The Ypsilanti daily press., 1944-09-07
Observations
A New Tale by Uncle
Remus, Starring
Br'er Fox Gromyko
BY Helen Essary

BY Helen Essary
And Brer Fox he just set there.
En- he didn't say nothin'. He didn.
say nothin'-at-all. Uncle Remus.
he tried to keep things ez pleasant
as possible without causing too
much trouble and tellin' what he
knowed.
But Brer Fox, he Just set there.
En- he didn't say nothin'. Now en-
then he blinked little. En- once
he looked through his glasses. But
he didn't say nothin at-all."
take you in my story, children.
10 Dumbarton Oaks, where the
heads OF the American, British.
and Soviet delegations to the in
formal Washington conversations
on international organization broke
down in a dear little early morning
storytelling for the press.
The press, as you know, children.
is the public. And the public has
lately got itself into a frenzy over
what the informal conversations a:
Dumbarton Oaks are about any
how. What do they promise In
men. territory, and money in the
uncertain future?
This surely is a reasonable ques'
tion. And when it got asked loud
enough, the conference, or the
storytelling hours OF the other
morning, was called by Undersecre-
tary OF State Edward Stettinius.
chairman OF the Washington con.
versations.
Stettinius was the Uncle Remus
OF the meeting. a big. handsome
Uncle Remus, with a flashing
smile and a very agreeable manner.
He looked as husky as the other
two gentlemen at the conference
table put together. But he was
little nervous now and then at the
questions asked by the little boy.
The little boy, children, was the
ladies and gentlemen OF the press.
And like the little boy in Joel
Chandler Harris classic stories,
they did have an 'enquirin' mind"
Soviet Ambassador Gromyko was
the br'er fox of the fable. He
was the one who just set there
and didn't say nothin', nothin' at
all.
Sir Alexander Cadogan, British
undersecretary OF foreign affairs.
sat on the other side OF Stettinius.
He looked wiry and full OF endur-
ance.
Sir Alexander made little joke
about the difference in the pre-
pared statement between peaceful
nations" and "peace-loving ma
tions." At this the little boy who
represents the public laughed
heartily.
Not too heartily, for the meeting
was in the elegant tapestry-hung
room OF the Dumbarton Oaks man
sion. The setting had the air OF
medieval castle.
You don't laugh raucously In d
medieval castle Not early in the
morning, anyway.
Ever so often Uncle Remus look
ed at his watch and indicated that
time was short. | don't know why
time was so short for Uncle Remus
himself said the conversations
would last another two weeks. But
the questions OF the little boy kept
getting sharper and sharper.
Sometimes when they were extra
sharp-that one. for example, about
the general agreement providing
for international peace and securi-
~ being like Mr.. Roosevelt's plan
for peace. and wasn't that the plan
Sir Alexander had said he agreed
on at his FIRST Washington confer
ence? Did that mean that the
Soviet ambassador also agreed 10
the plans OF Mr.. Roosevelt and Sir
Alexander %
Weller" said the r-:resenta-
tive OF the British foreign Office.
twirling his spectacles now. III
] may venture a slight correction.
what really said was that ] had
no objection to the plan OF Mr..
Roosevelt"
Then Sir Alexander and Uncle
Remus-sorry, | mean Stettinius-
looked anMousllke over at Br'er
Fox (the Soviet AMBASSADOR do
beg your pardon, children). But
Br'er Fox he didn't say nothinE
Nothin' at all. He just sot there
en- looked kinda dark"
When the storytelling hour was
ending. somebody wondered out
loud-the little boy, OF course-f
the Soviet ambassador had any
thing to add TO the remarks made
by the American and the British
representatives.
The Soviet ambassador, now COM
pletely Old Brer Fox, smiled faint
ly zen children, as ! live and
breathe he did say somethin'. He
said it kinda faint like. So you
had to strain your ears TO hear
But he did talk. He said, actually
and literally:
"Nothin' at ALL"