Evening star., 1940-05-29
u. 5. Changes Policy
To Retain Envoys
In Invaded Nations
State Department Left
Without Observers When
Representatives, Flee
BY the Associated Press.

The State Department has
changed its policy concerning re-
tention Of American ENJOYS at their
posts In invaded countries-and now
wants them to remain unless the
danger to them personally becomes
too great.
Oficials believe American Ambas-
sadors and Ministers can be more
useful by remaining In the capitals
to which they are accredited, even
If the capitals are under German
domination, than by following gov
ernments which have become, for
most practical purposes, figureheads.
Whit1ock's Example Recalled.
They favor return to the World
War examples Of Brand Whitlock,
American Minister to Belgium, who
stayed on In Brussels even after the
Germans occupied it, and remained
there until the United States sew
cred diplomatic relations with Ger
many; and of Myron Herrick, Amer
ican Ambassador to Paris, who re-
fused to leave the capital even when
the Germans were virtually at its
gates and the French government
and most Of the diplomatic corps
had fled.
The opposite Of this policy was fol-
lowed III the early stages Of the
present war. When Germany in
vaded Poland Ambassador Anthony
Drexel Biddle left with the Polish
government. He wandered into
East Poland, then crossed into Ru-
mania when the Polish government
fled the country. Eventually, when
the Polish government was reconsti-
tuted and set up at Anglers, France,
Mr.. Biddle followed the government,
and the American Embassy to
Poland Is now at Anglers.
No Representative In Warsaw.
There is not much now for the
embassy to do. Recently Mr.. Biddle
was named an American delegate
to 60 to Portugal to attend the cele-
bration of the eighth centenary of
the existence Of Portugal.
Meantime. the Germans demanded
the closing of the American consul
late left behind in Warsaw, along
with the consulates Of other powers,
and the United States does not have
even an observer in Warsaw at this
moment. It Is q reasonable chance
that II the American Embassy had
remained behind in Warsaw the
Germans would not have asked 1t to
clear out.
The second instance came when
Germany invaded Norway. The
American Minister, Mrs. j. Borden
Hartman, almost Immediately left
the capital with the Norwegian royal
family and government. She ac-
companied them toward the north,
eventually lost them, and finally
crossed into Sweden. She is now at
Stockholm. while it is impossible to
say exactly where the Norwegian
government is. Several foreign serv-
ice officers remained behind in Oslo
and are still keeping the legation
open.
ENJOYS Stay In Low Countries.
Having studied the futile effects
of the migrations of Mr.. Biddle and
Mrs. Hartman, State Department
ofncials came to the conclusion that
the wiser course would be for Amer
ican ENJOYS to remain at their posts,
If possible.
When it seemed certain to the
department that Holland and Bel
gium were about to be invaded an
intimation to this effect was con-
veyed to Ambassador John Cudahy
at Brussels and Minister George A.
Gordon at The Hague Accordingly
they hung on after the Belgian and
Dutch governments fed.
What Germany's action in the
case will be is not yet certain. It
Is hoped that the German govern
ment will accord the same informal
recognition to the embassy at Brus-
sells and the legation at The Hague
as 1t did to Minister Whitlock dur
ing the World War. American in
terests in Holland and Belgium are
considerable.