Evening star., 1955-07-24
President Leads Nation
In CordeII Hull Tribute

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Americas retreat from partici-
patton in world problems. He
called 1929. the year of the
Snoot- -Hawley (high-tariff) bill.
"the nadir of my congressional
career"
Feeling "the suicidal course Of
events generally" Mr.. Hull de-
cided to make one more effort
to change that course. He ran
for the Senate. After a bitter
battle against two strong po-
litical machines, he took his
seat in 1881. He had served only
a short time, when he was
matter-of-factly offered the post
Of Secretary of State by the man
with whom he was to guide
Americas foreign policy for IL
years, President Roosevelt.
Used Jeffers0nian Label
Mr.. Hull, who was himself on
two occasionS-in 1892, and
again in 1940-to be mentioned
as a strong presidential possi-
bility. campaigned vigorously for
the nomination of President
Roosevelt, the politician whose
patrician background contrasted
so strongly with his own
Mr.. Hull considered himself a.
different breed of Democrat from
many of the men who surrounded
President Roosevelt. He called
himself a "Jeffersonian Demo-
crat" and "Wilsonian progress
sive" in contrast to other "semi-
radical" New Dealers. Not al
ways in agreement with the
Presidents domestic policies
he thought some measures went
too far and too fast-he con-
sidered Mr.. Roosevelt all in all
"a truly great President"
The Hull tenure as Secretary
of State began with the failure
of the London Economic Con-
ference, which was further mar |
red for him by what he called
the "grotesque performance" Of
the Presidents Assistant Secre-
tary of State, Raymond Moley.
Mr.. Hull. having suffered Mr. |
Moley to grab all the headlines
and limelight at the conference,
finally told him in no uncertain
terms to "get back home
He had more success at the
first Inter-American Conference
in 1888, where his unaffected
and direct approach did
much to lessen South American
apprehensions about Yankee
statesmen"
Fought to End Arms Ban Il
BY the mid-thirties, dictators
in Europe and Asia were on the
march, and Mr.. Hull threw him.
self into the battle for the re-
peal Of the arms embargo in the
Neutrality Act. He and President
Roosevelt made a useless plea
10 Senate leaders in 1899 on the
ground that If Hitler knew that
and France could have
full access to American arms he
would be less likely to plunge
The world INTO war.
When war did come in Sep
1889, Congress quickly
repealed the arms embargo. Mr..
Hull led the Administration
fight for lend-lease in 1941.
1t was at this time that he be-
gan the fatefpl conversations
with the japanese Ambassador
here. In November, 1941, the
Ambassador was joined by a
special envoy, Saburo Kurusu,
who Mr.. Hull later said he
thought from the first was "de-
ceitful."
Patiently. however, he sought
to reach agreement with the two
representatives. drawing up a
l0-point proposal for a settle
ment with Japan. On December
7. the ENJOYS called on Mr.. Hull.
While they were waiting, Mr..
Hull had news from the Presi-
dent of the japanese attack on
Pearl Harbor.
Burst into Tirade
When the ENJOYS came to his
desk Is minutes later bearing
notes charging the United States
with "scheming for extension of
the war" Mr.. Hull burst into a
Trade that reflected the wrath
and shock Of his country.
I'm all my so years of public
service I have never seen a docu-
nent that was more crowded
With infamous falsehoods and
Observation-Disclosures falsenoods
and distortions on a scale so
huge that / never imagined un-
Ill today that any government
IN the planet was capable of :
lttering them" i
Nomura and Kurusu walked
but of Mr.. Hull's Office with their
heads down.
Afte- the war was over, a
charge was brought forward by
IN Army Inquiry Board that Mr.
Hull had presented to the Jap
anese an ultimatum at a time
when the Army and Navy were
trying to stall for time. Mr.. :
Hull branded the charge as "in-
famous" and denied the i'm
plication that the note he hand {
ed the Japanese on November
26 had touched off the war. The
report of the Joint Congressional
Committee on the Investigation
IN the Pearl Harbor attack
cleared Mr.. Hull.
Wouldn't Quit Work
During the war years, during
which he worked around the
clock. Mr.. Hull's only relaxation
vas an occasional game of GRO
luet. His wife, the former Fran {
,es Witt. whom he married in
1917 at the age of 46 and took
on a one-day honeymoon to
Baltimore. often pleaded with
him to suspend work at least
On Sunday. 1t was always, he re-
called in his memoirs, a vain /
Plea. .