Evening star., 1940-04-14

nd ercitement-and she lopes it.
lontai was appointed Minister of Soviet
Russia to Norway, the first of her sex
ever to be accredited as an envoy, the
Scandinavian peninsula has been q
proving ground for women in diplomacy.
While Nine. Kollontai and the other
women diplomats who have followed her
to Scandinavia have not entirely over
come the deep-seated prejudice against
women IN this sphere, they have gone
long way toward winning a permanent
place in this hitherto exclusively mascu-
line field.
Almost Resigned.
Because Of slip that was interpreted
as a typically feminine blunder, Mrs.
Hartman came close to declining her
present post even after she had been
appointed. She was giving her first in
terview under the watchful supervision
1of State Department attaches when she
made frank reply to a question about
the pending trade treaty with Norway.
department official hastily interposed,
explaining to reporters that Mrs. Harri.
man had not been aware that the ques-
ton was still confidential one. The
fault was hardly hers, but nevertheless
the headlines read: Woman Diplomat
Lets Out Secret at Her First Inter.
New" Mrs. Hartman was 50 disturbed
BY this publicity that she was on the
verge Of resigning when friends Der.
suaded her that it was only q trivial
incident
At the outset she found her post in
Oslo difficult one from the social point
OF view at least. Her predecessor as
Minister had been Anthony Drexel
Biddle, who happens to have a very
wealthy wife. The Biddles had spent
money on scale such as democratic
Norway had rarely seen. Because of the
elaborateness of their parties they had
ben able to get every one of importance
to their dinner table.
Mrs. Hartman is by no means wealthy
and her entertainment was necessarily
Of much more modest sort. It was
not long, however, before the force Of
her personality-her sense of people as
well as her rare sense of humor-had
impressed itself on Official and diplomatic
Oslo. She entertained in the handsome
American Legation on Nobelsgade with
the same gaiety and disregard of the
stuff1er conventions that marked the
parties in her home here in Washington.
The new American Minister made an
effort to meet all kinds of people, not
merely those in the narrow court and
omcial circle. From q stay in Oslo I
have vivid impression Of her at a pop-
ular bathing resort near the capital
going down q very steep chute into the
cold blue water and landing with a big
bang and splash. Disregarding the
handicap Of language differences, she
joked and laughed with the sturdy
blonde youngsters In the water around
her.
Becomes Acquainted With Country.
Mrs. Hartman has the American Gift
OF enormous energy. Before she had
been year in Oslo, she had flown over
one Of the most famous glaciers In the
north, a hazardous flight. She had gone
down into the bowels Of great whaling
ship in the course Of inspecting the whole
whaling industry, important to Norway,
She had motored with her daughter, Mrs,
Hartman Russell, and her two grand
children through the magnificent scenic
regions Of the north. And If there was
any one of importance she had not met,
1t was because they were Of q singularly
shy and retiring nature.
The Legation in Oslo was built by a
member Of the famous Nobel family. It
is In the northern style, of spacious pro-
portions and set in well-planted grounds.
Mrs. Hartman brought many Of her own
things to supplement the furnishings in
the drawing room and her private study.
At one end Of the room she hung con-
temporary prints Of Washington and
Lincoln. Seeing her there, receiving her
guests, as straight as . drum major and
almost as tall, one had the feeling that
she was just as American Is any one
out Of the past.
When Germany attacked Norway 1t
was. thanks to Mrs. Harriman's alert
ness, that the frst news of 1t came
through. to the State Department. At
,, $3.50 Tuesday morning in Oslo ut was
Monday evening in Washington she was
informed by her good friend, Foreign
Minister Halvdahn Kort, that Norway
was at war. She promptly cabled her
scoop" to Washington and 1t reached
the State Department about three hours
later. To make sure 1t would get through
she telephoned Minister Frederick Ster-
ling in Stockholm and asked him to send
| It, too.
Before her present appointment Mn.
] Hartman had many achievements to