Evening star., 1938-09-18

" HE turn of the wheel that f1nds the
United States once more watching
half the world erupt, as in 1914,
finds one important contrast with
those days of nearly q quarter of century
ago-an American State Department geared
to world conditions and equipped to carry
out American policy effectively.
Gone are those sleepy days when the
first World War broke on the American
consciousness, when every old-line depart
ment and bureau was almost world to
itself, and an ambling Secretary of State
headed department still redolent of~the
Spanish-American War era.
Today, a Department of State, largely
stated by career diplomats, itself just
emerging from a thorough undermining
process and bolstered with vital new divi-
sions and functions hitherto unknown to
this Government watches over every phase
OF our foreign policy in force and has
finger on every other departmental activity
that affects that policy or our foreign re-
1ations.
In 1914 the airplane was an impractical
novelty in the eyes of many conservative
officials and the populace at large. Radio
development and use was in an equally
primitive stage by comparison with today.
Gables were something that a warning ma
ton cut, II they could be located Ships
and shipping were STILL for most nations,
strictly private business, with few interna-
tional implications. All this has changed,
and the State Department has changed to
meet this new condition.
Outgrows Division.
Until recently, all international aspects
OF aviation, communications, including
cables and radio and shipping under the
American flag, were handled in the State
= Department through its Treaty Division
and Division of International Conferences.
number OF men in the department be-
came, through force of this demand ex-
perts in such matters The world has
shrunk so rapidly in recent times that this
arrangement no longer served
The department, as part of its reor-
ganlzation to meet present-day conditions,
has Jut added Division of International
communications, which as this is written
Is IN process of busting off its desks and
getting to work. The Army, Navy, Mari
time Commission. with its new fleet of
de luxe passenger vessels just beginning
service to South American ports; the De-
partment OF Commerce-all have functions
that come under statutory regulation Of
communications Shipping and aviation,
particularly, have required attention of the
department for years and will now clear
certain international problems with this
new division. Radio, especially under exist
ing world conditions, Is special field In its
international aspects.
The new divisions functions will be a
combination of policy and administrative.
The Inauguration Of the new American
flag line ship services to South America
has involved almost daily some question
OF major policy which has had to be re-
ferred to the department. Internal matters
OF the commission are, of course, its own
business. As soon as its problems involve
communication with foreign government
It becomes State Department business too.
As Europe becomes untenable, emphasis
has increasingly been laid on relations be-
tween the American republics A new divi-
sion now Is functioning in this field. The
former Latin American Division of the State
Department has been renamed It is now
the Division of American Republics. In
addition, there has been added a Division
Of Cultural Relations
To Serve Practical Purpose.
Whether this divisions real mission is
propaganda" or not depends on the inter-
0f ho Tor o;o1J, L.,
that this division will conduct propaganda
IN South America. The purpose of the
new unit is intensely practical, nevertheless
The extent to which totalitarian govern
ments have penetrated to this side of the
Atlantic Is still under investigation by
American observers, but enough has been
learned to spur the United States into
unusual endeavors.
The attention of Congress was called, in
the last session, to well-founded reports
that foreign powers unnamed, but obviously
authoritarian were putting pressure on
number OF Latin American governments to
accept technical advisers and other dis
guised agents of these European govern
ments. The latter would have heavily sub
sidized such agents The power of these
emissaries 10 affect American relations ad-
versely was regarded as abvious
Under the Buenos> Aires conventions
adopted by the United States and other
American governments, such an inter-
change of advisory technical experts, stu
dents and professors was facilitated The
result has been a rapid increase in the
number of United States representatives of
various ,categories going to South American
countries at tie invitation of the respective
governments concerned.
One of the major duties Of the new Cul-
tural Division in the State Department will
be to encourage and promote such relations
from both sides of the fence. Another
major possible service Of the division hinges
on the outcome Of proposals now under
study for Federal broadcasting system
restricted 10 international broadcasts, and
presumably to. be focused on South Ameri-
can channels.
Foreign Methods Studied.
The report OF the interdepartment group
which has beer studying this project, un-
der direction OF Chairman Frank McNinch
Of the Federal Communications Commits
sion, is expected some time in the near
future. There has been no intimation as
a. .&. Al