Evening star., 1940-08-11
Three U. 5. Diplomat!
Return From Europe
On Liner ExcdIibur
BiddIe, Phillips and
Gordon Adhere to
Rule About Silence
(Ptcture on Page A-S.)
BY the Associated Press

BY the Associated Press.
NEW YORK, Aug. 10.-Three
United States diplomats returned
from Europe today, by way of Ber-
muda, aboard the American export
liner Excalibur, with 126 other
passengers, many of whom displayed
autographs given them by the Duke
and Duchess of Windsor.
The three, Anthony Drexel Biddle,
Ambassador to Poland; William
Phillips, Ambassador to Italy, and
George Gordon, Minister to the
Netherlands, adhered strictly to the
State Department rule against un-
authorized interviews. ..
To all questions concerning condi-
tions abroad, they had polite mo
comment"
Mr.. Biddle said he had been
called to Washington for consulta-
ton and would 60 there immediate
ly. Mr.. Phillips said he planned to
report to the State Department
early next week.
Mr.. Biddle and Mr.. Gordon were
accompanied by their wives, and
Mr.. Phillips by his daughter Be-
atrice.
Pleased by Bermuda Stop.
Most of the passengers-only 80 of
whom were American citizens-ex-
pressed pleasure at the unscheduled
stop at Bermuda, where the Duke
and Duchess of Windsor disem-
barked, but the stop caused a few
to miss. planned connections here
with boat to South America.
Passengers and crew alike had
stories to tell of the royal couple S
trip from Lisbon to Bermuda.
The principal item listed by the
crew was the fact that the Duchess
had the twin beds of her compar-
atively small bedroom made up with
pink bedsheets.
AS soon as they got on the boat,
the sheets were placed on the twin
beds in the tiny main cabin of their
suite-a room measuring only
by is feet, said Steward Aurelio
Gonzales, who served the titled
couple.
The Windsors ignored two ad-
joining bedrooms and spent much
of their time in the little main
room, which reporters found was
almost glorified bathroom, with
chnuror oyaI och bo
The Windsors ate "next to moth
ing" the stewards said, having only
toast and tea for breakfast, and
for dinner one night, only one
sausage and baked potato apiece
The Duke limited himself to one
Scotch highball a day, which he
mixed himself.
He always called the Dutchess
Dear" and she signed her name,
on the ships records and for auto
graph hunters, as ''Wally Windsor u
Irritated BY Mail Seizure.
The Duke was considerably irri-
tated. crew members said, when
oilOAoII dutIiOl lGlCS al oClLuuUd
seized 1872 bags of American mail
on the ship for inspection, but did
not make any formal protest.
The Excalibur's captain, S. N.
Groves, said the Windsors spent
much time on the bridge, where
other passengers were not allowed
Il could talk sailor language to
the Duke" Capt. Groves said. Hes
a real sailor. He didn't seem to
know much about his new post and
hardly ever said anything about it.
Both of them seemed most i'm
pressed by the informality on the
boat. The Duke would take their
three dogs walking on deck every
day and when he went back by the
fo'c'sle, the crew yelled things like,
'Hya, Duke-how va doin',' and he
seemed to enjoy 1t.
"The Duchess said she was look
ing forward anxiously to visiting the
United States again, that she hadn't
been there in eight years and that
1t was high time she did"