Evening star., 1941-11-09
Capital Is Thrown
In Turmoil by Book
Dissecting Diplomats
Vichy Ambassador Tried
To Dissuode Author,
Washington Hears
By BLAIR BOLLES.

vile OIL fTellCn COlOnel. mas thrown
this cosmopolitan capital into a tur-
mol with book, Washington
Waltz" Even before it appeared it
caused concern and CASTOR Henry
Haye. the Vichy Ambassador, tried
through Intermediates to dissuade
her from bringing it out.
Repeatedly he told his colleagues
"She is the one woman who must
be shut up, because she will be be-
lieved."
The book puts the X-ray on
diplomacy, which is a devious call
ing mysterious to all but its practi-
TONERS, who like to keep it myS-
terious. Now the mystery is gone.
Here is the open view of diplomacy
as it has been practiced in WASH
ington these last 10 years by the
representative of the leading Eu-
ropean and ASiatic countries. The
ambaSsadorial behavior on the Po-
tomac is fair guide to the inner
thoughts, fears and hopes of gov
ernmentS overseas.
Claims to Authority.
Nine. Lombard. whose ancestors
include the founder of the United
States Marine Band. has claims to
authority on the lives and careers
of those professional mystery men.
the diplomats. For long her own
life was diplomacy. She married
Emmanuel Lombard. the Military
Attache of the French Embassy, in
1927; returned with him TO France
and then came back TO Washington
IN 1880 when he once more was
made Military Attache.
Originally, Col. Lombard came to
Washington at the appointment of
Marshal Petain right after the
World War, in which the colonel
schooled artillery officers in the
A. E. F. at Valdahon. Among his
pupils was Edwin NJ. Watson, now
major general and military aide of
President Roosevelt. For his World
War contribution to American sue
cess Col. Lombard received the Dis
tlnguiShed Service Medal.
He still Is fond of Petain and his
wife today in discussing the back
ground of her book and the reaction
1t has met observed:
Marshal Petain is an old man
He does not know what is going on
In his Embassy here"
Found Service Impossible.
After the French surrender and
the arrival here of Henry-Haye as
Ambassador, Col. Lombard found
further service at the Embassy i'm
possible. He and Henry Have held
invariably opposite views on ques-
tlons. A year ago Lombard resigned
Since then he has lived quietly in
little brick house. where. on a red
card table, his wife last Nav began
to type out her book. In three
months the composition was COM
pleted. Now in Washington. and
perhaps elsewhere, it is best seller.
Il wrote the book" she said. after
years Of watching the utter incom-
petence of French and British di-
plomacy here"
She draws a picture of contem-
porary French diplomacy as a cloak
for network of secret international
police activities, but of Viscount
Halifax. the British Ambassador
since last January, she remarks that
under him British diplomacy has
definitely left the Victorian era"
Englishmen here have sent copies of
the book to Winston Churchill in the
belief that he would find interest
ing and revealing the authors COM
mentS on the present improved state
OF his Embassy in Washington. It
was a Victorian stronghold as re-
Gently as three years ago.
Sent Booklets on Japan.
After reading Nine. Lombards
derogatory chapter on the modern
spokesmen for the Japanese, the
Toxic Embassy sought to appease
Nine. Lombard by sending her a set
of Illustrated booklets about the at
fractions OF japanese life and cul-
ture-such as "Children's Davs in
Japan" Floral Art of Japan" and
Japanese Food Recipes" When she
was 10, Nine. Lombard, then Miss
Carusi, wrote an Interpretation of
the life and works of Lafcadio
Hearn. the Japanized westerner. But
neither that enterprise nor the Gift
OF booklets has caused her to plan
any changes in her japanese chapter
for future editions.
Hjalmar Procope, the Finnish
Minister, whose handsome face and
pleasant manners inspired what
washington knew as "Procopo-
mania two years ago, sent the
author a dozen roses without COM
ment when he read what she had
written about him. The Italian Am
basSador. Prince Colonna, whom the
book rldlcules as "Wagging the tail
OF the AXIS" granted that all Nine.
Lombard wrote about him was true,
but he shrugged his shoulders and
said:
circumstance is at fault. not T."
The most satisfied reader of the
book was Constantin Fotitch, the
Minister Of Yugoslavia, who receives
shower of praise. Thank you.
thank you, not for me, but for my
country" he told Nine. Lombard.
Next to him, the most grateful were
the Latin Americans, because they
were left unmentioned in a book in
which to be mentioned is, usually,
to be dissected.
Played Active Role.
Before the colonel took his leave
of his attaches post Nine. Lombard
PLAYED an active role in his pursuit
of his duties. To her is due, in part,
the departure from the cabinet OF
Secretary of War Harry Woodring,
who left in the midst of the Nazl
military campaign in France.
This is one of the stories which
Nine. Lombard thought should be
better left unsaid" when she wrote
her book. After France went to
war in 1889 the colonels principal
task was to get arms for the French
troops in this country. He knew OF
the existence of several million Lee
Enfield rifles and several thousand
75-millimeter field guns which were