U.S. MINISTER

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIV, Issue 8, 11 January 1943, Page 3

U.S. MINISTER

CHOICE QUESTIONED

Mr. E. J. Flynn Nominated For Australian Post N.Z. Press Association. —Copyright NEW YORK, Jan. 10. Mr. Edward J. Flynn has announced his resignation as chairman of the National Democratic Cmnmittee to become Minister Plenipotentiary and personal representative of President Roosevelt in Australia.

The New York Herald-Tribune and the New York' Times oppose the appointment of Mr. Flynn because of his alleged involvement in a public scandal last March. Both newspapers consider the Senate may reject Mr. Flynn's appointment, which has caused considerable protest.

"The appointment of Mr. Flynn as Minister Plenipotentiary (some sort of unorthodox roving commission) is an insult to the people of the United States and the people of Australia," says the New York Herald-Tribune. "There is a real need now for an American of high standing, able and sympathetic to the service of his country, at Canberra. (In November, 1941, a Bronx County grand jury investigated reports that paving stones owned by New York City had been used to pave a courtyard at Mr. Flynn's estate at Lake Mahopac, Upper New York State, where President and Mrs. Roosevelt had been guests.) - Known as "the sage of the' Bronx," Mr. Flynn, handsome, 6ft tall, and one of America's best-dressed men, has been active in politics since 1917 and has been a keen worker for Mr. Roosevelt during all his Presidential terms. The New York Times says it is virtually certain that attempts will be made in the Senate to block confirmation of Mr. Flynn's nomination. The secretary of the New York Citizens' Committee comments: "It is shocking to learn that the road to Australia is paved with Belgian blocks." Mr. Flynn first became nationally prominent in the United States in 1940, when he succeeded Mr. James A. Farley as chairman of the Democratic National Committee. He was later responsible for his party's, organisation in the Presidential and Congressional elections of that year. He is 50 years of age and has been a frequent guest at the White House.