The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1947-01-16
THE GREAT
GAME OF
POLITICS
BY FRANK r. KENT.
Copyright by The Baltimore Sun and
reprinted in The Republican by per
mission.
Picture BY MOrgenthau

Picture BY MOrgenthau
The fact that the first revelations
of the great Morgenthau diary came
on New Years Day, following which
the new Congress met and big news
was breaking all over the place, pre-
vented them from getting the sort of
attention they deserved.
This is a pity because, judging
from the early samples, study of
these revelations hold promise of Civ
ing the American people better per
spective of the Roosevelt regime and
a clearer view of Mr.. Roosevelt him
self than anything now available or
that Will be in the future. The size of
the diary alone makes it impressive.
AS to that, there never was such
diary. There are more than 900 vol
umes of 300 to 400 pages each.
The figures show that this was the
main work of which Mr. Morgenthau
devoted himself as Secretary Of the
Treasury. Nine hundred volumes in
- years means IS volumes a year or
6 volumes a month or nearly y vol
umes week-counting no time off
for Sundays, holidays or sickness.
Even with his telephones and stem
ographers, it is hard to see how a man
could do more than this. The thing is
unique and it throws q revealing light
upon Mr.. Morgenthau's caliber and
character-if any were needed.
But, even more than its size, the
thing about this diary is
its unmistakable ring of truth. For
example, take Mr. Morgenthau's des-
cription of the extraordinary manner
in which matters of vast financial
moment were settled by the late
President and himself. 1t is neon
ceivable that Mr. Norgcnthau, who
worshiped Mr.. Roosevelt, would know
ingly write anything that put either
in an unadmirable light Therefore,
when he declares that Mr.. Roosevelt,
at a conference, laughed uproariously,
and he-Mr. -chuckled
gleefully, at the mental picture Of
"the hairs ON the heads of foreign
bankers standing on end at our Gov
ernment's foreign exchange operations
and revealed that Mr.. Roosevelt
fixed the price Of gold at p merely
by picking that figure out Of the air
as lucky one because three times
seven makes 2l-when Mr. Morgen-
than thus describes how things were
done it can be set down for certain
that he did not realize the pelfor-
nance was utterly unadmirable.
which, Of course, makes it all the
more appalling, Clearly, to him it was
all Just good clean fun"
Thrilled with the Hghtheartedness
and daring with which his hero hand
led affairs Of such tremendous weight
and worldwide significance, the wor-
shipfuI Mongenthau, however, did de
clare in his diary that IF anybody
ever knew how we set the gold price
through a combination of lucky num-
bers, etc, think they would really
have been frightened" In this Mr..
Morgenthau was, of course entirely
right. Certainly, people would have
been frightened-and they would have
had every reason to be- In the whole
history Of the country it is doubtful
that any exhibition Of equal ilrespon-
sibility in high places could be cited
Here were the President and his Sec
rotary Of the Treasury, obviously I'M
equipped by knowledge OF experience
to deal with such enormous fiscal and
economic questions, making moment
Gus decisions affecting world stability
by the merry devise of picking out a
"lucky number shlieking with
glee at the shock they were about to
administer.