-2- clear and perhaps might have rendered some service to you and to our Government, in which so many individuals seem to think they can get a few fellows together and do what they want. I had the feeling that one's duty might sometimes be even to give up an important position in order to render assistance; and when I had luncheon with the Foreign Relations Committee one day, two outstanding men who voted with the minority crowd confessed their shame; and those two votes would have made your recommendations successful. Later on, as it proved impossible to get any treaty relations here and as one's work, strenuous as it was,almost invariably proved unsuccessful, I felt that I ought not to stay much longer and therefore offered my resignation last spring, and Judge Moore must have presented it to you. I am not so sure that diplomats are worth anything like what they cost our country. When I see how many Ambassadors we have and how little they can actually do, it seems something of a waste to continue them in service. The whole of Europe is almost immovable, the possible exception being the little countries that can not do anything, or possibly even England and yet we have very expensive services, very expensive Ambassadors at many posts. I read Mr. Messersmith's famous report on what was wasted in Paris, and I learned that nothing was ever done. There seems to me to be a group of men in the Department who do not undertake to listen to any advice that may come to them. Nothing proves this better than the treatment of our urgent recommendations to exchange the Blucher Palais for a suitable Embassy which the Germans were ready to give, especially through the year 1936. We have lost about $60,000 a year ever since I have been here |