The Waterbury Democrat., 1940-12-27

| WOrTleQ over the JOSS or SIllpS aI sea and the threat to the British food and munitions supply.
 Furthermore, he revealed that the loaning of more oyer-age U. s. destroyers to convoy vessels would not remedy the situation, because the British Navy had not been able to get enough British crews to man all of the 50 destroy swapped for island bases last sum- mer.
 It is not generally known, but three of these destroyers are now in Halifax, Nova Scotia, laid up for lack of crews. And one de- stroyer is in dry dock because of faulty handling by inexperienced men. A destroyer is one of the toughest naval vessels to handle, and the~British have lost thou sands of the cream of their navy at sea. They are disastrously 2 short of trained men.
 All of these factors indicate why the British have so strongly put before the administration the need of American naval vessels to convoy British shipping across the Atlantic. So far, Roosevelt has shied away from this proposal. WHITE HOUSE BOTTLENECK
 To his intimates General Ed ward Edwin Watson, White House appointment secretary, is known as "Pa" but on Capitol Hill they have another name for him. There he is called ''B0ttleneck".
 Reason is that the bulky, boon- ing ex-artillery officer has set himself up as the czar of who shall and who shall not see the President, SO that Administration leaders have trouble getting past him. No less person than Speak CT Sam Rayburn, who next to Vice President is the ranking official in Congress, had an irate clash with Watson over this.
 Rayburn telepl1oned the White House to talk to the President about his plans regarding the Wal ter-Logan bill. Previously Roose- vet had told Rayburn that he considered the measure one of the most vicious in his experience, and asked the Speaker to take the matter up with him if the bill was adopted, in order to discuss the best way to veto it.
 But Watson flatly refused to put Rayburn through to the President. "I don't want to disturb him." the general informed the Speak CT of the House. He's busy get ting ready to leave and this thing can waltz
 "It can't wait and | didn't
 ask your opinion whether it
 could or not" snapped Rayburn., "I want to talk to the Presi-
 dent and I'm not asking your
 permission to do so. You put me
 through and be fast about it."
 Rayburn departed late that day for visit to his ranch in Texas and didn't return until the morn ing the President sent up his sizzling veto. He summoned Ray burn to talk the message over and Watson put on a great show of geniality.
 The Texan is one foot shorter than Watson and ordinarily mild tempered, but not this time. "If you ever get in my way again around here" Rayburn said, I'm going to mop up the White House with you."
 NOTE - Watson has become so self-impcrtant that he even in- terrogates callers, whom the Presi- dent has put on his appointment list, on what they want to see him about.
 NEW BRITISH AMBASSADOR
 Appointment of the distin- guished Viscount Halifax as British ambassador to the United States is greater with mixed feelings in official Washington.
 Those accustomed to the re- freshing candor of Lord Lothian and the tremendous success he had achieved in winning Ameri- can popularity, greet Halifax's ap- polntinent with no great enthusi- asm. But to the holty-tolty of Washington society. always a bit shocked at tine way Lord Lothian permitted his dogs to iIe in the middle of the living-room floor. Halifax viii be a great relief.
 In fact, Waahineion eecIcfg nI-