Evening star., 1933-11-06
WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.

that brings him to the United States.
Nothing IN the past, covering 16 years
during which both governments have
said plenty Of unpleasant things about
each other, will be allowed to crop UP,
as far as the Washington authorities
can control matters. Even the official
Russian news agency's tactfui allega-
ton that the u 8. A. was forced" to
initiate recognition Of the q. s. s. r.
viii not gum up matters. European dis
patches foreshadow that the squat
Soviet statesman, who comes to Amer
lea laurel-crowned after q remarkable
series Of European diplomatic sue
cesses In recent times, win prove to be
a sharp and shrewd bargainer In Wash
ington, basing Russia,s claims on her
newly-earned prestige in the world.
American newspaper men In their re-
lations with Mr. Litvinov viii have to
deal with his journalistic bodyguard, an
agreeable young 1lewsnan named
Oumanski, head Of the press section of
the Russian foreign Office, who al
ways accompanies the con1missar
Every foreign diplomatic eye In WASH
tngton win be peeled In the direction
of the -Litvinov conversations.
No international development Of recent
times has created Q greater stir In
world capitals than the Russian Amer
lean rapprochement. Everywhere it Is
envisaged as an event Of immense DO
litical and economic possibilities. To
Japan its political implications seem
the more important. Countries like Ger
many and Great Britain, from which
Russia gets most of her imports.
are afraid they are now in danger Of
being supplanted In the Russian market
to very damaging extent by future
Soviet purchases In the United States.
So, from various standpoints, events In
Washington during the next few days
are going to be of history y-making sig
nificance.
++
Mabel Walker Willebrandt has lust
received one of the highest honors ever
conferred upon woman by the Amer
ican Bar Association, which has ap-
pointed her to its Committee on Fed
eral Taxation. Evidently the distinc-
ton has come to the former Depart
ment Of Justice Portia in recognition
Of her direction Of Federal taxation
litigation during nine years as Assistant
Attorney General, when she had charge
OF income tax and correlated matters,
In addition to prohibition enforcement.
At one time Mrs. Willebrandt super
vised q force Of United States attor-
neys who handled more than 600 taxa
ton cases in one year before the various
courts OF appeal throughout the coun-
try. When appeals from the Board
Of Tax Appeals were established by law
in 1926 she was assigned the duty of
briefing. arguing and administratively
handling all cases resultant from the
boards decisions. Mrs. Willebrandt
personally conducted many Of these
cases before the Supreme Court.
In the November American Foreign
Service Journal Is the following story
narrated by Wallace Murray, chief Of
the State Departments Division Of
Near Eastern Affairs: "a powerful
Near Eastern potentate once sent a del
egation to Washington to request our
wiser. When we inquired what sort of
adviser was needed, the chief Of the
delegation replied In approximately the
following words: My sovereign wants
an American who win be closer to him
than his own brother, some one who
win always be at his side to tell him
the truth, no matter how unpleasant;
some one who can divine his majesty's
innermost thoughts and tell him when
he Is wrong: In other words, some one
who can be his majesty's conscience /"
(Copyright. 1889