Evening star., 1940-06-02
i. S. Sends an Expert North
Mofat Takes Keen Eye to Canada


ana rich Democrat With New Deal flavor.
His predecessor won the appointment
because the administration was still
grateful to him and because the title of
Minister would crown life devoted to
winning political titles. The newly
nominated Minister was chosen for a
mission. While James H. r. Cromwell
and Daniel Calhoun Roper were our en-
voys In Ottawa, relations between the two
great North American nations remained
under the benign influence of the good
neighborliness fostered by President
Roosevelt. But now problems have arisen
which simple expressions OF good will do
not solve. 1t is time for expertness.
Jay Pierrepont Moffat is Mr.. Roose-
velt's choice as expert successor in tho
amateur line of Roper and Cromwell,
Mr.. Moffat is careerist. For % years
diplomacy has been his life. He learned
the rudiments in the capital of a king
dom which was erased last month in four
days-The Hague, Netherlands. He
learned how to be diplomat under fire
in the capital of another missing ma
tion-Warsaw, Poland. He was a secre-
tary Of Embassy in Toxic and in Con-
stantinople and of Legation in Berne.
During the 1920s he devoted himself to
a lost cause, disarmament, acting as
technical adviser to the Geneva Confer
ence. He was secretary OF Legation in
Ottawa and Consul General in Sydney,
Australia. For almost three years he has
been chief of the State Departments Di-
vision of European Affairs.
Moffat Knows Pacific Situation.
With special reference to his assign
ment in Ottawa, the particular point of
Mr.. Moffat's past on which to center
attention is his Australian tour. The
duties Of consul general ordinarily are
limited by commercial and tourism con-
slderations. He is character without
political importance. Consul General
Moffat, however, did not fit on this mar
row shelf. In his commercial clothing,
Mr. Moffat took some political sound
lngs. The problem was this: The four
great Pacific powers were the United
States, Canada, Australia and Japan.
The interests of the first three were
opposed to the interest of the last. A
closer relationship between the United
States and Australia seemed advisable.
On the surface, this was admitted in
Sydney but Australians, with an in
tense loyal leaning toward England, hes
iIated to take diplomatic steps toward
Washington. Just bit over two years
after Mr. Moffat left Sydney, Australia
and the United States announced that
they were exchanging Ministers.
The Canadian and the United States
governments have been represented in
each others capitals since 1927. The
question about Canada which besets this
Government is the fact that any policy
of continental solidarity is incom-
plete SO long as half continent remains
aloof from it. Canada will not join-
certainly she has not joined, despite
suggestions and overtures-the PAN
American Union. Canada is part Of
America, but she leans toward England.
That Is all very we'll in normal, quiet
times. But in war which threatens
England and which has brought the
hint that the crown of England might be
moved from London to Ottawa, the task
becomes urgent for the United States
to enlist a closer working agreement
with Canada. The English capital
would be in Canada only if there were
no more England for Canada to lean
toward
What Will Canada Do?
President Roosevelt already has made
1t plain that he considers Canada COW
cred by the Monroe Doctrine.
Il give you assurance" he said in
1888, month before the Munich peace,
in speech at Queens College, Kings
ton, that the people of the United States
will not stand idly by if domination of
Canadian soil is threatened by any other
empire
The Monroe Doctrine is policy whose
defense requires either show of arms or
a vigorous diplomacy. The American