Evening star., 1938-09-25

cautious "hands-off" policy. That Is In ac-
cord with our tradition. But now, as in
l9l4-l7, America Is the great imponderable,
the force whose entrance into 4 European
fray would inevitably mean victory for the
alliance on whose side 1t threw its power.
Sitting at the controls Of this vast engine
of diplomatic power is tall, slender, soft
spoken. gray haired Tennessean, Cordell
Hull For more than five years now he
h4 by quiet, undramatic exercise of the
power in his hands, kept the United States
at peace despite a series of crises such as
the Panay incident which might have in
volved it in war. At the same time he has
steadily pushed forward series of recipro-
cal trade agreements which, while not
spectacular, have kept the channels Of
foreign commerce open despite the silt OF
quota restrictions and mounting tariffs.
But now, with the question of American
rights in the Far East still unsettled and
with war threatening in Europe, he Is
hkely-almost certain-to face during the
next year problems more acute and dan
gerous than any that have confronted him
thus far. Upon the guidance which he
gives the President may depend the issue
OF peace or war. Therefore, glance at
the man and his record seems timely.
Disrespectful Titters at First.
There were not few disrespectful titters
among sophisticated diplomats and cor
respondents around Washington when,
early in 1888, President Roosevelt appointed
the then Tennessee Senator as Secretary
Of State. These were not directed at Mr..
Hull's character or his ability in the alb
stract, for during a quarter of century
OF service in Congress he had earned the
aftectionate regard Of hundreds in the Capt.
tai who admired his sincerity, his knowl-
edge of domestic finance as evidenced in
his authorship of the Federal income tax
law and his political sagacity when chair
man Of the Democratic National Committee.
But save for brief period as q member
of the Senate Foreign Relations Commit
tee, he had had little experience in or
knowledge of foreign affairs More every
attribute Of his character was alien to that
of the typical willy diplomat" American
Secretaries of State, as type, have been
cosmopolitan. Mr.. Hull was insular. Diplo-
mats usually are pictured as devious. Mr..
Hull was frankness itself-the homespun
product of the Tennessee hills There were
many who predicted the Secretary would
be an impotent political figurehead in
department actually run by the career
diplomats. He wasn't the type. He just
didn't seem to fit.
Indeed, the opening months Of his ad-
ministration in the Office just vacated by
the urbane and aristocratic Henry L. stim-
son of New York were not auspicious. The
World Economic Conference, to which Mr..
Hull led the American delegation and upon
which he had pinned high hopes Of re-
ducing tariffs and stabilizing currencies,
numbered ungracefully to dismal failure
with America taking large share of the
blame. Our European war debtors defaulted
and left the United States in the unwilling
role of an international Santa Claus to the
extent Of $4,000, ,o0o,oo0 The Geneva Dis
armament Conference emitted final moan
Of anguish and gave up the ghost. The
chart of International trade crawled month
by month toward the bottom Of the graph.
Japan swallowed up Americas business in
Manchuria. South America was sulky and
suspicious. And the renewal of American
Russian relations, hailed as the honeymoon
Of . profitable economic partnership, re-
suited in little more than bitter recrimina-
tions over debts and Communistic propa.
sandA