The Waterbury Democrat., 1938-08-02

considering lifting of the spanish embargo, the career boys told various visiting delegations that the civil war would be over in a month. Adolf Berle, peacock perking assistant secretary of state, said:
 "Why lift the embargo? It'll all be over in three weeks"
 This was the report which the career boys also gave to the Presi- dent, and apparently the report which he believed. For in his talks with Senator Borah and New York Supreme Court Justice Pecora, both of whom urged the lifting of the embargo, Roose- welt quoted the State Department.
 He said Hull's boys had confi- dential word that nothing could prevent Franco from wiping up the Loyalists, and that any arms shipped by the United States would only fall into Franco's hands.
 Reports from the Spanish em- bassy and from American news papermen in Spain were shown to Roosevelt and the State Depart ment, but the career boys swore their information was correct Franco would win in a month.
 This was in May.
 BUT-in June the German gen. eral staff admitted that it would take at least six months to finish the Spanish war.
 And today Franco admits tha the war will not be over for an- other year.
 NOTE-There are three post explanations for the State De- partment's being so far off base on Spain. One Is that they were accepting, as usual, the word of the British who are roofing for Franco victory. The other is that some of the career boys, ardentIy wanting Franco to win, deliberately mis- led the President.
 Primary Purge
 Fortnight Joe Keenan, assist ant to the attorney general, is one man who does not pull his punch es on anti-Rooseveltians in pri- mary camaigns.
 Some New Dealers don't want to place any Roosevelt help on a candidate unless he is a sure-shot victory. But Joe Keenan, who has been working for young Bill Dodd, son of the former Am- Ambassador to Germany, in his campaign to unseat Representa- tive Howard Smith of Virginia, doesn't agree with them.
 Lets give all these fellows a run for their money" he says, "even if we can't win. Let's show them that they can't continu- ally knife the President and expect us to take it lying down." Cabinet Censorship
 The return of Uncle Dan Roper from Europe leaves one question unanswered-why didn't he go to France as planned? Answer is that his White House boss didn't, want him to make a speech there.
 The Secretary of Commerce was looking forward with great pleas ure to his Paris visit and had a speech in his suitcase which had been prepared before he left Washington.
 He was expecting to meet this counterpart in the French Cabi- net, MT. Raymond Patenotre, the Minister of National Economy, who had invited Roper to come to Paris and had arranged for the speech.
 But when Uncle Dan reached London, the President cabled him to make no public address in Paris. So to save embarrassing explana- tions, Roper did not even cross the Channel.
 Behind the Roosevelt cable was the State Department which wants no back-seating driving from other members of the Cabinet. The career boys have never got over Secretary Ickes' broadcast in Bri- tain.
 Actually, Roper intended to keep to the fond and inn0cuous line of U. S.-French amity. Best passage in his undelivered speech referred to the Statue of Liberty, France has given us the Statue, but we put in the light.
 Even this worried the State Department:
 Stock Market
 The sudden tumble in stock prices last week was no surprise to Securities and Exchange Com mission officials.
 They have had their fingers crossed on the soaring market boom from It's start and had been expecting the price "re-adjust- nrTY T>glE nENnnn