Imperial Valley press., 1944-12-04
NUBBINS
BURRIS JENKINS

The State Department under the
new secretary. StettiniuS. should roll
OH smoothly for il will be under the
direction of man who gave up
United States Steel in his youth TO
go into ballbearing factory. He
had thea and has now a preference
for things that run smoothly. OF
course, in half life time of eN-
perience, he h s met great
many situati lions, W n en- things
did not seem to run smoothly.
gent elements and so adjusted them
as to bring harmony out of contrO-
versy. Indeed. the position which he
has occupied of late has been that
of ballbearing himself, for he had
the two opposing forces of Sumner
Wells and Cordell Hull on each side
of him; and he made the situation
livable until Wells stepped out.
At any rate thore is sense of
quiet confidence throughout the ma
tion that the hugest task of to-
morrow. the making of the peace
and the building of the United
hNfu
down at DumbartOn Oaks, is in
wise and safe hands.
MIR. Stettinius grew up as the son
of a vice president of United States
Steel. He could have gone right into
that office at an early age and
with the help of his father march
ed straight to the top. Instead of
which, he went outside to find
job and marched over his own road
to the headship of United States
Steel Americans like that sort of
thing and they like that sort of
boy and man.
Still General Patton runs away
with the war news. steals the show,
and the American people smile and
seem to like it. He has lived through
and lived down his day of reprimand
and we all rather like him for it
more than we should otherwise have
done. His biggest error was not the
slapping of a soldier; because since
then another soldier has said, "he
can slap any of us soldiers down if
he wants to, and we'll all bounce
up anu lOlU" pSSaoSS
that boy knows how to fight; and
soldiers like a man best when he
knows how to fight"
Patton has won out and all his
photographs would indicate that he
has had a happy time doing it.
Most of the time he looks like a
mischievous Irish boy just about to
be caught in one of his tricks. The
really dangerous thing that he did
vas to make, a speech at a dinner
of all nationalities and express in
behalf of America preference for
one. These old fighters are not much
at diplomacy; and they ought not
to be put in positions of that kind;
the mistake rally was made by the
men who devised that program and
so let Patton in for an international
blulder. But we have forgotten that
too. Just as we forgot similar
blunder made by that polished gen.
tleman, but old rough sea dog after
all, Admiral Sims. The President
actually had to call him home from
foreign waters in 1910, give him a
public rebuke, and then take him
the back for what he had said at
a similar dinner in London, which
was this:
"If ever the British Empire finds
itself seriously endangered by ali
outside foe she will find the United
States at her side with every ship,
every man, and every gum"
Within seven years time Sims saw
his prophecy fulfilled in 1917 and
himself in command of all American
naval forces in European waters.
The present writer told that story
all through the British war camps
in the summer of II and then went
to United States Naval Headquarters,
asked to see the Admiral, went right
/ in at once and amongst other things,
| told that cid sea dog in his immlc-
ulate uniform, his carefully trimmed
! beard and his general spic and span
appearance, about the story and
about how it always took with Brit
ish audiences.
The Admiral grinned, looked as if
he hadn't a word TO say, perhaps he
had learned his lesson long ago.
and at last broke the silence by
reaching into drawer of his desk,
pulling out his photograph and in
scribing it, ITO Ny very Dear
Friend" with the name of this col
umiiist, who had never seen him