Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1937-10-18


Brussels is about to become the scene
of the conference of nine-power treaty
signatories, convened for the purpose of
hating the Chinese Japanese war While
King Leopold's capital will be the arena
of discussions, the field of decisions,
certainly as far as the United States is
concerned, will be Washington. The
callber of the American delegation testi-
fies eloquently that its function will not
be to negotiate, but to carry out in
structions.
For that important, if not plenary
task the selection of our rowing Ambas-
sador.. Norman H. Davis, as chief spokes-
man; of Stanley K. Hornbeck and Jay
Pierrepont Moffat as advisers, and of
Robert T. Pell as press officer, is in every
respect admirable. Mr.. Davis is the
Nations most battle scared veteran of
international conferences DR.. Hornbeck
is the State Department. seasoned au-
thority on the Far East; Mr.. Moffat,
NillNA Va tilC nc Ho4 NiiiCllC 5N4O pNdii
division, is we'll versed in his geograph-
ical branch of foreign affairs, and Bob"
Pell has few peers in the indispensable
art of conference publicity. Modern
diplomacy being what it is-with am
basSadors and conference delegates
functioning as little more than glorified
hnvc--it lie lOnOpr
sary in these days of airplanes and
trans oceanic telephones for powers to
be represented by such giants as bestrode
the Congress of Berlin-the Salisburys,
Bismarcks, DiSraelis, Schouvaloffs, the
Andrassys and Waddingtons, who we're
the consummate and conniving archi-
tects of the European structures of sixty
years ago.
So, while it will be the hands of Mr..
Davis and his colleagues that will be
visible at Brussels, it will be the voices
of President Roosevelt and Secretary
Hull which will direct them. That is as
1t should be under our system of govern
ment, whereby the Chief Executive is
the responsible conductor of foreign
relations. When he observed in his
latest fireSide chat that between 1913
and 1921 he had not only learned to do
many things but also learned what not
to do, President Roosevelt doubtless
meant that among the things he had
learned to eschew is attendance in per-
son at international conferences. The
memory of Woodrow Wilson at Paris
could hardly have been out of his mind.
And, as for Cordell Hull, that high
minded and dutiful soldier, in denying
himself the honor of going to Brussels,
must have poignant realization of what
can happen even to delegate Secretary
of State, as he recalls the torpedo i'm
petuously launched from the presidential
cruiser Indianapolis in August, 1888,
while he was valiantly attempting to
interpret what he supposed to be Roose-
welt policy at the London Economic
Conference.
The President having indicated at
Hyde Park that the United States will
initiate mediation efforts at Brussels,
the country waits with legitimate inter-
est, not unmixed with anxiety, to see
what form these will take. Japan does
not conceal her unwillingness to spike
her guns or ground her bombing planes
in China under anything savoring of
nine-power pressure. She considers
that a truce thus negotiated would be
an unbearable loss of face. If Toxic
adheres to this attitude, the conference
in Belgium will be a mere talkfest, I'M
less the powers are prepared to convert
the quarantine" Mr.. Roosevelt proposed
at Chicago from figure of speech into
something capable of commanding jap
anese respect.