Evening star., 1936-12-04

David Lawrence.
such permission will be granted and
no exceptions will be made.
While it is true that the United
States is simply following the lead
of the other principal governments
of the world, the reasons which
prompt the action are rather signifi-
cant.
For one thing, the custom grew out
Of the experience of diplomatic OFF,
GERS during the World War. The
United States Government in 1914
was asked to serve through its en-
bassies and legations on behalf of
Great Britain and France. Where
the American embassy in a certain
country had on its staff some one who
was married to German or Austrian,
there was suspicion created which,
while absolutely unwarranted from
an American point of view, consti-
tuted embarrassmentS from the then
Allied point of view.
War Possibility Seen.
The possibility of war in Europe in
the next two or three years has been
discussed by American officials, who
feel that the United States Govern
fnent should be free so far as possible
to serve as neutrals do, through en-
bassies and legations, in taking care
of the diplomatic interests Of gov
ernments which have formally be-
come belligerents.
As the order was originally drawn a
marriage by an American diplomatic
or consular officer with a woman citi-
zen of a foreign country was to mean
instant resignation from the service,
but this was modified by high Off
cials so as to permit the resignation
to be offered and the discretion to
be vested in the President or the
Secretary of State.
This introduction of discretionary
power is bound to become embar-
RAISING. Members of Congress friendly
to the diplomatic or consular officer
In question will doubtless wish to in
tercede so as to get the Department
Of State to exercise its discretion in
such a. way as to permit the officer
to retain his post. Under such pres
sure, If the executive branch of the
Government ever does make an ex-
ception, it will be very difficult to re-
fuse permission to others. To decline
to allow certain marriages while
sanctioning others will be taken as q
reflection ON the individuals con-
cerned and may produce complica-
tions that are not now foreseen.
Existing Romances Factor.
Just why the discretionary power
was interjected is not known, but the
supposition is that the Department OF
State did not wish to interfere with
romances that have been under way,
or at least where formal engagements
may have been announced in recent
weeks or months prior to the issuance
Of the formal order.
If any exceptions are made, it may be
on the basis that the diplomatic officers
in question entered into their plans for
matrimOny before they could possibly
have known of the State Departments
intention to issue the order. In other
words, these individuals would seek
to have their cases stand on the same
footing with those marriages between
American foreign service officers and
aliens which have already occurred.
It has not been suggested, of course,
that American foreign service officers
must resign or divorce their wives if
the latter happen to be aliens. A
certain number of American diplo-
mats and consuls are married to
aliens, and these cases, while not
many, are bound to raise problems of
transfer in the event that the United
States Government should take over
the diplomatic interests of any other
country in some international dispute
The wording of the order not only for
bidding marriages between American
diplomats and women of foreign
countries, but forbidding any new
officers to be designated in the for
eign service of the United States who
are already married to aliens is, in
part, as follows:
This regulation is based upon the
principle that officers of the foreign
service are expected to be available
In the discretion of the President for
duty In any country or in any part
Of the world, and that anything which
detracts from the availability of in
dividual officers has an adverse effect
upon their usefulness and upon the
efficiency of the service"
Oficials here are insistent that no
eases Of disloyalty have arisen and
that the order is not based on any
thing more than the experience Of
the United States In the last war and
the imminence Of another war In Eu-
rope.