Evening star., 1941-12-03
The Great Game of Politics
White House Example Encourages Sole Of Material,
Gathered in Official Positions, in Written Form

a new avenue of publicity for which
money can be had with practically
no work. And the White House has
made it respectable. Nevertheless,
there is a great deal of undercover
official resentment at the extent to
which the game has been carried.
Particularly is this true with the ca
reer men in the diplomatic service.
These were especially raSped by the
Hopkins article. 1t violated the basic
creed of diplomacy as it had been
taught them.
Here is a man who goes abroad as
the confidential diplomatic repre-
sentative of the President of the
United States. He visits the rulers
of great nations and talks on the
most intimate terms with them
about the most vital issues. He re-
turns home and sells to a magazine
an article in which he recites his
experiences and gives his personal
| impressions of the men. True, Mr..
Hopkins revealed no secrets and
said nothing disagreeable. AS
matter of fact, a greasy eulogy of
Stain was conspicuous feature of
his article. But the mere fact that
he could write and sell such an
article at all-and with presidential
apprOval-iS a shock to those who
have spent their lives in diplomacy.
! If, they ask, this sort of thing can
be done by special ambassador,
with the closest possible relations
to the President, what is the use of
having any diplomatic standards at
all? If this sort OF thing is sane
toned by the White House how can
any responsible public man abroad
be expected TO talk freely to an
American representative? What
assurance has he that as soon as
+ the American representative gets
! back home he will not sell very
personal account of his visit for
publication? The only reliance he
/ has that embarrassing revela tionS
will not be made rests on the judg-
ment, discretion and restraint of
/ the representative, of which the
foreigner naturally knows nothing.
Reduces Effectiveness.
/ Another special ambassador for
+ the President-William C. Bullitt-
/ has just left for the Far East. Those
who know him are sure he will not
follow Mr. Hopkins lead in publish
/ ing for pay an account of his ex-
periences. But neither he nor any
other American diplomat, official or
unofficial, will be strengthened by
Mr.. Hopkins article. Quite the re-
verse. This business Of public Off
cials, whether in the cabinet, in
+ the defense machine or functioning
either as a regular or a special dip
lomat, selling their experiences
while still in once clearly detracts
from the value and effectiveness Of
American diplomacy.
1t is a bad custom and it should
end. But of course il will not end
so long as the White House encour-
ages it and Mrs. Roosevelt has her
market. Apparently that lady does
not grasp the point that 1t is not
what she does with the money after
she gets it that counts, but how
she gets it. She gets it by capitaliz-
ing her position in the White House.
Ii she can do that then there seems
no reason why any one else in the
Government should not do the same
thing at any time and in any way.
Following the White House exam
pie the Government of the United
States has added the sale of maga-
zine articles as lucrative individual
side line for Government officials
and thrown ethics out the window.
(Copyright. 1941)