Evening star., 1943-05-06
Society Gatherings
Show Air Of Caution
Since Monroe INQUIRY
Guests No Longer ToIk
Freely With Unknown
Guests at Parties
BY HELEN LOMBARD.

Dy AAAlA<6AN AONADnxNDs
The effect created by the story OF
the parties that went on in the Big
Red House on r street already is
being felt in Washington gatherings.
The old assumption that meeting
under the same roof was. a sufficient
guarantee continued to hold even in
an enormously expanded wartime
Capital. Since the r street story has
broken, however, new caution may
be observed among the guests at
cocktail and other parties. ePople
seem less inclined to talk freely to
strangers an dthe whispered who
is hep" is now apt to be made before
a conversation with unknowns is al
lowed to go beyond the more banal
of subjects.
The explosion caused by the reve-
lation that many prominent Wash
ingtonians have been the guests of a
couple of alleged manufacturers
agents is surprising in view of the
fact that society has been a semi
business In Washington.
Used Old and Tried Method.
The social racket is not unknown
in most large American cities. The
socially ambitious have frequently
climbed the charity ladder to seats
at coveted dinner parties. In Wash
ington the official angle to entertain
ing makes it even easier for an in
dividual with money to embark on
a social career.
The alleged manufacturers agent,
John Monroe, and his business COM
panion, Mrs. Eula Smith, simply fol-
lowed to the letter the recipe which
has been used in the past by count
less dowagerS.
Even Mr.. Monroe's little promo
ton act of having himself called to
the telephone by the buffers an
nouncement in front of his guest
that "the White House is calling"
is nothing new. The same story
has often been told in connection
with an Assistant Secretary of State
and a well-knoWn columnist.
The technique for crashing the
social gate in Washington has not
changed since grandmother's day.
The first requisite is a decoy-a
large house or an apartment in a
good section of the city. A we'll
stocked cellar comes next. A guest
of honor from the diplomatic or
onicial circle is secured for the first
party and is held out as bait for the
other guests. From then on the
ball rolls merrily. If the wine and
food are good enough and every
body knows who every one is with
the exception of the host and host
ess, that is no cause for alarm.
Unknown Guests Usual.
There is much entertaining in
Washington of people who have
never seen each other before the
event. Guests who are not per-
sonally known to the hosts will be
asked because of their rank and
position and acceptances will be
made on the same basis.
There is hardly an embassy in
Washington which has not invited
guests who were personally un-
known to the Ambassador.
1t is hardly to be wondered at
that this easy Washington social
setup has been exploited by couple
of enterprlsing business people from
out of town.
Many Senators and Representa-
tives who have no permanent homes
In Washington live in hotel rooms
and small apartments. An invita-
tion to dinner to meet a headliner
breaks the monotony of the evening
routine. Obtaining the official bait
Is relatively easy. The Secretary of
the Navy, for instance, is invited TO
meet Senator So and So, who is
most anxious to know him. Senator
So and So is invited to meet the
Secretary of the Navy. who has ex-
pressed keen desire to talk to him.
Both accept and the stage is set for
the other guests.
The r street story has, however,
caused so many red faces in Wash
1ngton that from now on officials
are expected to inquire into the
background of prospective hosts
almost as carefully as they do about
the brand of liquor served at parties.