Evening star., 1939-05-11

Post as Soviet's
Ambassador
Youngest Envoy From
Major Power Will
Be 81 Sunday
Constantine Oumansky, Charge
d'Affaires of the Soviet Embassy
here, today assumed the rank of
Ambassador, his appointment to
succeed Alexander Troyanovsky hav-
ing been announced last night in
Moscow.
A former newspaperman who has
served his government in this coun-
try for three years, Mr.. Oumansky
is the youngest Ambassador from
a major power He will observe
his 37th birthday anniversary Sun
day.
Ambassador Troyanovsky left
Washington in the middle of last
year and there have been long
standing reports he would not re-
turn. He made his first public ap-
pearance since returning to Moscow
at a luncheon given March 8 by
Tass, the official news agency.
From the Soviet capital last night
the Associated Press said the ap-
pointment probably would have been
made sooner had not the United
States delayed appointment OF an
Ambassador to succeed Joseph E.
Davies, who left last June to repre-
sent this country in Belgium.
Soviets Not Pleased.
The Soviet government, 1t was
said, was not exactly pleased that
the post recently filled by the selec-
ton of Laurence A. Steinhardt, was
allowed to remain vacant so long.
Mr.. Oumansky was born in 1902
in Nikolaev in the Ukraine. He at
tended high school, and the uni
versity in Moscow where his studies
were temporarily interrupted by the
revolution Of 1917.
In 1918, shortly after the revolu-
ton, while continuing his education,
he worked on Moscow newspapers,
and in 1922 joined the staff OF the
Russian Telegraph Agency, subse-
quently known as Tass, and by
1925 was chief of the foreign de-
partment of that official news
agency.
From 1926 to 1927 he was manager
of the Tass Bureau in Paris.
AS correspondent, Mr. Oumansky
Travelled extensively in Europe and
the Near East, gaining first-hand
view of political conditions in many
countries and meeting many leading
political personalities.
From 1890 to 1886 he served as
chief of the press division of the
Commissariat of Foreign Affairs IN
Moscow. During this period he
was frequently attached to Soviet
delegations at important interna-
tional conferences in Geneva and
elsewhere.
Came Here First In 1888.
He first came to the United States
In November, 1888, when, with
Maxim Litvinoff, he had an active
part in the 10 days of negotiations in
Washington which resulted in re-
sumption of normal diplomatic re-
lations between the United States
and the Soviet Union. After these
negotiations were successfully con-
cluded he remained in the United
States for several weeks, visiting
Florida and making an inspection of
American industry in Detroit and
other Middle Western centers.
IN 1885 he was appointed counsel
lor of the Soviet Embassy here. Since
Jtme %, 1888, he has been charge
dAffaires ad interim.
Mr.. Oumanskys experience in the
United States has extended far be-
yond the circle of Washington dipo-
matte functions. He has travelled all
over the country. Speaking English
with a fluency which includes a
command of American idiom seldom
achieved by a foreigner, he has
lectured at many American Uni
versities and in public forums.
In addition to English and his
native Russian, he speaks French
German and Italian. Visitors to his
busy department in the Commiss-
ariat of Foreign Affairs in Moscow
can remember his ability to turn
rapidly from one telephone to
another, speaking three or four
languages in swift succession.
Served as Interpreter.
This linguistic skill combined with
diplomatic tact and political in
telligence, brought him into serv-
ice on several important occasions
al interpreter for distinguished for
eigners visiting Moscow.
During the summer of 1887 Mr.
Oumansky was In charge Of prep
arations in the United States for
the trans-polar flights Of two So
Wet planes which made nonstop
hops from the Soviet Union to the
Pacific Coast. The success of these
fights was largely dependent upon
an elaborate compilation and trans
mission of weather reports, which
he organized with the cooperation
of the United States and Canadian
Weather Bureaus.
Ambassador Oumansky was mar
ried in 1922 He and Nine. Ouman-
SKY have one child, Nina, 10, who has
attended school here.