THE FOREIGN OFFICE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26177, 13 June 1946, Page 4

THE FOREIGN OFFICE

It would be more than' unfortunate if party pressure were to be exerted to such a degree as to make political prejudice an instrument in the direction of British foreign policy. . Yet that is the implication which was conveyed in a cabled report which appeared in our news columns yesterday on the subject of the diplomatic and consular services. This report stated that Labour organisations were seeking an overhaul of these departments and the suggestion was made that, if Mr Bevin would agree to take notice of a “ black list ” of men whose records had put them out of favour with the party, he-would be assured of a blank cheque for his foreign policy. It would be neither wise nor just for Mr Bevin to agree to any proposition in this form. If such a precedent were to be established,- the logical outcome would be diplomatic appointments dependent upon the political colour of whichever party happened to be in power. Under such conditions the corps would inevitably degenerate and there would be no assurance of the continuity vjhich is necessary for the maintenance of effective contacts. It is possible that the purely party aspect has been unduly emphasised in the necessarily abbreviated cable message. The British Foreign Service is probably unrivalled by any similar organisation in the world, but there is a broad measure of agreement that the time is ripe for an overhaul to be carried out. Referring to some recent diplomatic appointments, the Economist a few months ago wrote: ; . . the day is past when Ambassadors were the personal representatives of their sovereigns and needed to reflect little more than his manners and thoughts. And yet the more senior ranks of the diplomatic corps are, with one or two notable exceptions, still men recruited in the days when there was a property qualification for the diplomatic corps. This was only abolished in 1914. All their training and environment tdnd to make them stand

Tor one side only of our national life In his recent study of the relationbetween Parliament and the press, Mr Francis Williams put the matter even more plainly. “ The British Foreign Office has great qualities,” he wrote, “ but they are not all of them qualities best suited !o making the people of one democracy understood by another.” He idso remarked that Mr Bevin would probably reorganise the Foreign Office—and drastically. Some indications of this intention have already been given in the appointments he has made. The appointment of Lord Inverchapel, formerly Sir Archibald Clark-Kerr, to Washington, represented a break with precedent in that the representative is usually a man steeped in home affairs rather than a career diplomat. The choice was made because Lord Inverchapel was regarded as a man of the right calibre and versatility. By other appointments a former miner was sent to Newfoundland and a former railwayman to Bengal. Providing that such appointments are carefully considered there can be little objection to the broader principle. The contingency that must be guarded against Ms that party prejudices should not be permitted to dictate in such a vital sphere of national interests.