Evening star., 1942-01-25
TROUBLE SHOOTER FOR u. S.
Stenhurdt Lives Out of Suitcase
By Gladicin Hill,
Wide World News.

Laurence Steinhardt, our new Ambas-
sador to the international hot-spot OF
Turkey finds that one of the major
problems of being an ace diplomatic
trouble shooter is that people are Tor
ever pestering you for the INSIDE dope"
which nine times out of ten, he wishes
he could find out himself.
A compensating advantage he hnos
Is that, living out Of suitcase lot OF
the time, you always have a handy, ro-
mantic-sounding excuse for not getting
dressed up for dinners.
At the moment, just back from three
hectic years as Ambassador to Russia, ne
is working out of three suitcases, has just
three suits to his name, one threadbare,
and is hoping he'll get chance to pick
up a couple more before he takes on IN
few days for Turkey.
It's been like this for nearly 10 years.
Mr.. Steinhardt, tall, dark. genial,
shrewd former New York lawyer, who
looks much younger than his 49 years,
started of in 1888 as Minister to Swe-
den. was made Ambassador to Peru for
the important Lima n-American Con-
ference of 1887 and in 1889 was whisked
to Russia, where he handled the United
States important, ticklish interests in
volved in the Russian-Finnish war. the
CITY of Flint affair, and Germany's in
vasion of Russia.
Matched Against Won Papen.
Turkey, an important passageway be-
tween Europe, Asia and Africa, has man
aged to stay neutral in tug-of-war be-
tween the Axis and the Allies and has
recently been disclosed as beneficiary of
a 500 900 900 United States lease-lend
program. In Ankara, Mr. Steinhardt will
be coping with the Vaccinations of the
willy Franz Won Papen, who has been
trying without conspicuous success to
soften up Turkey for possible passage Of
German troops to critical fronts.
But Mr.. Steinhardt has long record
of smooth handling of knotty problems.
One of his credos has long been: There's
an amicable solution to every controver-
sial question"
As lawyer, he gained a reputation
for effecting reconciliations in divorce
cases and compromises. For the Arch
duchess Marie Louise of Austria he re-
covered a $400, 900 Napoleon necklace
about which there had been a sale mis-
understanding. He had Lily Langtry
for client. In a row between Nijinsky
and the Metropolitan Opera, Mr.. Stein
hardt wangled for the dancer the high
est salary ever paid stage artists, $50
for 18 minutes of work.
In 1888, after working for the election
of President Roosevelt, whom he had
known since the '20s, he was made Min
lister to Sweden, and settled an interna-
tional law suit over a-coal bill which had
been a clinker in United States
relations for IL years. He Strengthened
out the complicated aftermath of Ivar
Kreuger's financial collapse and put
through the Swedish-American trade
treaty.
Although he has not had home of
his own for 10 years, Mr.. Steinhardt has
worked up nice affinity for sumptuous
dwellings. In Stockholm a fluke enabled
him to rent cheaply the finest home in
Sweden" publishers mansion, with
swimming pool. squash courts, electric
elevators and Turkish bath.
At Moscow. he inherited Spasso House,
the United States Embassy established
and decorated by his wealthy predeces-
sor, Joseph E. Davies. which was even
bigger than the Swedish place and had
the first conditioning system In
Russia.
Trusts the Press.
It's not SO luxurious now, because
all its windows have been blown out pc
riodically by bombs. Mr.. Steinhardt
sent his wife and 15-year-old daughter
to Stockholm the day before Germany
invaded Russia, but kept on living at the
Embassy himself, with a fiuctuating
household of diplomatic staffers and
American newspapermen, until the gen.
eral Government exodus to Kuibyshev.
Although no publicity hound, Mr..
Steinhardt likes the company of news
papermen and never worries about their
disclosing off-the-record matters.
There have been dozen times in my
career when newspapermen could have
caused me headaches by letting out deli
cate matters. but none has ever violated
. confidence" he says.