The Washington times., 1936-08-29
STRONG HAND
IN CRISIS TO
Be STRESSED
Ground Plan Believed
Laid for Big Drive to
Impress Voters
BY EARL GOODWIN

Many Washington observers be-
lieve they discern in President
Roosevelt's political strategy at
present the ground plan of ire
mendouS national drive to impress
the voters of the country with the
necessity of retaining this admins
tration because of its intimate
touch and presumably strong hand
with respect to the dangerous in
ternational situation.
Over a long period Of time,
President Roosevelt has been not
only stressing the explosive condi'
ton of world affairs abroad, but
there seems to be evidence that
some hidden hand in Washington
is permitting the public to get an
insight into the way the President
and his closest advisers and Off
cials are handling the European
situation.
Public Gets Insight
This may be used later in an
effort to show that Governor Lam
don of Kansas, Republican candi-
date for the Presidency, is not ex-
perienced in international affairs.
In other words, while no national
politics are now being played" !"
the public is being given more OF
an insight than usual into certain
international politics. If this is a
true version of the situation, the
country may see very soon a strong
effort on the old Wilson strain OF
He kept us out Of war"
The President has been hammer
ing on the international strain for
many months; it will be recalled
that his night address to the first
session of this Congress contained
long references to the unhappy
situation abroad a situation
which is now not only more "un-
happy"-but positively tragic.
He has paid special and marked
attention to European events. He
has had conferences at length with
such world-authorities as H. G..
Wells; he has had his day in Can
ada, with a great deal OF interna-
tional publicity. His suggestion
that a conference of all American
republics convene in South Amer
ica late this year is looked on by
his friends as a strong move to
weld a united Western World out
of the republics at leaSt-Wlth
Canada looking on in friendly
way, even if it does not participate
because it is a part of the British
Empire.
State Acts Noted
Those who are inclined to hold
the view that the President is
making a strong play to show that
his administration is right on top
of the ball in the world situation,
call attention to the fact that it
was an unusual thing for the
State Department to make public
it's instructions to conSulS in the
case of the Spanish troubles.
Another indication which these
observers point out as significant
was the quick appointment of Will
liam C. Bullitt, ambassador to
Russia, to the post in France
made vacant by the resignation
of Ambassador Strauss.
These considerations, too, make
very interesting the rather mys-
terious story that the President,
if reelected, might find a way to
call together the heads of various
European nations for the greatest
world-peace conference ever held
in modern history. Putting aside
all difficulties of bringing together
Chancellor Hitler, II Duce MuSSo-
lini, King Edward of England,
Premier Blum, Dictator Stain and
any other of the violently opposed
European national leaders, the
story that the President of the
United States is really considering
such a move has attracted all
kinds of attention here and
abroad. 1t was, in way. officially
denied here.
diplomats mapping
State Department officials here
were apparently knocked off their
feet by the idea; it was all news
to them, so they said. and they
we're apparently of the opinion
that it was a fake from start to
finish.
Newspaper men with the PreSi-
dent obtained from official sources
what they take to be complete
denial of the story. But the
author of the story in the first
place was a guest at Hyde Park
dinner not long ago, and while it
is understood "the White House"
has given the story the laugh,
nevertheless, the story reverberates
in a way that makes one recall
how the former Roosevelt used to
plant such stories just to see how
the reaction went.
The idea of bringing Stain,
Hitler, MuSsolini, King Edward to-
gether for a world showdown
has certain practical, physical and
mechanical difficulties which
make many Washington officials
gasp at the size of the job. Where,
hey ask, is there a place where
YOU could assemble some of these
leaders without danger to their
lives? How" would they be
guarded? A world war could be
started, they declare, by a fatal