Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1962-07-06
Senators Offer
Bill 10 Restrict
ChancerySites
Would Let Congress:
Umpire Emerging
Nations Offices
BY GRACE BASSETT
Star Staff Writer

VIZ RO"SAA IA ONAAGAbS40 AASA w
sponsored legislation to keep
chanceries of foreign govern
ments out of residential areas
in Washington.
Their proposal may make
Congress the arbiter of an in
creasing number of citizen
complaints over the location of
offices for diplomats from de-
veloping nations.
Sponsors are Foreign Rela-
tons Committee Chairman Full
bright of Arkansas and Senator
Monroney of Oklahoma, both
Democrats. Senator Fulbright
said their bill was aimed at no
one country nor group of coun-
tries. The United States abideS
by coming requirements in for
eign capitals, and foreign ma
tions should be held within
similar lines here, he reasoned.
Senator Monroney warn e d
chanceries contributed to traf-
fic congestion, particularly in
the Massachusetts, = Kalorama
areas of the northwest where
foreign service offices are
massed. He suggested earlier
that a special enclave Of chan
ceries be included in southwest
w a hington redevelopment
plans.
In Complaint Area
The Fulbright home, 1927
Belmont road, and the Mon
roney home, 276O Thirty-second
street, are not far from neigh
borhoods where homeowners
have complained the loudest
about new chanceries.
Diplomatic complaints, in
turn, echoed beyond the Dis
trict Building, as score of new
nations sought coming eXcep-
tons to build offices. The
State Department listened and
worked with both the foreign
and city governments to try to
steer chanceries into suitable
neighborhoods willing to re-
ceive them.
Current law bans such build
ings in single family dwelling
neighborhoods. But the Board
of Zoning Adjustment can
grant exceptions, Some 18
chanceries have been located
in the District in the past two
years. The Board permitted
more to go into residential
areas than were turned down,
Kuwait Case Pending
Right now, Kuwait, an oil
rich Arab Sheikdom, has an
application for an exception
pending to build a chancery at
2535 Massachusetts, avenue
NV. This is in the Kalorama
area, where residents have pro-
tested they already have more
than their share of chancerieS
The Kuwait case has been
scheduled July 10 by the zon-
ing Board.
Only a few more countries
are likely to put up chanceries
here, State Department Off
Gals believed. Among the more
immediate possibilities are Al
geria, Tanganyika, Jamaica
Rwanda and Burundi.
A State Department proto-
col officer who tries to helr
chanceries locate, welcomed
the Fulbright- Monroney bill
Another version introduced by
Representative Kearns, lame
duck Republican from Penn.
Sylvania, has languished in the
House since last August.
THE bill opens up the ques-
ton for examination by Con.
gress," the State officer said
THAT is a very good idea
Standards by which the Zonine
Board determines exceptions
are wishy-washy."
He noted that before 1851
chanceries could locate any,
where. Then the exception
procedure" was adopted. After
a few exceptions the system
was Chaos" he added.
Congressional hearings woulc
put the problem in its proper
perspective, giving due weight
to the diplomats plight, TIT
Federal and local interests, anc
orderly development Of the city
$