Diplomatic Appointments

THE CABINET

Diplomatic Appointments

The Secretary of State announced last week the appointment of U. S. Ambassador to Belgium William Phillips to be first U. S. Minister to Canada.

"Choose an ambassador for his wife" is a saw not applicable to William Phillips. He has himself charm enough for the most difficult social encounter. "He is the only man," said one traveler, "who could be popular in Europe with a cross-eyed termagant for a wife." It happens, however, that Mr. Phillips, having reached age 32, married some years ago a Manhattan girl (Caroline Astor Drayton) whose charm matched his, and whose beauty outshone his manners.

Few would compliment John D. Rockefeller Jr. on his wealth. Thousands have blundered into complimenting the Phillipses on their charm. The important thing Mr. Phillips about Diplomat Phillips is that, regardless of personality, he is a good diplomat. It is widely conceded that there is no better equipped diplomat in the U. S. service. For 23 years he has been equipping himself. He began as private secretary to Ambassador Choate at the Court of St. James's. He served in Peking. He accepted demotion in order to return to Washington, to work "with the office boys of the State Department underworld." He soon became chief of the Division of Far Eastern Affairs. President Taft, aware of his abilities, sent him back to London (where his career had begun) to the duties of Ambassador, Whitelaw Reid being in ill health. President Wilson, aware, made him Assistant Secretary of State during the War, and later gave to him the post of Minister to the Netherlands. In 1924 he reached the top title, Ambassador, his assignment being to Belgium.

Now he is to be demoted to a Minister. It is a demotion cum laude, President Coolidge evidently desiring that the first U. S. minister to Canada should be the most competent diplomat available.

Mr. Phillips is a Harvard man of wealth and deep Bostonian rootage.* He had a classmate (1900) from St. Louis: Robert Woods Bliss, who also married a Manhattan girl of wealth and grace (Mildred Barnes). Mr. Bliss began to serve the U. S. in Porto Rico and has subsequently been skillful at Venice, Petrograd, Brussels, Buenos Aires, Paris, The Hague, Washington. Last week he reached the top title, the Secretary of State announcing his promotion from U. S. Minister to Sweden to become U. S. Ambassador to Argentina. In Buenos Aires, the Blisses will be responsible for the most expensive of all U. S. embassies. There is no doubt as to their financial, social or intellectual qualifications.

Another St. Louis-Harvard man is Frederick Augustine Sterling. He was a big ranchman and woolen manufacturer until he was 35, when he began his diplomatic career at Petrograd. Since then he has toasted monarchs and men at Peking, at Petrograd again, at Washington, Paris, Lima. He has been second in command of the U. S. embassy in London since 1923. In 1922 the Irish Free State was founded. Last week the Secretary of State announced his appointment as first U. S. Minister to that part of Ireland which is governed from Dublin. Many an Irish-American was vexed that he was not a Sullivan, O'Rourke, Kelley, Callahan, Collins, Gallagher or Shean.

But loud were the praises for the Administration for having made its appointments from "career men," not politicians.

The U. S. maintains embassies (seat of ambassadors) in 13 countries. They are now filled as follows (in the order of their reputed importance): Great Britain Alanson B. Houghton France Myron T. Herrick

Germany Jacob G. Schurman

Japan Charles MacVeagh

Italy Henry P. Fletcher

Argentina Robert Woods Bliss

Brazil Edwin V. Morgan

Chile William M. Collier

Mexico James R. Sheffield

Belgium To be appointed

Spain Ogden H. Hammond

Peru Miles Poindexter

Cuba Enoch H. Crowder

* When diplomacy permits, he still summers on the "North Shore" on part of the original estate of the famed Phillips family.