The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1944-12-22
IWNU Service, Union Trust Building,
washington, d. G.


Washington, d. G.
One of my punster colleagues
asked the question the other day: Is
there any significance as far as
United States foreign policy is con-
cerned, in the fact that the nick
name Of Edward Stettinius, the new
secretary Of state, is "Stet"?
(For the benefit Of you who do
not handle type or typewriters,
l"stet'' means ''let it stand" and is
usually written beside a sentence
or paragraph in a manuscript which
had been marked out by error.)
Observers have already expressed
the opinion that the policies of Sec
Rotary of State Hull, resigned, viii
undoubtedly be carried out by his
successor but many have over
looked the fact that the two men
have in common certain for
mula" which is characteristic OF the
most important trend in the state
department policy Of recent years.
Although it was perhaps his char
acter and his integrity which did
more than anything else to carve
the name of Cordel Hull deep in the
annals of American craftsmanship,
those qualities were not the only
ones which influenced President
Roosevelt when he chose the stall
wart Tennesseean to occupy the
highest office in the cabinet.
Most important recommendation
was Cordell Hull's long and single
minded study Of, and the complete
ness of his belief in, the inn
portance Of international CONNER
cial relations and the vital role they
play in the whole economic struc-
ture Of domestic as well as world
affairs.
/ have dealt with that philosophy
of Secretary Hull frequently in these
columns. Suffice it to say that the
war and the study Of postwar prob
lens has already proved the neces-
sity Of international trade agree
ments, one concrete product of this
theory which the secretary espoused
so intellectually.
The trend is generally recognized,
but not many persons realize how
the growing Importance Of CONNER
cial negotiations on the highest dip
lonatic level has revolutionized the
functions of the state department.
Still more important is the fact that
an awakened interest in the impor-
lance Of international trade is
actually creating a United States
foreign policy, something which dip
lomatists have always declared
never really existed in the sense
that other nations have fixed poll
cies in dealing with their neighbor
nations.
The link between Secretary Stet-
tinius and his predecessor is based
upon this same influence. Both men,
despite their highly different back
grounds, have a similar formula"
the formula for relating Ameri-
can trade to American diplomacy.
This is an innovation in our for
eign service where a tradition of
protocol has grown up in an atmos-
phere bordering on snobbishness
and so far removed from the marts
of trade that it looked down its dip
aomatic nose at business.
Secretary Hull was the first man
to head our state department who
believed that trade relations have
in them the roots of war and peace.
Edward Stettinius is the first secre-
tary of state who comes to the office
with training in industry. (He left
the Craftsmanship of the board of the
United States Steel corporation to
Join the committee of national de-
fense.)
So much for the innovations in
the viewpoints of the past and pres
ient heads Of the state department.
Now consider the material change in
its organization.
lNeIO Functions
Added to Office
When / sat down the other day
and ran over some of the new of
fees and divisions and branches that
are sheltered beneath the old rocco
co rooftree which were not even a
wink in the most progressive states
mans eye when ! first walked its
marble corridors, I had quite
shock.
There would be nothing to raise
the eyebrow Of past secretaries of
state. Of Hay or Hughes, Kel-
logg or even a Madison-in the
items now officially listed-such as
the direction of our IS embassies
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