Evening star., 1947-05-11

Foreign service OmcefS HuSt
tion within specified periods or be
The system, somewhat similar
puts promotions on strictly OBJ
jective, competitive basis. 1t assures
the wedding out of mediocre nler
fast enough to make room at the
top for those still vigorous and re-
ceptiye to new ideas.
Another Chance for 532.
The first selection boards operate
ing under the new system have just
completed their work at the State
Department. Out of 705 foreign
service officers eligible for promo.
ton, they upgraded 173. Ali OF the
532 passed over will have at leasi
one more chance, and in most cases
three or more chances.
No one above the beginning pro-
bationary Glass can be selected
out" of the service until November l3
1949. This was stipulated by Congress
In the 1916 Foreign Service Act, put
ting the system into effect along
with salary reclassifications ano
other organization changes. After
that, some men probably will be
dropped each year.
Heretofore men in the foreign
service have been assured of vir-
tually a. lifetime job, once they got
past the beginning probationary
class, if they did not get into seri-
GUS trouble. Many who failed to
be promoted for several years might
quit of their own accord. But they
couldn't be fired just for lack OF
progress. Now they will be.
How 1t Works.
Under the 1946 act, the foreign
service is divided into classes, with
salary scales, from the bottom up
as follows:
Glass 6, $1,000 to $4,400; class S.
$4,50O to $1,000; class 4, $4,000 to
$1,000; class 8, $4,000 to $1,000; class
2, $4,000 to 1900; class l, $4,000
to S13,500. There is a superclass OF
career ministers who also get s13,-
500 year.
The promotion up, selection out
procedure works up through class 2
Those in class l and the career min
lister class cannot be selected out
In the normal course of events
enough men in those classes will
reach retirement age each year to
make room for promotions into
them.
Any foreign service officer ESQ
who remains in class 2, 3, 4 or 5
longer than eight years or in class
6 longer than three years without
promotion to a higher class will be
retired or separated from the serv-
ice.
Two Selection Boards.
After postwar adjustments in the
service have been made, those who
win promotions under the system
will not be eligible for promotion
again until they have served at least
two years in class.
The aim is to maintain an average
OF about six years service IN each
class above class 6.
Two selection boards were con-
vened mere last February II to pick
out the first men to be promoted
under the new system. Each board
was composed of four foreign serv-
ice officers and one man not con-
nected with the Government.
One board considered the cases
of all FSOs eligible for promotion
into classes and 2. 1t was COM
posed of George Butler, Ambas-
sador to the Dominican Republic;
Walter Donneliy, new Ambassador
to Costa Rica; Harold Shantz,
Counselor of Embassy at Canberra,
Australia; Lloyd Steere, Counselor
of the American mission in Berlin,
and Archibald S. Alexander, New
York lawyer.
Records Studied.
A junior board reviewed those ell
gible for promotion into classes 8,
1 and S. It's members were Willard
Beaulac, Ambassador to Colombia;
Joseph E. Jacobs, recently Ameri-
can representative in Albania; Les
ter Mallory, who has been serving as
agriculture liaison officer in the
State Department; Herve j. L'Heu-
reux, American Consul General at
Marseille, and George w. Magal-
haes, personnel director of Westing-
house International.
Each board member studied the
entire record of every foreign serv-
ice officer whose case was being re-
viewed, going back to the very be-
ginning of his service. Each FSO's
previous promotions and efficiency
ratings were restudied in the light
of what might be known about pos
sible personal favoritisms or antag-
onisms of officials who had rated
him in the past.
Impartial Judgment.
The resulting selections are be-
lieved to represent the most impair
tial and painstaking promotions
ever made in the foreign service
This does not mean partiality ever
played a deliberate role. A foreign
service board long has passed on
all promotions, but it was made UP
of busy officials who could devo6e
little time to consideration of indi-
vidual cases and necessarily had te
act on the recommendations OF
men who might show prejudice de-
spite their best efforts to be i'm
partial.
Under the new system, members
of the selection boards devoted
their full time to the task for weeks
Their independent votes resulted ir
cumulative opinion on each case
In view of the limited number oi