Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1938-11-06

was made to understand that an each"
was a. "doughnut." They can say
"doughnut" now.
The Ambassador thought the story was
a great joke. The amusing incident gives
him untold pleasure. When he was
aboard ship on his way to Buenos Aires
he woke one morning a a m. and poked
his companion and secretary, Raphael
Fuentes. sharply in the ribs.
Wake up. Fuentes, wake up the
Ambassador cried. Give me cigarette !"
What's up?" asked Fuentes. who is
first secretary of the embassy 1T is
only o'clock"
yes. I forgot to tell you something
funny that happened last night"
When the two were flying northward
from Buenos Aires after the conference,
the travel, the entertainment and the
ceaseless duties of formal diplomacy
tired Fuentes. He dosed one afternoon in
the plane. The Ambassador, who had
slept about hours in the previous IS.
looked as fresh as this mornings egg.
Whats the matter. Fuentes?" the AM
bassador asked. Don't tell me you are
tired so soon?'
Manages With Little Rest.
The doctor manages with four hours
sleep night. He is usually in bed at 2
and awake at 6, reading a few pages of
Shakespeare or Cervantes before he
gets up.
Little rest is his lot Gone are the
easy days he enjoyed in Brussels-when
diplomacy was so slack that he could
compile his Belgian anthology, I'm Siglio
de Poesla Belga." Many ambassadors
and ministers here can lead the calm life
But they have no appropriation question.
In February Dr.. Najera, without pub
hclty, began his conversations with the
State Department over land expropria
ton. The oil question was hurryinp to
critical stage in Mexico. appropriation
OF oil lands seemed inevitable to WASH
lngton. The State Department was eager
for action on the old question of land
appropriation, moribund since 1927. be-
fore the oil question should be raised,
In March the Mexican government
assumed the oil properties of foreign
owners. The whole appropriation oues-
ton became a public issue. The land
question: in which an alleged 10000, 900
Is involved, grew increasingly acute be-
hind the scenes. Najera became a more
frequent State Department visitor. On
July 81 Secretary Hull addressed to the
Ambassador a formal note asking the
Mexican government to pay at once for
the appropriated land.
On August Gen. Eduardo Hay, Mexi-
can minister for foreign affairs. directed
note to Josephus Daniels, American
Ambassador in Mexico City, parrying
the note of July 81. On August "a Mr..
Hull directed new, firm note to DR..
Najera. On September Gen. Hay re-
peated that Mexico could not pay now.
From July 81 until last Tuesday, the
day accord was reached, DR.. Najera
visited the State Department almost
three times week to talk on various
angles of the involved problem. Twice
he flew to Mexico to see President
Cardenas. and Gen. Hay. The people of
Mexico have such faith in him that
his arrival in Mexico City October 8
with the announcement he thought the
question would be settled sent the peso
up almost a cent.
Within few weeks q commission will
be chosen to. consider the individual
claims of the former owners of the ex-
propriated lands. Then DR.. Najera will
HE himself off for Lima, Peru, where
he will act as secretary general of the
Mexican delegation to the Eighth Inter.
national Conference Of American States.