Manila, Budapest, Montevideo

Manila, Budapest, Montevideo

Into the White House last week marched alert, industrious Nicholas Roosevelt of New York as Vice Governor-General of the Philippines. A few minutes later he went marching out again as U. S. Minister to Hungary. Between those two marches lay the solution to one of President Hoover's touchiest appointive jobs. With adroit conciliatory hands the President had reshuffled his cards, dealt a moral victory to the native politicos of the Philippines, to Mr. Roosevelt a face-saving promotion, to his own Administration a neat out. Other simultaneous dealings included the acceptance of the resignation of Leland Harrison as Minister to Uruguay and the transfer of jovial Joshua Butler Wright as Minister from Hungary to Uruguay.

When last July President Hoover named Mr. Roosevelt as No. 2 man to Governor General Dwight Filley Davis at Manila, a great hubbub was raised against him by leaders of the Philippine independence movement. A New York Times editorial writer, Mr. Roosevelt had visited the islands in 1925, investigated conditions, published a book (The Philippines, a Treasure and a Problem) which incensed politicos. Mr. Roosevelt was denounced as an enemy of the island people. After his appointment his book was burned in protest. Because the Senate had failed to confirm his nomination, he did not travel to Manila to take up a recess appointment. A more stubborn man might have tried to brazen out this local criticism but not Nominee Roosevelt who explained in his letter of resignation:

"The Filipino leaders have . . . broadcast representations of my writings with an obvious indifference to the correlation between their statements and the facts . . . contenting themselves with isolated sentences twisted from their context. Their one-sided propaganda has tended to create in the Philippine Islands a state of mind prejudiced to my present usefulness as Vice Governor. . . . Nor should any controversy about my views be permitted to embarrass Philippine-American relations. . . ."

Filipino newspapers hailed Mr. Roosevelt's resignation as "worthy of the highest traditions of American sportsmanship." Said President Hoover to him: "I appreciate fully the unselfish spirit that has prompted your withdrawal." As if to prove his appreciation the President then appointed Mr. Roosevelt to head the U. S. legation at Budapest, with this explanation: "Mr. Roosevelt was chosen . . . because of his familiarity with Hungarian events ever since he was a member of the field mission of the American Commission to negotiate peace, sent to Austria and Hungary."

Though some observers had suspected that Minister Harrison resigned his post at Montevideo out of disgruntlement that his transfer from Sweden did not result in an ambassadorship, his friends declared he was prompted to quit the service solely because he could not find for rent a home suitable for his two small children, aged 3 and I. The State Department was not ready to buy a Montevideo legation. A State Department bulletin last week said: ''The Department remembers certain comments in the press to the effect that Mr. Harrison's resignation was brought about by differences with the Department. His resignation was for purely personal reasons and it has been accepted by the Department with regret." Minister Harrison knew, as did all career diplomats, that President Hoover and Statesman Stimson regard Latin American representation as of the highest importance. It was perhaps because of this very importance that Minister Harrison had tried (vainly) to convince Statesman Stimson that something should be done about a U. S. legation in Uruguay.

Minister Wright, one of the State Department's most able handymen, may well view his transfer from Budapest to Montevideo as a promotion because it will keep him more constantly in the eye of President Hoover.

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