The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1935-10-04
Washington
Merry-GO-
Round
B. DREW PEARSON and
ROBERT =. ALLEN

w Green. the State Department
boy whom the threat OF war sud-
denly elevated to the all-impOrJant
post Of Munitions Controller. has
led one of the most charmed lives
IN political diplomacy.
Five years ago he was asked to
+ resign as professor of history at
Princeton. and came 10 the State
I Department to look for a jOo. As
Sistant Secretary Castle. whom ne
interviewed. asked him
Whom do you know around
here?"
Well" replied Mr.. Green after
some hesitation, I know Nh Hoo
YER"
That might help" smiled Nj.
Castle, How we'll do YOU know
/ him?"
Mr.. Green Their tod how he was
assisting MI Hoover In Belgium
/ during the World War when err
/ roneously accused by German army
1 officers Of espionage. Mr. Hoover
investigated the charge. found 1t
completely groundless went to bat
for his assistant in a big way. and
4 forced the German officers to re-
/ tract
Mr.. Hoover was occupying the
White House. Mr.. Green got his job.
I TNTHEN Nh Hoover left the
w White House in 1888. natu-
/ rally Joe Green was a bit iittery.
He talked at great length 20 news
/ paper men about the sanCtity of
the career service. And through
some whim of fate he remained
unnoticed by Mr. Farley.
BY this time Mr.. Green had be-
gun to specialize on the subject Of
munitions. In fact he was the
State Department official who o. KID
the departure of four bombing
planes for South America. which
his Superiors later grounded in Peru
as violators of the BOlivian-P Para
guayan arms embargo.
But because Mr. Hull had no one
else who knew anything about mu-
nitions, he continued to lean on
Mr.. Green; took him along while
appearing before committees of
Congress when the neutrality act
was under discussion.
One day during this discussion.
newspaper men covering the State
Department rushed word to Joe
Green that the neutrality act lin
the form opposed by the State De-
partmenD had Just passed the Sem
ate.
oh, no. replied Mr.. Green. that
couldn't be so. was Just up talk
ing to them"
Joe is now the State Department
official chiefly responsible for the
administration of the neutrality
act.
THERE has been a marked
change recently in the descrip-
ton of work-relief projects given
in official press releases. The titles
become sonorous and important.
Reason is that the wise era cidng
about boon-dOggling and leaf-rak-
ing got under the skin of the White
House. So one day Steve Early.
presidential press secretary, called
up Harry Hopkins and demanded a
change.
The WPA boss turned the Job
over to some of his bright young
assistants. They evolved the plan
of creating a staff of project edi-
tors" to go over the titles of tate
and local wOrk-relief projects, and
eliminate anything savoring of
boOn-doggling
The result has been some fancy
word juggling.
For example: A New York City
item listed as 'recreational facili-
ties for internes and nurses was
metamorphOsed into project n
adult education" An Ohio project
designated as stump and under
brush removal" became develop
ment Of park and recreation area"
In southern country project for
the construction OF houses was
transformed to sanitation I'M
/ prOvementS."
Where there's will there's al
ways ready pencil.
NOW that Joe Kennedy has re-
l Y signed, his Securities Exchange
+ Commission is drifting into cliques
and factions which may eventually
destroy its Al reputation
A lot of Wall Streeters who came
down to teach the ms and outs Of
Wall Street functioned pretty well
under Mr. Kennedy; but with his
retirement they are unleashed.
They are lobbying for one Of their
own kind to fill the present va
cancy on the commission. Partic-
ularly they want to block the APP
pointment of Baldwin B. Bane, now
/ in charge of registering all securi-
/ ties. and the most likely candidate
/ for commissioner.
/ Copyright 1885 ~ United Feature
Syndicate. Inc