Evening star., 1943-07-07

Mckinley. He never left. When he
was nearing the statutory retire
ment age of 70 last fall, President
Roosevelt issued an executive order
exempting him from retirement for
age, and at the same time extending
the exemption of his veteran aSso-
ciate, Maurice C. Iatta. 49, Mr.
Latta went to work at the White
House As years ago today.
This is permanent l don't want
either of you to leave me as long as
I'm here. F. D. r." said the note
that accompanied the issuance of
the order. Mr.. Early said Mr.. Forster
really was the permanent secretary
to the President by reason of his
long service, which started March
S, 1897.
Mr.. Early recalled this morning
that when President Roosevelt issued
the executive order exempting Mr..
Forster from retirement, he was at
Hyde Park and forwarded it to his
aide with the note Mr. Early said
Mr.. Forster tried to hold out both
the executive order and the note or
him and Mr.. Early made both public
over the vigorous objections of the
self -effacing executive clerk.
Mr.. Forster had held his present
title since 1911. Under Theodore
Roosevelt he was appointed an as
sistant secretary and when the eX-
ecutive Offices were reorganized
under President Taft, Mr.. Forster S
title was changed
OF slender build, and brisk step,
Mr.. Forster found the greatest en-
joyment of life in his work. That
actually was his recreation, his son
said today He was won't TO refer
to his position as a subordinate
one and he always insisted there
was nothing spectacular in those
duties which had given him a close
up view of history in the making for
nearly half a century.
The eight Presidents he had
served gave much more than this
modest appraisement to his work
A d m n i S strati ions and politics
changed, but there was never any
thought of dispensing with Mr.. Fors-
ter. If he had any particular po-
litical leanings, he kept them to
himself, just as he did the conf
dences of which he was custodian.
Remained in Background.
A writer once described him as a
sort of outeroffice buffer who han
died much of the White House cor
respondence and listened in on
Presidential press conferences-a
combination requiring peculiar tai
ent, tact, personality and character
Purposely. he remained in the back
ground, but the high and low who
marched through the White House
in his years there, nevertheless knew
him we'll
Mr.. Forster had an attentive ear
for hard-luck stories and smoothed
the ruff1ed feelings of many poll
/ tician. The art of "glad-handing
| had no part in his makeup, Vlsl-
| tors always were assured of courtesy
and consideration in his office. At
the same time he always was po-
| tent buffer between the occupants
| of the White House and those with
axes to grind.
In direct charge of the White
House Offices, the personnel there
greatly expanded in recent years
| came under his supervision. All
incoming correspondence passed
across his desk. as did every docu-
ment that received the President S
signature Associates said he could
detect an error at a glance
While Mr.. Forster always SHE'D
away from honors, he was the re-
cipient of the honorary degree of
doctor of laws conferred under un-
usual circumstances by Reed Col
lege, Portland, Greg. in June, 1887.
Because he was unable to leave the
White House, Dr. Dexter M. Keezer
president of Reed, made the trip
across the country at the instance
of President Roosevelt, and -Ms
Forster, in cap and gown, stood at
the Presidents desk to receive the
| degree-his first.
The citation accompanying the
degree read:
Rudolph Forster-trusted conf
dante and assistant to eight Presi-
dents of the United States-he has
sought in vain permanently to hide
his light under bushel. His i'm
portant contribution of loyal and
able service to the Nation, like that
of thousands of men and women
whose names have been unsung, is
appreciated and honored by his
fellow citizens
Presidents Tribute.
In a letter to President Keezer in
connection with the presentation of
the degree to Mr.. Forster, Mr. Roose-
welt said: THE value of a mans
service to his country is not always
measured by popular acclaim nor by
repeated mention in the daily and
periodic press. In every government
tai organization, local or state or
national, there exists men and
women whose names appear not in
the headlines, but who are princi-
pally responsible for the actual func-
tioning of great and complex
machine.
Almost every administrative
activity of the Federal Government
focuses ultimately, into the White
House. There the final orders and
the final determination of executive
policy must be made. In the smooth
handling of these vital tasks, one
man has been supreme through
eight presidencies. Chief executives
of many temperaments and methods