Evening star., 1947-07-27
The Ideal Diplomat Is Back on Duty

on DutY
Paragon Of the Foreign
Service BoIsters
State Staff
His first post, in 1915, was that oi
attache to the American Embassy
in Paris.
His succeeding career may be
summarized as follows: 1868
Third and then Second Secretary ir
Petrograd; 1919, Second Secretary
in Brussels; 1920-21, First Secretary
The Hague; 1922, First Secretary
Montevideo; 1922-24, assistant tc
the Undersecretary of State, Wash
ington; 1924-25, First Secretary in
Rome; 1925-28, Counselor to the
American Embassy in Tokyo;
1882, Embassy Counselor in Paris;
1925, Minister to Haiti; 1858
Ambassador to Chile; 1899, Ambas-
sador to Argentina; and 1914, Am
bassador to Spain.
Roosevelt Liked Him
He began his travels at the
earliest possible moment, having
first seen the light of day on October
IA, 1887, at Brighton, during a
visit of his parents to England. AS
boy and young man he became
widely familiar with Europe, and
learned French as fluently as
English. In Petrograd he picked up
considerable Russian, now mostly
forgotten. He had no domestic need
of the language, since the best
English in the family was spoken by
his Russian wife.
During his second tour of duty in
Paris, Mr.. Armour studied the
spread of economic depression across
Europe, and stood at the deathbed
OF Ambassador Myron T. Herrick
In Haiti, where his command OF
French stood him in good stead, he
brought about an agreement to end
United States intervention and
withdraw the Marines. He was in
favor with President Franklin D.
Roosevelt. On the death of his
cousin, Warren Delano Robbins, he
appointed Mr.. Armour to succeed
Mr.. Robbins as Minister to Canada.
His service as wartime Ambas-
sador to Argentina was praised by
Sumner Welles, then Undersecretary
of State, who declared roundly that
Mr.. Armour had handled the situa-
ton with consummate ability and
tact" The Ambassador battled
against the Axis proclivities of the
government dominated by Peron,
now president of the republic, but
was opposed toe pressure methods
His policy of conciliation, later
adopted by George S. Messersmith
brought about the current raproche-
ment between Washington anc
Blenos Aires and may lead the way
tc q hernispheric defense treaty. III
iil944, es q rebuff to Peron, Mr.
Armour was withdrawn from Argen;
| tina. The post remained vacant fol
many months.
Retired in 1945
He became Ambassador to Ma.
drid, in December, 1914, after Italy
had been knocked out of the wal
and when Germany was visibly tot
tering To its downfall. AS directed
by President Roosevelt in a con-
fidential letter, the American diplo-
mat maintained a cool but correct
attitude toward Frances govern
ment.
At his own request Mr.. Armour
was recalled from Spain in De-
cember, 1945, and retired to a new
home at Manchester, Mass, where
he steadfastly refused TO write his
memoirs and concentrated on break
ing 100 at golf. Like Mr.. Lovett, he
was drafted by Secretary Marshall
"for the good of the service"
The nearest approach to his power
was that welded by James c. Dunn
now Ambassador to italy, who as
Assistant Secretary was in charge Of
Europe and the Far and Middle
East, but not of Latin America. Mr..
Armour's job is to unity American
diplomatic policy throughout the
globe. Independent Offices, it is
hoped, will no longer pursue con-
f1icting courses in Argentina and
Spain, in China and Germany, in
Iran and Africa.
Mr.. Armour is tall and as slim as
a young athlete. His complexion
ano hair are dark, and the sparkling
eyes are brown. The face is scanned
with lines that are heavy and yet
kind. His manners are the last
word in courtesy and grace, and he
has a quiet, infectious sense Of
humor. He is the recognized para
gon of the foreign service, and is
held up to its rank and file as "the
ideal diplomat
(By special ARRANGEMENT with
St. Louis Post-Dispatch.)
<o,slAN