Evening star., 1937-10-12
MARINER, SLAIN,
IS M0URNED HERE
Victim of Assassin in Syris.
Was Aide to Stims0n at
1880 Naval ParIey.
BY CONSTANTINE BROWN

BY CONSTANTINE BROWN.
The assassination of j. Theodore
"Ted" Mariner by an Armenian in
Beirut, Syria, caused widespread sor-
row In Washington diplomatic and
social quarters.
He was the second Foreign Service
officer murdered l. the Near East.
In 1925 Robert Imbre, an American
Consul at Teheran, Iran, was mur-
dered by mob while taking pictures
of religious ceremony in the streets
of the capital of Iran.
Mariner, who headed the impor-
tant Western European division under
the Hoover administration, was promi-
nent in society circles here.
Although, up to 1880 he had q
creditable record in the American
Foreign Service, it was before the
meeting Of the London Naval Confer
ence that he was singled out by for
mer Secretary of State Henry L.
Stimson as one of the best men In the
diplomatic corps.
Stimson's Chief Aide.
4AAo PiOlOhliN AliONlC lCQSC VI UIlG EIlR-
lish and his untiring ability to work
for many hours without stopping drew
Stimson's attention. During the prepa-
ration of that conference and later In
London he was Stimsons chief assist
ant. Whenever there was any diff
cult work to be done Stimson en-
trusted 1t to Ted"
When 1t became necessary for Mar
rlner to go out into the field in 1881
he was given the blue ribbon Of the
service, the counsellorship OF the
American Embassy in Paris.
While in charge of that Embassy he
annoyed the State Department by
granting a French newspaper an in
tervlew in which he was reported to
have said that being of French descent
he loved France better than this
country. The truth, as it came out
later. was that he had been misouoted
by a somewhat careless American
newspaper man working for a Paris
neWspa per. The misunderstanding
was cleared later, however, and Mar
r1ner was later sent to Beirut. Syria,
as Consul General to familiarize him
self with the consular end of the for
elgn service. This is rule which ap-
plies now to all diplomatic officers.
Went to Stockholm.
Mariner entered the diplomatic
service as third secretary of the Amer
lean Legation at Stockholm. Preyi-
ously he had served two years as an
assistant in English at Harvard Uni
versity while completing post-gradu-
ate work.
Mariner was unmarried. He re-
celved bachelor of arts degree from
Dartmouth University in 1914, took his
masters degree at Harvard the fol-
lowing year and three years later the
degree OF doctor Of philosophy.
In 1918 he tried to enlist in the
United States World War expedition
ary force. but was turned down be-
cause of heart weakness. Then he
turned to the diplomatic service. and
he WAS one of two selected from 100
candidates.
(His second State Department post
following the Stockholm assignment
was second secretary of the Bucha-
rest Legation, 1928. and he was
attached to the special Rumanisn EN-
bassy for the coronation of King Carol
And Queen Helen in 1922.
Served at Other Posts.
Mariner was first secretary OF the
Embassy, on duty in the Western
European division Of the Department
OF State from 1923 to 1926. He WAS
secretary Of the Legation at Bern.
switzerland, and secretary of the
American delegation to the Prepara-
tory commission on Reduction and
Limitation of Armaments at Geneva
from October, 1925, to April, 1927.
Then he became Charge d'Affaires
IN Switzerland and head of the Amer
lean representation on subcommittee
OF the Disarmament Commission.
He was member of the American
mission to Paris for signing the gen.
eral pact for the remuneration of war
In 1928, after appointment the previ-
GUS year as chief of the Western Eu.
rope division. In 1882 he was adviser
to the American delegation to the
General Disarmament Conference at
Geneva.
Praised by Hull.
High State Department sources said
the incident, regrettable as it is was
not likely to precipitate a diplomatic
breach between the United States and
the government of Syria, which func-
tons under French mandate.
Secretary Hull issued the following
statement:
I have been greatly shocked to learn
OF the tragic death of James Theodore
Mariner, consul general at Beirut.
His career since entering the for
eign service in 1918 had been an ex-
ceptionally distinguished and notable
one. He had filled with conspicuous
success the difficult posts of technical
assistant and adviser to the Prepara-
tory Commission for the Disarmament
Conference, chief Of the Division CT
Western European Affairs in the De-
partment of State consular of Embassy
at Paris and consul general at Beirut.
His wide and unusual experience
and his sound judgment made him
particularly valuable member of the
service. His death is a serious loss to
the Government and great personal
sorrow to his many friends both in
and out Of the foreign services"