Evening star., 1945-08-26

on the matter Within a few months,
after the Yalta Conference, he dis
avowed all his previous utterances and
called Lublin Committee.
The same is happening in regard to
China, and If there is some confusion
of thinking in the State Departments
Far Eastern Division, the reason being
that no one knows for certain as yet how
far this Government will go in support
of the Chungking regime.
12-Year White House Rule.
Department was not encouraged during
the last IL years, when that organiza-
ton was relegated to minor role. The
foreign policy of the United States was
framed in the White House and fire.
quently neither the Secretary of State
quainted with policies and commitments
until some time after they had been de-
cided on. This was particularly true
after Pearl Harbor and lasted until late
: last spring
When health conditions forced Sec
retary Hull to resign and young and
well-meaning Edward Stettinius was
appointed in his place, the new secre-
tary decided that the State Department
needed a thorough reorganization.
Besides undermining, refurnishing and
repainting the old lofty rooms of the
department. Mr.. Stettinius streamlined
his new ward by bringing with him
large number of outsiders" who had
been closely connected with him in the
other positions he had held in the Gov-
ernment.
These men were, of course, not fa-
miliar with policies and diplomatic in
tricacies and began series of changes,
applying their past experiences, which
did not cover the foreign field, to Amer
ica's foreign policy. 1t did not matter
very much, since what they thought or
said was immaterial so far as major
policies were concerned. These were
dictated by President Roosevelt him.
self Once, when one of Mr.. Roosevelt's
advisers proposed that certain inpor-
tant matters should be communicated
to the State Department for its own
information, the late President replied
that this was superfluous The only
purpose this would serve, he added, will
be that a certain columnist who had
his pipelines we'll established there
would receive the news ahead of the
others.
Because of his previous experience in
business Mr.. Stettinius was keenly
aware of the importance of publicity
and he revamped the old-fashioned but
efficient Current Information Section,
headed by the veteran Michael McDer-
mott, into high-powered public rela-
tions outfit under the poet, Archibald
MacLeish. The State Department in
the past had boasted of being the only
important Government organization
which did not have a publicity organi-
zation. The work was done by Mr.. Nc
Dermott and handful of assistants,
who, while not being able to. reveal to
the press anything of consequence.
did nevertheless endeavor to check in
formation for the reporters who COW
cred the department.
News, Not Propaganda.
The job of the Current Information
Division was not to extol the merits Of
the Secretary of State and his assistants
or to praise the work of the depart
ment, but to keep the press informed,
with the limit of its possibilities, Of
what was going on. Mr.. McDermott
was devoted body and soul to his chiefs,
but also was devoted to the press and
understood that in democracy it is
essential to keep the people posted
about policies and not to ram propa-
ganda down their throats by high-pow-
cred publicity.
The handful of civil service men as
sisting Mr.. McDermott was replaced
by huge organization of no fewer
than 80 persons, who attempted to give
the American public directly predigest-
ed material for home consumption.
And even some of the highest officials
had to be careful about what they said
so as not to interfere with the social
engineering" work of this high-powered
publicity machinery.
The streamlining provided by Secre-
tary Stettinius proved a fiasco. When
Mr.. Byrnes accepted the responsibility
of becoming Americas Secretary Of
State in the much more vital and mo-
mentous postwar era, he was told by
friends that to do a good job he would
have to do a thorough cleaning up Of
the old institution which his predeces-
sor attempted to clean up only SUPER
ficially.
Mr.. Byrnes intrusted the job of max
ing preliminary survey to the Budget
Bureau, but his friends hope that
he will follow some practical ideas Of
his own.
Budget Experts Idea.
The Budget Bureau, or at least the
five or six experts who have done the
job, proceeded with the idea that old
fashioned diplomacy must be done away
with and that in the future the main
function of the State Department must
be directed to the field of economics and
sociology.
The master plan provides that tina
political services shall be subordinated
to the economic services. And this
would mean that many, if not most, Of
the department officials trained in di-
plomacy would be placed under the
direction OF new services. This would
bring into the department large num-
ber OF younger" men-in ideas If not
in age-who would discard any senti-
ment Of nationalsm as exists in the
minds of the veteran and old fashioned
officials of the organization