Evening star., 1932-04-07
j. S. MAY SUSPEND
DIPLOMATIC POSTS
Stimson Proposes Closing
Offices Abroad in Demand
for Economy.
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hopes that his proposition will not be
adopted, but should Congress find it
necessary to make cuts in the State De-
partment appropriations and accept Mr.
Stinson's suggestion, the following are
the diplomatic missions more likely to
be temporarily closed:
The embassy In Belgium, where our
interests are limited and can be easily
taken care of as far as trade is con-
cerned by the consulate in Antwerp and
automatically by the Paris embassy.
Paris is only four and one-haf hours
away from Brussels.
China May Be Included.
TIE legation in Albania, where our
economic interests are nominal Dip
lomatically the American embassy in
Rene can transact all the little busi-
ners that occurs between the two coun-
tries. Tirana, the capital of Albania. Is
2 good diplomatic listening post, but
the Ambassador in Italy could easily
cover all the political intrigues from
Rome.
The second legation which is likely to
go is the one in China. Although po-
litically it would be important to main
tain our prestige in China by having a
Minister, from the practical point Of
view 1t is not vital The Chinese have a
large number of separate governments
and the presence of the American Min
lister either at Peiping or at Nanking or
at Shanghai Is not essential. The
American consular officers in that coun-
try have good diplomatic training and
are really Americas diplomatic and
consular representatives in the districts
in whic' they are located.
The nerican legation In Austria is
important because Of the serious crisis
Austria Is passing through every six
months. Here again, a consul general
with adequate diplomatic experience
could easily do the work of the Minister,
and for purely formal diplomatic repre-
sentation, the Minister in Czecho-
slovakia could go to Vienna whenever
his presence Is required. Prague is only
five hours away from Vienna.
The legation in Holland Is important
on account of the World Court and be-
cause Of the common interests of the
United States and Holland In the
Pacific. That legation, however, could
interests in Denmark, where a legation
appears to be superfiuous now.
Latvia and Lithuania.
Two legations in the Baltic states
could be closed without much injury to
American interests abroad-the lega-
tions in Latvia and Lithuania. Our
interests in those countries could be
taken care Of from Warsaw, where the
United States maintains an embassy.
The same thing applies to Portugal,
country where our diplomatic interests
are comparatively small and can be
looked after from the Madrid embassy.
Either the Bucharest or the Sofia
legation could be closed without much
harm. The one left could adequately
cover tie ground in the other country.
AS matter Of fact, until the World War,
only one American Minister was ac-
credited to Rumania, Bulgaria and
Serbia and usually did his work with
out trouble. He resided in Bucharest
and took occasional trips to Sofia and
Belgrade. Jugoslavia is now a much
larger country than Serbia was before
the war. but it Is believed that a iega-
tion either at Bucharest or at Sofia
could easily look after our diplomatic
interests in both these countries.
There are many consular posts in
Europe, Asia and Africa which could
be easily abolished If the requirements
for drastic economies demanded either
their temporary suspension or complete
abolition.