Evening star., 1936-12-04
GERARD 0. KS BAN
PUT ON MARRIAGES
Former Ambassador Sees
Danger in Alien Ties in
Diplomatic Corps.
eoeo,sl Dispatch to The star.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
NEW YORK, December I N.A.
N.A..).-James w. Gerard, United
States Ambassador to Germany during
the war years, and named yesterday
rs special representative Of the United
States at King Edward Wits corona
ton, asked to comment on the special
ruling Of the Department Of State
requiring consent of the Government
before American diplomatic repre-
sentat tives can marry foreigners, sat
down and wrote the following:
I'm my opinion, Secretary Cordel
Hulls regulation, like all his acts
since taking ofiice, Is justified.
Other Nations Have Rule.
"Such . regulation Is no novelty in
diplomatic life. Many other nations
have such Q rule.
$50 long as the nations of Europe
incline toward war, spying and in
formation stealing. every nation k
obliged to protect its diplomatic, army.
naval defense and air secrets.
THE scenario Of q play or movie
can be imagined in which the Ameri-
can diplomats foreign-born wife.
gaining important secrets, yields to
love of fear and discloses weighty
information to the agents Of another
nation.
"A young man in the diplomatic
service, in q moment Of weakness,
marry some adventures or even spy.
and our State Department should have
the right to veto such q marriage or
dismiss the diplomat If he persists
In his materimcnial adventure"
Mr.. Gerard, whom latter-day his
torians agree in naming ~ one OF the
few American diplomatic representa-
tives who remained exclusively pro-
American during the troubled period
before the United States entered the
war, said the pressure on an am
bassador or consul to forget American
interests and become . partisan Of
the nation to which he Is accredited
= enormous"
Deliberate Plotting.
"Flattery and desire for popularity
and social adulation have worked
tremendous mischief with some men,
bers Of our foreign corps" he said.
when these fail to color the repre-
sentative's attitude, don't think
it is at all beyond many European
nations deliberately to plot . marriage
that would achieve . similar effect.
What has prevented it In the past Is
the fact that. by the time . man gets
to be an ambassador or consul in our
service, he is likely to be married
and q tired old codger on whom such
tactics would not work. However,
I do not doubt that they have been
worked on lesser members Of the
corps-secretaries and such, who have
access to say, code books.
For myself, when I was ambas-
sador, I borrowed two rules. Ons
from Talleyrand, "A diplomat shouic
learn to be silent in seven languages.
and one from Bismarck, The diplo-
mat who is not too popular in the
country to which he is accredited Il
the one who Is doing his duty"
Mr.. Gerard said that he had no
been informed officially Of his ap
pointment as special representative
ut the coronation and knew about il
only what he had read in the papers
However, he admitted that the pros.
pect of having to wear short pants
did not frighten him at al.
II am practically veteran at
that" he said. Generally they're
called silk pants, but they're no,
really silk. They are knickerbockerl
made of the same material as . dress
suit. The stockings are of black silk
and this, Is We call 1t, extraordinary
costume Is rounded on with black
pumps.
Taft Wore Shorts.
IT wore the outfit 1T . dinner at
tended by King George during AM
bassador George Harvey,s tenure. Five
Of US went together-ex-Preside
Taft, Mr.. Harvey, Frank Munsey
Marshall Field and myself. All in
knee pants. If you think We were q
spectacle, think you are wrong. Mr.
Taft. large person, looked grand
Mr. Harvey, thin ~ . blade, looked
well, hne.
Mr.. Gerard said "the whole prob
lem" of diplomatic attire was vex-
Ing one.
Il remember" he explained, when
I was appointed Ambassador to Ger
many, I heard that I would have to
wear . uniform at the Kaiser's court.
30 when I was in London I had my