Evening star., 1939-11-05

a DOZEN years ago - just before the rise
~ of the relationships as menace to
4 u peace - many believed that the prob
lens of the world could be solved if only few
men came together and talked things out.
And the transoceanic telephone, which then
had Just been given to the world. was heralded
as a new and better and quicker way of
settling international problems. The trans
oceanic telephone was not quite world con-
ference but it was man-to-man talk and it
was used frequently, in those early days, in
the field of diplomacy. Indeed, after tele
phone conversation between an American and
an English diplomat. decision was made
that foreshadowed the beginning of the end
of world peace.
But in this world of crisis and war the
transoceaniC telephone is used almost ex-
clusvely by the United States government
as medium for transmitting news. 1t is the
one medium that is faster than the cable. In
the days before September 3, Ambassador
Kennedy in London. Ambassador Bullitt in
Paris and. for time. Ambassador Biddle in
Warsaw called up the State Department and
the White House whenever they had i'm
portant news. During those days the trans
atlantic telephone was used more than ever
before. As many as six or seven calls night
were received in Washington. The telephone
channels had been restricted to government
business so telephone communication was
nearly as instantaneous as local call.
Since President Roosevelt. by turning to
the telephone on his desk. can speak almost
at once to any human being in Europe, the
natural assumption is that the old conference
idea must still have possibilities, and that he
might call up Chamberlain, Dalader, Mus
solini or Hitler and make use of the man-to-
man contact. But the assumption is wrong.
The President, as far as can be ascertained, has
not talked to the head of any state in Europe
during the war, during the crisis preceding
the war, or during the crisis that led up to
Munich. The story still is heard that before
the Munich crisis President Roosevelt per-
sonally telephoned Signor Mussolini and
asked him the point-blank question: 'iou
know Hitler, don't YOU" That is supposed
to have been the nudge which induced the
Duce to intervene in Berlin, obtain the post
ponement of German mobilization and so
make the Munich conference possible But
nobody in Washington or Rome - will
admit it happened that way.
When the President talks to Rome he talks
with Ambassador Phillips. He does not tele-
phone to Premier Daladier in Paris but only
to Ambassador Bullitt, and his London tele-
phone listener is not Mr. Chamberlain but
Ambassador Kennedy.
In the early days of the transoceanic
telephone l recall picking up the voice Of
President Hoover on short-wave set in
London, before the secrecy devices now en-
ployed had been perfected. l heard only the
Hoover end of the conversation, since the
other speaker was on another wave length.
The President was serious and reproachful, l
thought, but was unable to make out what
he was talking about. l shut him off in little
while, guilty at breaking the English law
that licenses the possession of receiving set
for listening to broadcast programs only.
The voice of President Roosevelt now fire.
quently crosses the Atlantic and the Pacific,
but listener would neither recognize it nor