Evening star., 1940-12-29

In period when American British
relations are the closest-and the most
delicate--in the history of this republic,
Prime Minister Churchill is sending to
this country pious Edward Frederick
Lindley Wood third Viscount Halifax
and until recently Secretary Of State for
FOREIGN Affairs, as the Ambassador and
AS the British Ambassador, Lord Hall
fax will have many attributes in common
with the highest ranking American Off
cials. President Roosevelt and he share
love for the life of the country gentle
man: Vice PreSident-elect Wallace and
he are both imbued with an intense re-
ligiouS conviction that sets them apart
from the usual run of men, and he and
Secretary Of State Hull will Immediately
understand each other as men of moral
--sx. Sish principle and complete in
tegrity. He will have smother great ad-
vantage in his official negotlaliol1s: he
will be able to act as highly-regarded
member of the Churchill government
and not be restricted as representative
whose decisions may be overridden. In
other words, he will be a principal
rather than an agent.
AS spokesman to the American people
however, the new Ambassador at first
will be handicapped by the American
conception of him as an aristocratic
"appeaSer" and the remarkable record
made in such short time by his pre-
decessor, the late Marques of Lothian,
who combined the duties of Ambassador
and spokesman to degree not equaled
by any other foreign representative, from
Great Britain or elsewhere, in Washing
ton during recent times.
Cliveden Background.
Lord Lothian was under a similar
handicap of an American misconception
= before his forceful personality and demo-
eartic manners worked their wonders.
Both men were labeled men of
Munich" members of the Cliveden set"
and "ariStocrats" who wore "the old
school tie" Where Lord Halifax is an
ardent High Church Anglican, Lord
Lothian was almost as ardent a Chris
tlan Scientist: both were taken in by the
Nazis before the invasion of Prague in
March, 1889, and both devoted all their
energies to the overthrow of Hitler after
they were convinced that there could be
no peace In the world as long as he re-
NAMED IN power. The services of both
were immediately utilized when the
Churchll government came to power and
both were given assignments ranking
second IN Importance only to that of the
Prime Minister.
Loro Halifax accepted the American
assignment after it had been turned
down by former Prime Minister David
Lloyd George, more colorful parsonage.
his Willingness to resign as Foreign Sec
retary demonstrated the high import
ance he and Prime Minister Churchill
put on the Washington post On his
conduct OF affairs from the spraWling
Georgian Embassy on Massachusetts
avenue may depend in large measure
what further aid shall be given to Great
Britain, and the extent of this aid NAV
determine the outcome Of the European
war.
Lord Halifax is accustomed to difficult
assignments. When he was A years old
ne was named by thu Baldwin govern
ment to the biggest British Job outside
the United Kingdom. Viceroy and Gov
ernor General of In,iia. This was in
1925. BY that time he had already
served in the cabinet as president of the
Board of Education and as Minister of
Agriculture and Fisheries, and had been
a member of Parli iment since 1910.
During the World War he had been a
lieutenant colonel aid was mentioned
in dispatches. To accept the highest
Office in India it was necessary that he
be a peer in his own right. He had not
yet inherited his resent title, 50 King
George v made hi1a Baron Irwin of
Kirby Undertake.
Settled With Gandhi.
During his five-yea stay at New Delhi,
the religiously minded Lord Irwin lived
more sumptuously at the Viceroy's House
than did the King il Buckingham Pal
ace. This was what India expected of
him. At the same time, another religious
mystic, Mahatma Gandhi, was eating
barely enough to keep himself alive and
fomenting the civil disobediance revolu-
tion designed to free India of its British
overlords.
Lord Irwin worked for long-term set
tlement of the Indian question with the
promise of eventual dominion status
Gandhi and the Nationalists were in
sistent on immediate freedom and they
rejected the British formula Gandhi
was instructed to give these views to the
viceroy. After a four-hour conference,
the Mahatma returned to his followers