The Wilmington morning star., 1940-11-03
Bruce Cations
In Washington
Star-News' Washington
CORRESPONDENT

WASH1NGTON.-Recent stifening of U. S.
policy toward Japan was caused by many
things. Not least important of these was the
part played by quiet, canny career diplomat
IN the State Department, DR.. Stanley K Horn
beck, who bears the title of adviser on politi-
cal relations.
Ever since the China incident began three
years ago, DR.. Hornbeck has advocated
sterner attitude toward Japan
For long time he stood pretty much alone.
Undersecretary Sumner Welles leaned in the
other direction, as did Maxwell Hamilton,
chief OF the division of Far Eastern affairs
So did the w. embassy in Toxic, headed by
famed Ambassador Joseph Grew.
1t has long been tradition that U. S. diplo-
mats IN the Orient like to have the home gov
eminent talk tough now and then-but not too
tough.
Afer an outburst of tough talk, the diplomat
can sit down with the Asiatics and say: Look
they're kind of getting out of hand in Wash
lngton; you'd better make a concession on
this or that, or won't be able to hold them"
TENNESSEE TEMPER
FLARES AT JAPS
1t was this tradition DIR. Hornbeck has con-
tended with for three years Ambassador Grew
followed it pretty consistently, and had good
deal to do with inducing the administration to
modify its project for applying economic sane
tions backed by threat of military force
Secretary Hull occupied a middle ground
Often enough in the last three years the Jap
anese have provoked mighty flare-up of his
tough tennessee etemper-accompaned not in
frequently, by some virile and salty language
but native caution and a determination not
to get out into a position the American public
wasn't ready to support always had their eff
feet
Signing of the tr-power axis pact brought
a big change. The differences of opinion ddn t
vanish overnight, but they did shrink aWfully
fast The shrinkage caused DR.. Hornbeck to
stand out more and more prominently as the
man who had had the idea all along
VETERAN IN
STATE DEPARTMENT
Point to remember is that the State DEPART
ments division of Far Eastern affairs is gen.
orally admitted to be its ablest and best-n-
formed branch. For years this division has
been helping to shape American policy in the
Far East, backed by a thorough knowledge
OF oriental conditions and peoples and exact
information on what has been going on out
there.
DR.. Hornbeck was in charge of this division
from 1928 to 1887, when he was elevated to
his present job. He is one of those State De-
partment experts who hold important posts
but Of whom the public seldom hears.
He first went out to China in 1909 to teach
in various Chinese government schools and
stayed in the Orient for four years.
He came to the State Department in the
early twenties, after having served both the
peace commission and the American delega-
ton to the Washington arms conference as a
special expert on Far Eastern affairs
Personally, Dr. Hornbeck is of the quiet,
scholarly type, with turn for ironic speech
I remember sitting in his office in the spring
of 1899 just after the Germans had taken over
ICzechoslovakia. Prime Minister Chamberlain
was on the air, trying to explain away his
own appeasement program which had made
the seizure possible.
At the end of the speech DR.. Hornbeck
clicked his radio off, heaved sigh, and re-
marked
''Well-he who sups with the devil must
needs use long spoon" l