Evening star., 1938-04-04
The Mote and the Beam.


more inexplicable than the Presidents
explanation of Ambassador Bullitt's
presence there. Mr. Roosevelt said that
he was discussing with our envoy to
France means of improving foreign serv-
ice personnel, including the feasibility of
"West Point" for diplomats. The in
ference was that the service is saturated
with inefficiency.
The suggestion is designed to startle
the country no less than it doubtless
dlstresses the service. The present ad-
ministration justly prides itself on it's
efforts to preserve the diplomatic estab-
lshment from undue raids by check
book patriots and other deserving"
partisans. The President and Secretary
Hull have done about as we'll as the
spoils system permits in protecting de-
partmental, ambassadorial, ministerial
and Consular posts against appointments
with only political justification. There
has been an earnest effort to carry out
the merit principle inherent in the
Rogers law
Maintenance of men like Joseph C.
Grew in Japan. Nelson T. johnson in
China, William Phillips in Italy, Hugh r.
Wilson in Germany, j. Butler Wright in
Cuba, Norman Armour in Chile, Nelson
Caffery in Brazil, John V. A. MacMur-
ray in Turkey, Ray Atherton in Bulgaria,
Wilbur j. Carr in Czechoslovakia, Frank
lin M. Gunther in Rumania, Leland
Harrison in Switzerland and of dozen
or more career men in Latin American
countries-such appointments betoken a
commendable determination to intrust
Americas foreign affairs to worthy
hands. That spirit is, of course, further
eXempllfled by the manning of key posi-
tlons in the State Department with such
veterans as Undersecretary Sumner
Welles, Assistant Secretary George S.
Messersmith, and special assistants or
divisional chiefs like Stanley Hornbeck,
James c. Dunn, Jay Pierpont Moffat,
Harry A. Mcbride, Wallace S. MURRAY
and Laurence Duggan, to mention only
the more prominent of Mr.. Hulls aides.
History may not chronicle that new
luster was added to American diplomacy
during the past five years. But peace
has been preserved with honor, for the
United States. Our corporation has
been offered on every occasion that the
Nations n-entanglement inhibitions
and traditions permitted it. The Hull
reciprocal trade program constitutes the
greatest single constructive effort in in
ternational appeasement which this or
any other country has ever essayed
1nter-American amity was never so
firmly established. OF such a record
the foreign service has no reason to be
ashamed. Because it has been made.
the Presidents implication of inetfi-
cheney appears as incomprehensible as
it is unfair
Is it not possible that Mr.. Roosevelt, in
beholding the mote in the foreign serv-
ices eye, has failed to consider the beam
IN his own? His purely political nom
career appointments tell story of their
own. Mr.. Bullitt himself, who was at
the Presidents elbow when the i'm
proVement in personnel suggestion was
tossed off, asked to be relieved of the
Moscow ambassadorship after he had
proved unable to realize the rosy dreams
ne harbored when he became our first
envoy there. Mr. Davies, who succeeded
him-another political appointee-hard-
ly covered himself with any greater
glory, though he might have made
better stab at it if he had stayed on the
job more regularly. Dr. Dodd, New Deal
Ambassador to Germany, cultured and
courageous as he is, proved to be any,
thing but effective at Nazified Berlin.
Yet another product of the political dip
lomatic system, Josephus Daniels has
signally lacked the Dwight Morrow
touch in Mexico, as glaringly exhibited
by our current imbroglio with President
Cardenas. Our literary envoy to Spain,
Houston Keynoter Claude G.'Bowers, has
performed his ambassadorial functions
across the French border for two years
not quite in accord with the Townsend,
Washburn and Herrick traditions Even
the late and personable Colonel Robert
w. Bingham was not regarded as hav-
ing measured up to the exacting stand
ards of our blue ribbon mission to the
Court of st. James. His successor, the
virile Joseph P. Kennedy, is also nom
career diplomat. His proved efficiency
in important posts at home augurs we'll
for his adequacy in delicate field to
which he brings no professional expert
ence whatever.
1nasmuch as all the successes, and
none of the failures, in the foreign sery-
ice since 1888 have been scored by its
regular members, and not by men who
owe their places in it either to cam
paign contributions or other party claims,
it would seem wise for the administra-
tlon to begin the work of personnel i'm
provement at the right spot-eradication
OF mere spoilsmen. How does the Presi-
dent, for example, reconcile the i'm
pending displacement OF Hugh Gibson
by Joe Davies at Brussels-one of Eu-
ropes key diplomatic posts-at this i'm
measurably critical time?