The Waterbury Democrat., 1944-12-21
GREW SECURES
 PRIVATE BATH
Undersecretary Only One of New State AppOintees
 So Accommodated
By FREDERICK c. OTHMAN Limited Press Staff COrrespOndent)

United Press Staf1 Correspondent
 Washington, Dec. 21 =. (UPO - Secretary of State Edward R. Stet- tinius, Jr., said he was going to re- organize the State Department. He did, starting with Cordell Hull's pri- vate rubber tree. He tossed it out,
 Then he went to work on the third floor of his ancient headquar- terS to make way for his new assist ant secretaries of state and you never did see so much pale green paint (the shade) of pistacchio ice cream), nor so many freshly-pol- ished marble fireplace, liver -colored.
 The fireplace polisher at work in the Sanctum of Assistant Secretary of State Archibald MacLeish stut- tered. He s-S-s-s-S-said he used a m-m-m-mixture of engine oil, ga- g-gt-gtsoline and elbow g-g-g- grease.
 There isn't anything better for polishing f1rep1aces, he said. The office of MacLeish was a wreck. The furniture was gone. the rug had been torn up and the parquet floor was a mess. My guess is that the janitorS for 40 years had been sweeping dirt under the carpet.
 Next door was the headquarters of Undersecretary Joseph c. Grew, with another fireplace and grand fathers clock, still ticking under a tarpaulin. In the middle of the floor sat pleasant looking woman, bind ing the edges of a dark green wool carpet. The pile was nearly half an inch thick. She said it was won- derful piece of merchandise. She said she didn't think it could be ob- tained at all these days, except by the government. She said go ahead and walk on it all pleased.
 Grew turned out to be the only one of the new appointees with private bath, or as Washington landlords say, half bath. It is big closet, lined with white tile and equipped with shower.
 Around the corner and down the hall I ran onto the possessions of Brigadier General Julius c. Holmes, including one black imitation mar ble bust of G. Washington, one globe of the world, assorted chairs green carpet and four cases full of books such as you'd expect diplo- mat to own. Volumes about world trade, statistics on Iran and the dip lomatic blue book
 His library looked dull to me, ex- cept for one volume, entitled "The EriT cip1e oYd proofioa oP ARoSl;ai,,. ,, What diplomat wants with a book like that do not know, though it obviously could come in handy if he ever slipped in the marble hall
 I also found portrait of Andrew Jackson on table, but it didn't car- " the generals label. I don't think it was so much, as a work of art.
 All over the place painters were splashing on green, mostly pale, but some dark, especially on the frescoes around the ceiling. think the Sec- retary of State must like green. It is pleasant, soothing color (con- taining more yellow than blue), and from all hear about diplomacy, a litle soothing will not be amiss.
 This new paint is going on over the dirty cream shade that has been a State Department standby for generation. The establishment looks better already. but Secretary Stet- tinius still has long way to go.
 The fireplace polisher s-s-s-said if he had anything to do with it, he'd get rid of those fire p-p-p-places. They're ugly and when the marble gets hot it cracks and then dirt gets in the cracks and they look t-t-t- terrible.
 Otherwise, MT. S-S-S-Secretary, your fireplace polisher and I agree that your reorganization, as far as it's gone, looks good.