codes or
not. The State Department claims
there is no way of tapping" trans
oceanic telephone talks. Ambassador
Sackett has just revealed at Berlin that
slang was found useful for confidential
communications. Imagine a European
foreign office trying to decode such
lingo as passing the buck" apple
sauce" bologna" or SOS your old
man.!
Acting Secretary of State BILL" Castle
is lavish in praise of the teamwork
ment staff during the battle of the
moratorium. Nobody ever thought of
| looking at the clock. Night work was
| the rule, and usually far into the night.
| The job had to be done amid Washing
| toms hottest 1881 weather, but COM
plant was conspicuous by its absence
| Only one casualty was recorded-a tele-
| graph operator, who, having worked at
| his key for nearly a 24-hour stretch
succumbed to q temporary attack Of di-
lated heart. He was soon brough,
around in the departmental emergency
hospital. interchangeable McDermott OF
the press section and his equally tire
less secretary, Hurley Fiske, the belle