FOREIGN SECRETARY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22718, 2 November 1935, Page 16

FOREIGN SECRETARY

SIR SAMUEL HOARE A EUROPEAN ASSESSMENT Sir Samuel Hoare, the new British Foreign Minister, has not received the attention he deserves from the press and the public (writes George Popoff in a German language paper in Budapest, the article being translated for the Living Age). People found his appearance undistinguished, his oratorial gifts unimportant, his voice weak, This was because Sir Samuel never knew how to advertise himself and his work. His character is quiet and retiring, and his whole political activity has gone forward silently and almost unobserved. Fleet street, therefore, considers him "uninteresting" and has made a point of paying as little attention to him as possible. This was a mistake that the English press seldom makes, since it rarely ignores major political figures. For Sir Samuel Hoare is in reality neither uninteresting nor unimportant. He is one of the most, interesting and important statesmen Jingland possesses to-day. , His career, which has been astonisningly varied, is of the greatest interest, although it has passed unnoticed by the general public. Even if his work were to end to-day it would stand as an important monument to him and a permanent part of the history of the modern British Jimpire Up to now he has devoted his lite to three tasks of outstanding importance to modern England. He has studied the Russian problem, the construction of the British Air Force, and the preparation of the New Indian Constitution. Now that he is taking over his new position as Foreign Minister, his previous activities will become .of great value to him. A brief account of what he has done reads like a novel that enables us to gain a clearly outlined character sketch of the new Foreign Minister. SERVICE IN RUSSIA. He first began to play an outstanding role in British politics, though he attracted little attention, when he went on a special mission to Russia shortly after the outbreak of war and organised and led the British military secret service The story of this Russian adventure of Sir Samuel.Hoare is very interesting, and deserves considerable attention, tor it throws a great deal of light on his character and on his political ideology. At the outbreak of the war Sir Samuel went to the front with the Norfolk Yeomanry Regiment, with which he had already served, and fought through the whole first winter of the war. Early in 1915 he fell seriously ill and was transported back to England, where, he was declared unfit for military service. He spent his months of convalescence learning the Russian language, and, since he brings great will power to everything he does, he mastered it almost completely withm a few months. Lord Kitchener discovered this at the very moment when he needed somebody to' organise the British military secret service in Russia, and he gave bir Samuel this delicate and responsible mission. Sir Samuel spent several years in Russia, often visited the front, travelled up and down the country, and came to know it at first hand. . As was natural with a man in his position, Sir Samuel established remarkably close connections with all circles in Russia. He was particularly close to the nationalist elements, who regarded Rasputin and .the court clique as the root of all evil, and were working for the house-cleaning and renaissance by a national uprising. After the outbreak of the Bolshevist revolution Sir Samuel appeared as one of its most outspoken opponents. He returned to England and was made temporary representative of the High Commissioner of the League of Nations for Russian refugees. To-day in London he has always stood, and still stands, in very close relationship with the White Russian emigres. Moreover, he makes no secret of his sympathies for the old national Russia. GOVERNMENT OVERTHROWN.

In the post-war period Sir Samuel Hoare helped overthrow Lloyd George's Coalition Cabinet and played a part oi the greatest importance in bringing first Bonar Law and then Stanley Baldwin into power, although the general public knows little of what he did at that time. In the purely Conservative Government that was then set up Sir Samuel Hoare became Air Minister, first without, and then with, a seat in the Cabinet. A new successful chapter in his career then began. When he took over his new position, England's Air Force was in an

utterly rudimentary condition, and Sir Samuel went to work to remedy matters. He succeeded in getting the Treasury, the Empire Defence Committee, and the London financial district to support' his plans. , Under his aegis England began a systematic construction programme of both military and civil aeroplanes. After the brief Labour interregnum, Sir Samuel Hosre took over the same office again. He attacked his task with all his power. He made many long flights himself to the Baltic States, the Near East, and even to India. When Labour took office for the second time and he had to quit his post, even his opponento recognised that Sir Samuel Hoare had accomplished wonders in the space of four years, and had laid tha foundations of England's air power, which has become so important to-day. Since the National Government was established in the autumn of 1931, Sir Samuel Hoare has held the post of Secretary of State for India. Here he acquitted himself with complete success. His work on behalf of a new Constitution for India is well known. It compelled him to go into thousands of . details, and, unless all signs fail, he and his assist* ants have created a draft Constitution that will lead India into a better and safer future and that is certainly of permannt historic importance to England. Sir Samuel's labours for India brought him into numerous and often delicate negotiations with representatives of different races, religions, and parties, and he showed extraordinary diplomatic skill. This circumstance played an important part in his appointment as Foreign Minister. But the knowledge he gained of Europe during his numerous travels and his special pift of languages, which is so rare in any Englishman, played an ' equally decisive part. Sir Samuel Hoare speaks French, German, Italian, and Russian fluently, and has a good knowledge Df many other languages. AH these episodes in his life have broadened Sir Samuel Hoare's horizon and predestined him to his position as leader of British