Evening star., 1945-11-23
Letters to The Star
Urges Reform of Foreign Service
Through Proper Training

Through Proper Training
To the Editor of The Star:
Some weeks ago the Secretary of
State departed for London after an
nouncing a prospective reorganization
OF the foreign service and his depart
ment as "a reorganization to end all
"reorganizations," since which time MOTH
ing more has been heard about it. We
do know, however, that our once nu-
merically rather modest foreign service,
which in 1887 gave employment abroad
to $500 persons, now employs 7,197
(although many of our old posts are
closed), and the goal of the depart
ment, so 1t appears, is to attain the
figure of 5000 persons. Who all these
people are, how they are chosen, what
actual duties they perform and where
they are stationed are unanswered ques-
tions.
The President has lifted the veil OF
secrecy slightly by stating that some
portion of this civilian army will be
utilized to convey to nations now living
in darkness some notions of "the aims
and policies of the United States Gov
ernment." Now whether or not 1t is
worth while to set up political govern
ment propaganda machine in imitation
OF similar arrangements in many for
eign governments, whether or not such
a machine will react as it usually has
reacted in other cases by bringing our
whole diplomatic establishment under
suspicion, these and other aspects of
the subject might better be discussed
before 1t is too late to suspend action.
For example, is not Mr.. Byrnes placing
the cart before the horse? Does not
the history Of our diplomacy show
pretty plainly that it is not the British,
the Bulgarians, the Koreans and the
Icelanders who have needed to know
about "the aims and policies of the
United States Government" but our own
ministers and ambassadors who have
seldom been informed on these mat
ters?
A reorganization to end all reorgani-
cations might more advantageously be-
gin, not by cluttering up our missions
with 5000 minor employees, but by get
ting rid of political appointees at the
top, and then by further developing
the career service" composed of men
whose training and experience have
prepared them to assume responsible
ties too often denied them. Instead of
moving in this direction, what has Mr.
Byrnes done? In an instruction dated
August 20 he declared his intention to
seek from Congress authority to dilute
the existing admirable career service"
now numbering about 300 men, with 10
per cent of the total strength who are
to be inducted into Office over the
heads OF those who have devoted years
of effort to gain their present situa-
tions. He has been perfectly frank
about it-they are to be appointed arbi-
trarily lin grades commensurate with
their age. experience and ability" Is
1t surprising that foreign service officers
look into the future with grave fore
bodings?
We need minor personnel In the
foreign service adequate to perform
the tasks set before it, truly; but what
we more certainly need is not at all that
we shall have, as Representative Mike
Mansfield boastfully puts it, 1.-THE larg-
est foreign service in the world" but
the best We know how to devise. That
happy result will not be obtained either
by weakening the morale of the "ca-
reer service" by diIuting it as Mr..
Byrnes proposes or by employing two
men where one can do the work, but
by completing the structure of our
organization as laid down in the Rogers
Act OF 1924. The most obvious step
now necessary is to raise the standard
OF admittance to the permanent grades
by establishing a government school
Tor the proper training of aspirants
somewhat similar to West Point and
Annapolis or by contracting with some
existing institution for the education
OF designated students at public ex-
pense ROBERT p. SKINNER
Belfast, Me.
How the Teddy Bear Happened
To the Editor of The Star:
The Haskin Information Service saws
that the Teddy Bear was invented in
Germany by Margarete Steiff, crippled
dressmaker. and placed on the market
by her brother Richard. But the toy