The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1944-04-03
Observations
Hans Thompson
Fails to Impress
Canny Swedes
BY Helen Essary

complications. There are indeed
people who prefer not to be in the
same room Because OF the war,
naturally. Such small difficulties
are as slight as thistledown when
compared with the struggles OF
Stockholm TO keep the neutral
peace.
VISITING Swedes tell me that the
two French legations in Stock
holm are a trial automatically and
socially. You have to he so care
full TO be polite 10 the representa-
lives OF both the Nichy and Fight
ing French governments.
Germanys embassy in Stock
holm has many woes. Ambassador
PANS Thomson. who used TO repre-
sent the Nazi government in
Washington as counsellor and
charge daffaires, does not have
happy time at his present post.
Frau Thomson, whom everyone
called Baby Thomson because
she said she hated the Nazis and
this seemed infsntile-or else very
clever-did not accompany her
husband TO sweden. DR.. Thorn
sen is not too successful as a host.
I hear. The right people will
not go 10 his parties. SO he spe-
cializes on theater and other pro-
iessional celebrities.
Or. Thompson has had little
personal success in Stockholm,
since he came 10 a dinner party in
a uniform too suggestive OF the
Gestapo.
GASOLINE RATIONING HAS
ITS NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. in
Washington where talk is the only
product. You hear SO. much on
buses nowadays. Not the honking
OF other peoples h ms but bits OF
history and human nature.
I was riding on =. bus on Penn
sylvania Ave. and we were pass
ing that twin yellow mansion.
Blair house. the national guest
house Just across from the White
House. A feminine voice behind
me asked its next door neishbor:
Say. what's that yellow place?
There always seems to be lot go
ing on there Everytime ! go by
see fiocks OF big black automo.
biles st ndins outside or driving
off. Who lives there
Nobody lives there" the second
feminine voice replied Don't
you know what the place is? It's
a funeral home. Some OF those
New Dealers Just got it fixed up
for themselves.
Among the visiting dignitaries
already entertained al Blair house
have beei King George II OF
Greece. King Peter II of Yugosla-
via. who so recently married his
true love, Princess Alexandria OF
Greece. in London: President Pra-
do OF Peru. Soviet Foreign Minister
Viocheslav Molotoy, President
elect Lopez OF Colombia. the prime
minister OF New Zealand. the presi-
dent OF Ecuador, the prime minis
ter of Poland, President Batista
OF Cuba, President Benes of
Czechoslovakia, the president Of
Paraguay and Gen. Henry Giraud.
commander-in-chief Of the French
Forces in North Africa.
Some funeral home-Blair house.
MORE WASHINGTON TALK:
One reason the Republicans are
clinging to the MacArthur-for-
president Room is because they be-
lieve that next TO Franklin Roose-
welt. he is the best Snowman in
the country. Senator Arthur Van
denberg is reported TO have said OF
his favorite candidate, Douglas
Macarthur is the first best show
man in the country. And the first
best man for the White House.
Only a determined crouch can
find anything very wrong with
food rationing. This is the opin.
ion OF the Washington housewife.
There are enough points and
enough kinds o. food TO keep
everybody we'll fed.
And about the gasoline ration
ing-a policeman told me yester-
day, as he went his happy way
sticking traffic tickets behind
windshield wlpers, that IL looked
TO him as IL there are more cars
in town now than ever before.
Certainly more cars with out-ot-
town licenses trying to get away
with something.
When saw Vice President
Henry Wallace az a recent speak
er's table wondered how many
banquet tables he had sat behind
since he first came TO. Washing
ton as Secretary Of Agriculture
Not over 67,S42. maybe.
Since Secretary OF State Cordell
Hull has stopped going out TO eve
ming meetings, the vice president
has dou bled his after.dinner speak
ing. The gentleman from Iowa
has taken to diplomatic and
straight political talking. | expect