Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-07-15
Fall Writes Life Story
Former Secretary Of Inferior Describes HOY Harding
Wanted Him 10 Be Secrefar, of State, but Due
to Political Pressure Named Hughes.

Albert B. Fall, who will enter prison
shortly for having accepted bribe
while he was Secretary of the Interior
under President Harding today gave
the inside story OF bis selection for the
cabinet, including the disclosure that
Harding first ofiered to make him Sec
rotary Of State.
This and other revelations are. con-
tanned in the first Of a series OF 10 oany
copvri0hted- articles written by Fan Ior
the North American Newspaper ALI
ance, of which The Star Is mempeT
In the first article Fall uold how the
then Senator Harding. returning JUDI
lantly from the convention wnich nom
mated him as Republican candloate
for the presidency, called him, TO ms
~ want YOU to be my Secretary OF
State. I'm going to be elected.
Secretary of State?" FAN replied l
thought YOU were q politician
NO" Harding is quoted as respond
ing, Il mean it,"
Played Poker Together.
Fall said Harding proceeded 10 ex.
Main that the two were "congenlAl,
that Harding was impressed with Fairs
LnowIedpe of international affairs, par
tic,,lArlv Mexican affairs; that Harding
recalled the part Fall. as Senator, had
nIaved as one Of the 81 'irreconcilables"
in the League of Nations fight, that Fall
knew the Spanish language and. nnally,
to use Falls words, we had played
poker together--
FAIL pointed out that group Of SEN
ators hsd been in the habit Tor PERIOD
~ wears" of meeting three or four eve
rings a week at various homes for din
ner following which there would be q
poker game until midnight -. .
Harding reminded me OF thsse
MANY pleasant evenings together" Fail
said.
Job Belongs to Coast State.
TT simply isn't feasible. Warren" Fall
told his friend You can't afford to
make q man from . little inland State
like New Mexico your Secretary OF
state. That Job belongs to- some coast
state particularly an Atlantic Coast
state New York has a right to. claim
it. BY tradition II for no other reason.
New York has given you an enormous
ma jority. You can't afford to. overlook
that"
THE Job belongs to some one from
New York state, Fall added, jokingiy
because the politicians there think
they are especially qualified Tor It
Don't they see the ships Of all the world
dock. and sell? That makes them ex-
perts on foreign affairs"
For a time after that, Harding re-
peatedly returned to the subject. He
told several others of his intention.
probably feeling out sentiment. Will II.
HAYS. afterward Harding'S Postmaster
General, brought the subject up one day
with Mrs. Fall.
mt. Harding is tempted he said.
TO defy the East and make your hus-
band Secretary Of State"
when Mr. Fall says he doesn't care
for the Job" Mrs. Fall replied, he
Fall suggested Elihu Root. This was
at Point Isabelle. Tex. Harding had
asked him there from his ranch in New
Mexico.
Harding was not enthusiastic" about
Root.
TT seemed there was between them
one Of hose@Nnaccountable and illogi-
cal mutual dislikes that sometimes
spring up between persons sort Of
spiritual incompatibility.' Fall ex-
planned.
Hughes Got Appointment.
Harding eventually felt the political
pressure always exerted on a preSiden-
tial nominee, and had come to the idea
that, regardless Of his own wishes, the
Secretary of state must be New
Yorker. Root eliminated, Charles
Evans Hughes stood out As the most
satisfactory nominee. Hughes became
HardinRs Secretary Of State.
On August II. 1920. Harding wrote
Fall from Marion, Ohio:
%. M. 1 would like exceedingly much
to have you come here so 1 may avail
myself Of your counsel and. advice
Really. l. very much need to be sur
rounded by some Of the friends whom
I trust most fully don't want
you to do this at any sacrifice, but
do not hesitate to tell you that 1 should
very much like to have your advice
and cooperation through some OF the
anxious moments Of speech preparation
and determination Of foreign policy
think q candidate ought to have very
little to say about foreign policies, but
find questions are pressing from time
| to time, and want to be becomingly
prudent at every stage Of the cam
| paign."
Fall went to Marion. Ohio. and livec
at Harding's house through most Of the
remainder of the campaign, working
! out of there on experimenting trips.
"Hardings invitation to me was char
acteristic, not only as a tribute to me
as his friend-he nearly always over
estimated the abilities of his closest
friendS-but in another way, Fal