Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1948-01-30
he Memoirs OF CoFdeH Hull
MoIey Attendance at London Economic PorIey
Was Grotesque Performance on Sterilization

British and other important coun.
tries are SO aroused by the Presi-
dents message that they have de-
cided to call a meeting of the Steer
ing Committee this afternoon, let
1t convene the conference In full
session tomorrow. and then and
there declare the conference adj
jourrled indefinitely. In their reso-
luton they will hang around the
Presidents neck the sole RESPONSE
bility for wrecking the conference"
concentrated on an effort to
checkmate this movement and to
quiet the situation before it got out
of hand.
I saw Macdonald. I most earn
estly urged him to modify his atti-
tude and say few words in favor
of continuing the conference in reg
ular session. He very sharply stated
he had no notion Of doing so. He
complained bitterly that the Presi-
dents message, by shattering the
conference, had destroyed his, Mac
Donald's, entire political position.
which he had expected to be boil.
stored by q successful conference.
I had received reports that In pri-
vate conversation Macdonald had
said he probably would now be
obliged to resign as Prime Minister.
Made Commute Speech.
When the. Steering Committee re-
convened, the outlook was very lit.
tie, if any more encouraging.
I sought and obtained the floor
for some 20 minutes for an opening
address. I restored my main posi-
ton on the ground that So nations
OF the world had unanimously
agreed on the absolute necessity for
holding the conference and on Its
taking action to solve the numerous
financial and economic problems In
peratively calling for remedies UNI
less the whole international struc-
ture was to collapse even more COM
pletely.
The delegates who followed alter
mated in their support OF MacDon-
aid or me. Prime Minister Bennett
Of Canada, Viscount Ishii Of Japan
and the Swedish delegate strongly
supported my position. Neville
Chamberlain, too, came out in my
favor. After two hours Of argu-
ment, the meeting agreed that the
conference should remain in session.
The three weeks that followed
were q kind Of paper chase during
which we sought to find odds and
ends of topics that could be dis
cussed.
Moley departed for home after
sending the President a telegram
which was in the nature Of rigid
inspection report on the delegation,
He pronounced the entire delega-
ton incapable Of representing the
President at the conference except
Key Pittnan, who. in fact, rendered
about the least service apart from
his resolution on silver In which
few were interested. Moley naively
sent the telegram in State Depart
ment code and its contents became
known to the American delegates,
each Of whom except Pittman re-
sented 1t strongly.
Received Presidents Praise.
The night of July 27 sailed on
the SIS President Harding for
home. Prior to leaving London
I received cable from the Presi-
dent: Before you sail want you
to know once more Of my affection
ate regard for and confidence In
you. You have admirably faced
, great difficulties and through your
own courage and sincerity saved
the principle of continued interna-
ttional discussion of perplexing
world problems from a collapse
which would have made further
deliberations impossible. When you
get to New York next week I shall
be at Hyde Park and much hope
that you and Mrs. Hull will come
there for the night when you ar
rive. q"
It is due to the President that
III should say that he then and
always thereafter insisted strongly
that he had had no thought Of Civ
ing Moley any special powers, much
less any authority over the United
States delegation. He said he mere
ly meant for Moley to drop over to
London as a liaison man to take
any information the delegation
might be interested in securing, and
to return to America within a few
DAYS with such information from
the delegation as the President
might be interested in. The Presi-
!. dent gave Moley some outside work
and within a few weeks transferred
him from the State Department.
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