The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-08-19

OUdIICC, IlhD OCCu
 ENNMm in this war for
 more than five years. As ambassador to China, he and his staff have taken Jap bomb ings at Nanking, Hankow and Chungking. Johnson Is now envoy to Australia, and likely to be in the thick of 1t again.
 Experiences of these U. s. For e.gn Service people, in fact, prac- tically tell the story of the war John Ker Davis and the embassy and the consular staffS took the worts the Germans had to offer for 12 days in the siege of Warsaw.
 Daisy Hartman, only woman head of an American diplomatic mission, was recently decorated by Norway for her part in moving her embassy five times to keep in touch wit hthe Norwegian government during the German invasion. One member of her staff was killed by German bomb. In Paris, bomb dropped through the ceiling of the dining room in the American em- bassy while Ambassador William o. Built was at lunch.
 In London, Ambassador Joseph P. Kennedy and his successor, John G.. Winant, and their staff have gone through the heaviest bombings, and over period longer than at any pest except Chungking, China. The embassy in London has not had a direct hit, but U s. consulates at Plymouth, Bristol, Liverpool and Manchester have been completely gutted by fire and explosions. Mir aculously, not one American For eign Service employe has been hit in Great Britain, though their work has gone on uninterrupted.
 BALLYHOO
 BANNED
 Foreign Service personnel station cd in the Balkans and in the Med- iterranean area have had perhaps the toughest going of any American civilians in the war zones. In Bel grade, Jugoslavia, the embassy staff under Arthur Bliss Lane took a terrific beating. Bombs destroyed one side of Minister Lanes resi- dence. A member of his staff car ried a diplomatic pouch right through the city at the height of bombardment, and delivered 1t safely. When 1t came time for the Americans to get out of the coun- try, all bridges over the Danube had been destroyed, so a boat was char tered and they made their was to Budapest.
 Not only bombings. but near starvation hit the American diplo- matic and consular missions in Greece. Many of those who have re- turned to the United States have had to undergo long periods of con valescence to recover from blood and diet deficiencies.
 So reserved and conservative is the State Department about mak- ing heroes of any of its Foreign Service personnel that its reports delete mention of names wher exploits of individuals are passed along. In the eyes of the State Department, all It's people art modest, retiring public servants so why ballyhoo any of them When Congressman Foster Stearn; of Hancock, N. H., who used tc be Foreign Service man himself wanted to make a speech abou the brave deeds of these men, tht department made him take out al names, for fear that some of those not mentioned might feel sighted. HEROES
 IN HOMBURGS
 But individual experiences wil get around. There is the story of Walter A. Foote, who has beer consul and consul general at Ba. tavia, Java, since 1884 When tn, Japs launched their invasion O the Netherlands East Indies, Foot was in the thick of 1t. He stayed at his post as long as he coulC and then under pressure made ; retreat across Java, finally escap ing to Australia by plane. It tool him three months to get back tt the United States on an unes corted, slow freighter. but afte reporting to Washington he wa ready for another assignment ant is now on his way to new pos in the Pacific.
 Returning with Ambassador Grey and the party of Far Eastern per sonnel is Addison Southard, wh, was U. s. consul at Hong Kong ant responsible for the lives and safet. of the Americans caught and in prisoned on that island by the Jal invasion.
 Frank Anderson Henry, U. 6 consul at Malta, British island fort ress in the Mediterranean, had per haps the most miraculous escapes for when he recently reached Cairo 1t was to report at that time tn U. s. consulate was one of onl three buildings out of 50 left stand ing on its street.
 So you see the life of diploma is not all high hat, white tie an O E