Evening star., 1936-08-30
About Well-KnOWn Folk
In Books, Art, Politics
Mr.. Bullitt and Mr.. Phillips Get Diplomatic
Plums-Queen Victoria's s Voice
Was Recorded.

residence abroad. Many of the beau
tiful tapestries, rugs, portraits and old
furniture were the gift of those patri-
otic Americans. The new Ambassador
will find his handsome residence far
cry to the simple little house at Passy.
in the suburbs of Paris, where his dis
tinguished predecessor and fellow
Philadelphian, Benjamin Franklin,
first American Minister to France,
lived. 1t was not frugality alone-al-
though he paid his own expenses
which prompted Benjamin to move to
Passy, but an effort to get away from
the admiring crowds that daily be-
sieged him.
Ambassador Phillips will Have
To Go House Hunting.
Mr. Phillips will be less fortunate
than Mr. Bullitt, when he takes up his
duties in Rome, for while it is under
stood the United States owns palace
there, it is entirely taken up with the
chancery and consular offices, and he
will doubtless have to do as the retir-
ing ambassador, Mr.. Breckenridge
Long, did-rent a house. The made
quate housing of our foreign AmbasSa-
dors and Ministers has often been a
each new envoy has had to select his
foreign residence according to his
pocketbook, often making a social
reality of dollar diplomacy" Mr.
Phillips will, of course, recall the story
told of the late Ambassador Choate,
whose private secretary he was, who
on leaving a party in London one
night was caught in yellow fog. Upon
asking his way of bobby, the latter
inquired, Where is your home, sir?"
Il have no home" answered Mr..
Choate. Il am the American AM
bassador."
Now that those two important posts,
in the diplomatic corps are settled,
those of official society who are not In
the know" are most curious as to
who will be the next UnderSecretary
of State. Every one says Mr.. Sumner
Welles would be absolutely perfect
and, with his beautiful and clever
wife, Mathilde Townsend. nothing
could be more to be desired. Mr..
Welles, like Mr.. Phillips and Mr.. Bull
lit, is a career man with plenty Of
this worlds goods and large expert
ence. He is very close to Secretary
Hull, and on many occasions, owing
to the Secretary'S crowded duties, has
to pinch-hit for him. Like Mr.. Phil
lips, he is graduate Of Harvard; !;
rather reserved in manner but q
charming after-dinner speaker. likes
landscape gardening, is an authority
on Latin-American affairs and knows
the South American republics like a
book. 1t is reported that Mr.. Welles
will attend the All-American Peace
Conference in Buenos Aires in De-
cember as Secretary Hull'S right hand
man.
Washington Had Hoped to
Have Mrs. Coolidge.
The report that Mrs. Calvin Cool
idge, widow of the former President,
has recently bought a large building
lot at North Hampton, Mass, comes
as a keen disappointment to WASH
ingtonians who had hoped and al
most believed that she would choose
the Capital as her Winter residence
During her trip abroad while she
made every effort to travel incog,
amusing contretemps arose when she
was recognized. On several occa-
sions she had to laughingly acknowl-
edge I'm she," meaning the wife of
a former President of the United
States. She attended some of the
musical festivals of Central Europe
and is said to have had charming in
vitations to remain for the Salzburg
festival, which this year is unusually
crowded with Americans, but the
urge to attend the Berkshire concerts
was too strong, so she returned in
time to be present for the Boston