Evening star., 1948-01-28
The Memoirs Of CordeV Hull
ENJOYS From Unfriendly Governments Received
Deliberate Cold Shoulder in Talks With Hull

I When I had anything OF 0 %.
cret nature to impart to any oS
my assistants, ! sometimes said
to him: "I am telling you this con-
fidentially-and that does not mean
to tell it confidentially to the first
person you meet"
In receiving foreign Ambassadors
or Ministers, I early adopted Q
practice Of friendly informality.
If my main Office happened to be
crowded with an important con-
ference, I received the diplomat In
a small, narrow room leading out
of my Office to the Office Of the
secretaries. Later on 7 was to con-
duct, with British Ambassador Lord
Lothian, in this tiny room with It's
almost primitive furnishings, the
negotiations on the exchange Of
American destroyers for British
bases.
Thereafter, II o diplomat showed
the slightest signs Of disappotnt-
ment in being received In this
unimposing cell, I would ut once
recall to him the cheerful manner
in which the British Ambassador
and others of the highest diplo-
matte rank had sat down with mo
there for the most important con-
ferences.
I sought to receive a foreign
diplomat in the same cordial, un-
assuming manner with which I
would greet any other visitor. 7
treated him as I had treated
Americans with whom 7 came into
contact during my long political
career. Generally I did not feel
justified In giving the Ambassador
personal credit for the virtues Of
his government or hold him respon-
sible for its sins.
There were limited exceptions 10
my courtesy when instances arose
wherein another government had
acted outrageously or extensively.
Then, from the instant Of the ap-
pearance Of the diplomat in my
of1ice doorway, I found numerous
ways Of receiving him with the
utmost coldness and going almost
to the limit in showing my resent
ment and that of my Government.
These instances principally con-
cerned the Japanese Ambassador
in later years.
Restrained With Threats.
made two rules, among others.
in dealing with foreign Ambassa-
doris One was to utter no threats
unless we had the force and will
to back them up. Threats without
backing of force were bluffs and
a bluff could be called with en-
barrassing results.
The other was to make no prom
ises that were not certain Of ful.
fillment. I used to tell my associates
the story of the man who ran
small store In town in Tennessee
near the edge of a lake. One day
he contacted a food company and
offered to sell them carload OF
frog legs. In due course a repre-
sentative of the company arrived
and they signed a contract. After
some months, when the frog legs
were not delivered, the same repre-
sentative returned. He found only
a couple Of frog legs in the store
and asked the stoorkeeper why he
had not lived up to his promise.
WELL" the man. said, "the frogs
around the lake were making SO
much noise 7 thought there must
be at least carload Of them"
The moment an Ambassador or
Minister left my Office, one Of my
stenographers entered automatically,
by another door. at once dictated
to her an adequate account OF the
discussion, putting down as &C
curately as I could what he had
said to me and l to him and ap-
pending any written notes handed
by one of us to the other.
cabled the substance Of this
memorandum to our Ambassador
or Minister in the capital of the
diplomat who had just called upon
me, so that he could be kept fully
informed of developments on this
side; and other kilograms went
out to our representatives m other
capitals that might also DO con-
cerned.
Copyright 1o4s, b. NANA)