The Waterbury Democrat., 1935-02-07
THE NEW DEAL
 IN WASHINGTON
U. S.-SOviet FiascO Should Be Lesson to Statesmen .. Oral Promises Mean Little on Showdown.
By RODNEY BUTCHER Democrats Washington
 (OrFesDOfHdcnt

l NOEFcspOuSuCHb
 Washington, - The way some | of our international relations are handled seems all the more quain; l mot to say sloppy--when you re- member that those relations carry the seeds of war, peace, trade, and | all that.
 | Woodrow Wilson's almost for | gotten line about "open covenants openly arrived att is being recalled now that the American Russia n debt negotiations have collapsed to l the tune of diplomatic recrimina- tions and we've kissed goodby all that trade we were going to have l with the Soviet following recognl- ton.
 Premiers Macdonald of Eng land and Laval of France came here dAlng Hoover's time for pri- vate tete-a-tetes with the president and the chief results of those secret conversations, except for possible intangibleg, were sharp I disagreements after they returped home as to who had said what.
 Disagree On Promises.
 MT Litvinov came to see Roose- | welt and obtained recognition of | his government. But the hig h points of the agreements the l two men were supposed to have reached orally in the privacy of the presidents study were never reduced to writing and Russian 1 American relations are now strain ed because the two men disagree as to what was promised. 1 It does seem as if these heart-to- heart talks between statesmen aren't all they're cracked up to be and you needn't be surprised If q | Senate leader advances a resolu- ton providing that all agreements l reached in that way must be docu- mentized-or else they don't count. Loan Just Dream.
 Litvinov went home with the report that Roosevelt had prom ised him 6 cash loan to Russia In | addition to trade credits. Roosevelt has no recollection of { that. Neither has Bill Bullitt. American ambassador to the U. $. 5. R.
 Those three were the only ones present when the promise is al- lcBcu lO Udtc DLGh ihhhCs b<NbbN sAo well as numbers seems to be on thg American side in this dispute. Roosevelt knew there would be no popular support in this country for such loan. His primary object was to obtain business for Ameri- can heavy industries. Russia need ed no cash loan for that, since credits from the Export-Impor. bank would suffice for her pur- chases here. And of course no one contem- plated cash loan for the sake of enabling Russia 10 buy elsewhere.
 Hull Suspects Gyp.
 Secretary Hull has been feeling for many months that Litvinov was trying to hornswoggle us. There's also some sentiment that Russia was willing to make prom iscB she never meant to keep to obtain recognition and put ono over on us when Iitvinov got away without any agreement to pay | debts.
 This idea is especially stressed by an anti R ussian clique fin the government which opposed recogni- LiVH tbo pthhb oih AO tE oJ 2 q compIicating factor in Rdssian- American relations. '
 The fact that both nations at the time were anxious to present a tacit united front toward belliger- ent Japan should not be overlook ed.
 But the nasty little issue of ver- acity between statesmen and nn- tons wouldn't have arisen if the cards had been laid on the table in full view of us kibitzcrs.
 Joke Not So Funny. t.. One of those picturesque southwest ern congressman who arrive here occasionally in huge cowboy hats and other conspicuous raimcnt to become celebrated for homely rug gedness and wisecracks and more or less funny stories had an ex- perience on New Years Eve which he doesn't include in his repertoire Tho congressman and girl friend arrived at q night club and was $4.50 apiece.
 The congressman said they would have to go Away from there be- cause such cover charge was "undemocratic" and his constitu- ents would be sore if they ever heard about 1t. But they would have one drink, anyway, just to Dc sociable.
 Tho drinks cost 80 cents. The congressmen peeled bill from his roll and told the walter to keep the change. The two went off to | quiet, inexpensive place where there wasn't much excitement
 Next day the night club propri- etor found the congressman walt ing at the front door to demand $99. He'd found the bill was q $1O0 note instead of the mere dol lar he supposed.
 He's still trying to collect the $90.
 Copyright 1895, NEA Service, Inc MRvNnY EsnYYNV CEAynC