Evening Star Newspaper, January 25, 1942, Page 28

> ~ America’s Seventh Week of War (125th Week of World War 1) &y Blair Bolles. 1t was.a gloomy week for those who hate the Axis. The Japanese spread their conquests farther than it was thought they could. The British moved backward instead of forward in Libya. torpedo merchant ships off the American East coast. ‘The surprise of last week was the Japanese approach to the vast island of Australia, a continent as well as U-boats continued to a country, lying so far down in thé South Pacific that its nether portions are near the Antarctic. While they bombed the Indies and pushed forward on the iand of Malaya and Burma, the Japanese made landings on the islands of New Britain and New Guinea—territory under Australian control and only 450 miles from Austra- lia proper—and the Solomon archipelago. Some calm observers saw in these undertakings only an effort to set up Japanese bases for striking at | supply routes from the United States to the Far East. Reports from Australia indicated the expectation there that the Japanese would try to invade that continent. But all is not dark. Every day the Japanese forces on Luzon Island, now numbering 200,000, struck at the troops of Gen. Douglas MacArthur on Batan Peninsula, and every day they failed to shake him. His courage inspired all Americans with resolution and confidence. ing onward against the Germans who not so long ago were driving onward 4gainst them pushed to within 120 miles of the Latvian border on the coldest Donald Nelson, chief of war production in the United States, shook up the old production administration with a vigor | which filled the Nation with trust that the figures of planes and tanks and guns which the White House hopes will be reached actually will be reached. day of this cold winter. Far Eastern Front For a month Australia has been un- | easy, and in her concern she has com- plained more than once about mother England’s lack of understanding of the | problem in the East. Last Tuesday Australian concern was vindicated. On that day the Japanese sent a full-scale | attack against the city of Rabaul, the | eapital of New Britain, which is an island mandated to Australia and sit- uated 850 miles north of Australia. New Britain is the largest member of the Bismarck Archipelago, & group of islands lost to Germany through the last wary It was presumed in Australia that the bombers of Rabaul were brought close to New Britain's waters on an aircraft carrier, much as the bombers of Pearl Harbor on December 7 were brought close to Hawaii on the same Rabaul sort of craft. The attack Bombed marked an extension of Jap- anese activity to an area 3,500 miles east of Singapore and about 4,000 miles southwest of Honolulu. A German attack on Cuba would take place about the same distance from Germany that New Britain lies from Japan. The next day the Japanese demon- etrated their real interest in the Bis- marck Archipelago by subjecting it to <* new and heavier bombing. The prin- | —Madang, Salamaua, Bulolo and Lae. ‘The Russians, driv- cipal Bismarck target was Kavieng, on the northern tip of New Ireland (just north of New Britaln), but the range was extended to four New Guinea cities Half of New Guinea is Australian by mandate. The other Lalf is Dutch. It is the easternmost island in the East Indies. In an interesting display of tactics, the air raids by the dis- New Guinea patch of warships and Attacked troopships to the Bis- marck vicinity. Eleven ships were seen off Watom Island, neer New Britain. The soldiers on the troop ships were landed on New Guinea and the Solomon Islands, and probably on New Britain, Friday. The Solomons are South Sea islands lying east of New Guinea. The invasion of Australia was on. How far would it go? Deputy Prime Minister Francis Forde of Australia said of the news that his country was facing “the most serious threat in her history.” He was confident: “We are ready. We shall give battle to the best of our ability wherever we fight.” Almost 3,000 miles to the west Japanese armies pushed through the Malay jungles toward the most desirable military ob- jective in the Far East, Singapore. The week twice brought suggestions that the opponents of the Japanese in this sector o THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C., JANUARY 25, 1942. Allied Cause Suffers Reverses in Far East and Africa, but Russians Drive Ahead Great The Land Down Under Comes “ g ‘Sandy Desert W2 AR “Ausy; . Victori s md 'l:o Top & HEAVY INDUSTRY ‘}‘g WHEAT SHEEP CRAZING [€] oAy FarMinG The land down under is right up at the top of strategists’ calculations these days, due to the developing Japanese drive in that part of the Pacific. Australia offers the Allied navies a protected and handy base of oper- ations at Darwin on the north coast.. It's a godsend right now, protecting the new United States lines of supply via Torres Straits. Darwin is close to the Japanese bases at Saigon, Camranh Bay and Formosa. It's going to be the big fleet base if Singapore falls, and will do much to cushion possible loss of that outpost. It is @ most important strategic base, and backed up by the industry of the island continent, Allied fleets and troops can work at the business of winning the war, certain of supplies and munitions close at hand. were turning the tide, but the tide has not been turned. The Japanese press ever forward toward Singapore. At the week's beginning the British withdrew from the Muar River area and _set up a line near Segamat on the Central Malayan Railroad, 95 miles north of PACIFIC THEATER HELD MOST VITAL TO U. S. Singapore’s Fall Expected, Making Defense of Indies Essential The unpreparedness of the United States and Great Britain to cope with the Japanese attack in the Far East may have grave consequences for both in the political as well as the military sphere. Orientals are impressed by displays of force, and already the failure of the United Nations—with a few exceptions— to provide that forceful exhibition is having repercussions. The arrest of the Burmese Prime Minister, U Saw. on suspicion of having connived with the Japanese to open Burma to Nippon's army in the way the Thai government did, is reported not to be an isolated in- cident. Many dissatisfied elements in India are wondering whether, if Singapore falls, their country would not be invaded by the Japanese. There is a group of agitators in India who believe it might be wiser to assist the Japanese, if they ever reach India’s frontier, than to fight them. The public explanation for U Saw’s dealings with the Japanese was that he was disgruntled over the refusal of the British government to grant Burma dominion status at this time. This, how- ever, is believed to be & mere pretext, the true reason being the proximity of Japan's forces to Burma’s borders. Needed Airplanes, Incidents like that involving U Saw make it more and more evident that the combined efforts of the United Nations to stop Japanese must be multiplied ten- fold in order to retain the Allies’ political hold in the Far East. Despite the reported dispatch of rein- forcements to the South Pacific, the Jap- anese still have tne upper hand. The Australians were rushed into the battle in Malaya and they achieved temporary success, but their bravery could be of little avail against the overwhelming air superiority of the Japanese. According to eyewitness accounts, the Aussies rushed superior Japanese forces with bayonets and had them on the run until air reinforcements reached the re- treating enemy. Then the old story was repeated: Men against airplanes. The support given the Australians by the available aviation was of little help and they were forced to abandon the ground they gained and joined the British in retreat. The Australians made the same com- plaint that we have heard here from the American-Filipino forces in Luzon: “We could have chased them back to Japan if we only had some planes to fight theirs.” Planes Vital to Indies’ Defense. Even if Singapore should fall, military experts assure us, the Netherlands Indies can be defended—provided an adequate number of fighters, pursuit planes and bombers are available. There appears to have been a general tendency to underestimate Japanese air power. Aided by German experts, the Japanese have put to excellent use the hundreds of thousands of tons of raw materials they imported from the United States, Great Britain and the Indies. ‘While most experts seem to have es‘i- mated the Japanese air arm at about 4,500 planes, it appears that they have at least 7.000 combat machines. sAgainst this formidable air arm the Allies have & mere token force in the Far East. British-American production ultimate- Yy will amount to six or seven times the number of planes the Axis powers can Pproduce, but it will take time and mean- > 1 By Constantine Brown. while our production must be divided among the Pacific, the Mediterranean and Russia. In many quarters it is feared that com- ing military developments in North Africa and the Near East will require that a large proportion of our present plane production be diverted to that re- gion. Moreover, the Russians expect to be reinforced before the end of spring, for the “anti-German weather” which has helped them put Hitler’s legions on the run will end sometime in April. The Russians are advancing bravely and have gained important successes; but | they themselves admit that if the Fuehrer is successful in _the Medi{erra- nean operations he is believed to be planning, he will return in full force against the U. S. S. R. by May. In order fo withstand his renewed attacks the Russian armies must be provided with swarms of planes. The Russians so far have received little assistance from the United States and Great Britain. They have fought prin- cipally on what they produced before the German invasion in June. Their in- dustrial regions, even if they are com- pletely reoccupied, will not be able to produce much any time soon. The indus- trial centers which have escaped Nazi invasion continue to turn out tanks and planes, but their number is a long way from being adequate. Hence, for military and political reasons, the administration here believes that all of Moscow's re- quests for planes and other war material must be promptly answered. Considering the present rate of pro- duction in the United States and Great Britain it will be difficult for these two suppliers to provide war materials—espe- cially planes—to all those who need them. Hitler Held Prime Objective. The Russians and British are still firm- 1y convinced that the battle against Hit- ler in Europe is of paramount importance and that once the Nazis are defeated the Nipponese are certain to collapse, per- mitting the United Nations to repossess their Far Eastern property without effort. This point of view is opposed by the Australians, the Dutch and the Cana- dians, and to a certain extent by the South Americans, some of whom are facing a momentous decision on whether to back us to the limit or maintain a watchful semineutrality. In Washington, where military and naval experts have learned to hold their tongues, there is no audible reaction to the war plans as established by President Roosevelt and Prime Minister Churchill, but -there is no question that most of our military and naval men believe that to stop the Japanese is far more im- portgnt right now than anything else. The British and Russians are suffi- ciently well equipped to resist the Nazis and the Italians. The loss of our bases in the Pacific is considered, how- ever, to be a major tragedy not only for us but for the entire British Empire. It can have incalculable consequences not only militarily but politically as well, Singapore is regarded as more or less of a lost proposition. There is a vague possibility that it may be held against the Japanese, but it is a very long shot. The fortress’ defense was based on the hundreds of miles of jungle between the island itself and the points of invasion in Northern Malaya; on close co-operation between Singapore’s defend- ers and the French in Tnd>-Chi on the prompt arrival of large nav air forces, based on the Philippines and Singapore and capable of raiding the Jap's lines of communication. Purther- more, it was based on the presence of & large British naval and air force in and around the Gibraltar of the Far East. All these have now disappeared or never materialized. Whatever hope is still entertained for Singapore arises from the chance of prompt arrival of an air force from the Netherlands Indies and from the activity of Admiral Thomas C. Hart's warships. If Singapore goes the Allies’ heavy ships will find it dif- ficult to maintain themselves in the Western Pacific and the strategy to be adopted will be founded on raids by | light craft—cruisers, destroyers and sub- marines. 1If reinforcements are rushed as rapidly | as possible, there is a good chance that at least the Netherlands Indies may | be held as a base for further operations against the Japanese. It is also be- lieved that in the event all the neces- sary air force is rushed to Burma and India, the Japanese will be prevented from penetrating deeply into those re- gions, But if these territories were to fall into the hands of the Japanese the situation of the United Nations would become most precarious. Any victories | that the Russians win in Europe would | be of little avail either to us or the | British, Chinese Have Big Role. In the long-range planning to defeat, the Axis, the Chinese have a definite and most important role. Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek has definite plans which could be brought to fruition in the next 12 months. But Chiang must be in position to receive war material —planes and small arms—from his pres- ent Allies. The Burma road is ghe only remain- ing line of communication between China and her Allies. Should this fall into the hands of the Japanese, there would be little hope for Chiang to con- tinue his resistance. He has rejected all kinds of proposals submitted to him by the Japanese through the Nazis. He knows that peace with the Axis would mean the end of all his hopes for a really. independent China. So long as there is a glimmer of hope he will fight. But should the Japanese succeed in gaining a foothold in Burma, it is questionable how long the Chinese gen- eralissimo would be able to continue the struggle. While the plans of the AxM can be only guessed at, the Japs appear from their position to jhave two roads open to them. If Singapore and the Indies fall into their hands, they may ad- vance westward, attempt to stir up trou- ble in India, invade Burma in the hope of crushing Chiang Kai-shek’s re- sistance and organize a vast sweeping movement from Asia to Europe. ‘The other possibility is to strike at Australia. This is worrying the Can- berra government considerably, and its fears have been communicated with un- mistakable force to President Roosevelt and Prime Minister Churchill. The pos- sibility of a Japanese move toward Australia is no longer hypothetical, Under these ciréumstances, whatever the future plans of the Japs may be, an immediate concentration of all our activities in the Pacific is of vital im- portance. The probable fall of Singa- pore makes such & move on our part | even more compelling than ever. Johore Strait, which divides Singapore from Malay mainland. In one day the Japanese drove their forward march to within 60 miles of Singapore, the troops operating on the west- ern side of Malaya reaching Batu Pahat. On the east side, Japanese forces were reported to have reached the Endau area, 75 miles north of Johore Strait. While the invaders continued to fight their way by land toward their great prospective prize, they sought to frighten it and weaken it from above, with bomb- ing raids of an intensity which recalled the bombings of London in the autumn Singapore Thredtened of 1940. The toll in Singapore after the | bombings of Wednesday alone were 304 killed and 725 wounded. The defending armiles' in Malaya on Thursday opened a counteroffensive, principally in order to relieve 20,000 Aus- trzlian and Indian troops trapped by the Japanese in the Muar River region. Ex- cept for this thrust, however, the de- fenders continued to move backward. Each day brought a new seat of battle. By the week’s close, the Japanese had gotten far emough southward in Malaya for the eestern and western armies to attempt a junction. North of Malaya the Japanese pressed into Burma, whose Premier, U Saw, was detained by the British last week on the ground that he had been in communica- tion with the Japanese. He is held some place far from Burma. The British on Monday relinquished to Japan the port of Tavoy in Burma. This is one of the fruits of the conquest of Thailand, which was the first accom- plishment of the Japanese war against the world. Burma's southern arm, never more than 75 miles wide, runs alongside Thailand. The British had been using Tavoy—200 miles from Rangoon—as an air base for attacks on Bangkok, Thai- land capital. It is also a center of Burma’'s tin industry. The Japanese drove westward from Thailand in four days to take the town after fighting with imperial troops at Myitta, 12 miles inside the Burma frontier. It is thought the Japenese now ar® using Tavoy as an air base. is accomplishing in Batan has deep meaning for the whole Far Eastern war. Dissatisfled with the course of the battle in Luzon, the Japanese sent new troops there last week, MacArthur's unloading them at Heroes Lingayen Bay, where the first successful in- vaders of the island landed. Now it is said there are 200,000 of these Japanese in Luzon. Nobody reports the exact number of MacArthur's men, but it is thought he is outnumbered 10 to 1. He is pitted against the 14th Japanese Army, commanded by Lt. Gen. Masaharu Hom- 'ma, who is trying to achieve his goal of trepping MacArthur by artillery fire supported by infantry. On the moun- tainous, wild Batan Peninsula aircraft means little, and when planes do appear, the MacArthur men shoot them down. The Japanese are, forced to fight also on Mindanao, it was learned last week through a communique from Gen. Mac- Arthur. He said on Tuesday that sharp fighting was in force between Japanese and Filipino troops 35 miles north of Davao, the chief city of Mindanao, large Southern Philippine island. ‘Two heroes of the Philippines were honored during the week. They were Lt. John D. Bulkeley, U. S. N., who drove | a motor torpedo boet into Binanga Bay and torpedoed a 5,000-ton Japanese ves- | sel, and Maj. Thomas J. H. Trapnell, U. S. A, cavalryman, whom Gen. Mac- Arthur cited for the Distinguished Serv- ice Cross. He burned his bridge behind | him, Lt. Bulkeley carried out his task under heavy enemy fire. His work was the first real test for a type of ship from which the Navy has hoped for fine re- sults, the P. T. They are fast, small boats, never over 75 feet long. They have been practicing quick-raid tactics for two years. They carry four torpedo tubes and can swerve into firing posi- tions where the torpedo stroke is almost Invariably fatel. They mount two 50- B—3 caliber machine guns in each of two tur- rets, which move by compressed air. At 9 knots the boats have a cruising range of 2,000 miles, but that range is greatly reduced when the boats move more speedily. Maj. Trapnell performed his deed of courage on December 22 2t Rosario in La Union Province, Philippine Islands. While his troops retired, Maj. Trapnell remained between them and the oncom- ing hostile !%ees and set fire to a truck on a bridge. He remained in his position until the bridge was afire, when he left in a scout car. He picked up wounded soldiers on his way out of his tight spot to his troops. Gen. MacArthur said: “With complete disregerd of his per- sonal safety, Maj. Trapnell delayed the hostile advance and set an inspiring example to the whole regiment.” %% Other Fronts The British Army's main task is te organize a continental offensive, Sir Archibald Sinclair, Air Minister, told the British House of Commons Thursday in opening debete on the adequacy of British airfield defense against invasion of the British Isles. When the offensive will come nobody predicts in public. In the meantime, thp Russians are carrying out their part of the war by continuing to push the Germans back and weakening the Nazi position against the hour when British troops will re- appear on the European continent. Russian troops are fighting across the ice of Lake Ladoga to relieve Leningrad. They took Kholm, south of Leningrad, 120 miles from Latvia. They took Moz= haisk and beyond Mozhaisk, in the center front, they are pressing the Germans toward Vyazms, perhaps to Smolensk. In the south they are pushing the Gere mans back in the Donets region. But German Gen. Rommel's army in North Africa suddenly counterattacked and drove the British out of Agedabia, & —VAJOR JAP BASES © —ALLIED Tuesday the Japanese, through Thai- land troops, invaded Burma in the region of Myawaddi, about 60 Burma Invaded 2about whose pagodas Kip- ling sang. This zone is well to the north of the push which won Tevoy for the Japanese. It is near the top of the Gulf of Mataban, around which the Japanese would have to drive to reach Rangoon, capital and chief port of Burma and supply harbor for the Burma road. By Wednesday the Thai troops had advanced 15 miles to Kawkareik. Just as they herald their approach in other regions by bombing Rabaul and Singapore, the Japanese have been bombing Rangoon. They have found it costly, however. The Japanese lost 17 of 60 planes in a raid on Rangoon Friday. In the midst of all this good fortune, the Japanese had some bad luck in the Indies waters. The Dutch bombed Kuching, the Sarawak capital held by the Japanese. Five American-made bombers fighting for the Dutch downed nine Japanese interceptor planes in an aerizl dogfight over an airfield held by the Japanese at Menado in Northeast Celebes. North of the Celebes, around the Jolo Archipelago of the Philippine Islands, in the Sulu Sea, six American Army bombers sank a Jap cruiser. This brought to 40 the total number of Japa- nese war craft and other vessels sunk by United States military and naval action. The Far Eastern war’s epic of heroism and determination is being written by Gen. MacArthur. Every day he holds out means that the Japanese will have fewer troops that day to use in Malaya or Burma or at other points. Every passing day means that new supplies and reinforcements are a day closer to Malaya and Burma. So what MacArthur Wars Shaped Roosevelt's Desfiny (Continued from Page B-1.) Edsel Ford gave funds to build inclosed pools for patients to swim in. In 1934 all the proceeds of the first Roosevelt birthday anniversary celebra- tion went to the Warm Springs Founda- tion. The amount raised that year was $1,016,443. The following year Warm Springs got no part of the proceeds of the birthday parties, most of the money being left in local communities for work on infantile paralysis there, the balance going to research. In 1936 and 1937 the money was divided, 30 per cent for Warm Springs, 70 per cent for the localities where it ‘was raised. It was in the latter year that the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis was formed. In 1938 all the money from the birthday celebration went to the national foundation which has sponsored & wide range of research in universities and public laboratories throughout the country. For example, the Michigan Department of Health at Lansing, Mich., was given $12,900 in 1941 “to continue studies of the prophylactic and therapeutic action of a variety of substances on St. Louis encephalitis and poliomyglitis infections in mice and- cot- ton rats.” So successful have the birthday cele- brations been as a money-raising device that jealousy has in€vitably been aroused among other charitable and resgarch organizations. The amount raised in 1938 was $1,010378. For 1939 it was $1,349,383, for 1940, $1,423,924, and for 1941, $1,007,594. According to the 1941 report, the foundation now has a general reserve of $1,163,365. The policy since 1939 has been to divide the money 50-50 between the foundation and the in which it is raised. ‘The research sponsored by the founda- tion which has received the most atten- tion is, of course, that into the method of treatment of infantile paralysis origi- nated by Nurse Elizabeth Kenny of Australia. Foundation funds brought Nurse Kenny to the University of Minne- sota and there provided her with facil- ities for demonstrating her system of treating the after affects of the disease. This method is in many respects a com- plete reversal of the immobilization technique whereby the stricken patient is put in a cast or is strapped down. Even in the midst of a wap crisis that finds him burdened with undreamed of responsibilities and powers, the Presi- dent takes time to consider this project that grew out of his own misfortune. Last Saturday he had Mr. O'Connor down from New York for lunch tc dis- cuss the work of the foundation and the forthcoming celebration. With his extraordinary memory for details he can bring out of the past facts and figures that even Mr. O’Connor may have momentarily forgotten. That is one measure of the man who dominates our time. He goes from the mzap room, where with pins and flags and symbols the movements of the armed forces of the world are recorded from hour to hour, into this other atmosphere, the small but important de- tails of an experiment in human re- habilitation. For him there is seemingly no strangeness in the transition. He moves as familiarly in the world of war as in the world of peace. N '\ o communities miles north of Moulmein— | TROUBLE SHOOTER FOR U. S. Steinhardt Lives Out of Suitcase By Gladwin Hill, Wide World News. Laurence Steinhardt, our new Ambas- sador to the international hot-spot of Turkey, finds that one of the major problems of being an ace diplomatic trouble shooter is that people are for- ever pestering you for the “inside dope” —which nine times out of ten, he wishes he could find out himself. A compensating advantage he finds is that, living out of a suitcase a lot of the time, you always have a handy, ro- | mantic-sounding excuse for not getting dressed up for dinners. At the moment, just back from three hectic years as Ambassador to Russia, he is working out of three suitcases, has just three suits to his name, one threadbare, and is hoping he'll get a chance to pick up a couple more before he takes off in a few days for Turkey. It's been like this for nearly 10 years. Mr. Steinhardt, a tall, dark, genial, shrewd former New York lawyer, who | looks much younger than his 49 years, | started off in 1933 as Minister to Swe- den, was made Ambassador to Peru for the important Lima Pan-American Con- ference of 1937; and in 1939 was whisked fo Russia, where he handled the United States’ important, ticklish interests in- volved in the Russian-Finnish war, the City of Flint affair, and Germany’s in- vasion of Russia. Matched Against Von Papen. Turkey, an important passageway be- tween Europe, Asia and Africa, has man- aged to stay neutral in a tug-of-war be- tween the Axis and the Allies and has recently been disclosed as beneficiary of a $100,000,000 United States lease-lend program. In Ankara, Mr. Steinhardt will be coping with the machinations of the wily Franz von Papen, who has been trying without conspicuous success to | soften up Turkey for possible passage of German troops to critical fronts. But Mr. Steinhardt has a long record of smooth handling of knotty problems. One of his credos has long been: “There’s an amicable solution to every controver- sial question.” As a lawyer, he gained a reputation for effecting reconciliations in divorce | cases and compromises. For the Arch- duchess Marie Louise of Austria he re- covered a $400,000 Napoleon necklace about which there had been a sale mis- | understanding. He had Lily Langtry for a client. In a row between Nijinsky and the Metropolitan Opera, Mr. Stein- hardt wangled for the dancer the high- est salary ever paid a stage artist—$3,750 for 18 minutes of work. In 1933, after working for the election of President Rooseévelt, whom he had | known since the '20s, he was made Min- ister to Sweden, and settled an interna- tional law suit over a“coal bill which had been a clinker in United States-Swedish relations for 12 years. He straightened out the complicated aftermath of Ivar Kreuger’s financial collapse and put through the Swedish-American trade treaty. Although he has not had a home of his own for 10 years, Mr. Steinhardt has ‘worked up a nice affinity for sumptuous dwellings. In Stockholm a fluke enabled him to rent cheaply the “finest home in Sweden,” a publisher’'s mansion, with a swimming pool, squash courts, electric elevators and a Turkish bath. At Moscow, he inherited Spasso House, the United States Embassy established and decorated by his wealthy predeces- sor, Joseph E. Davies, which was even bigger than the Swedish place and had the first air-conditioning system in Russia. Trusts the Press. It's not so luxurious now, because all its windows have been blown out pe- riodically by bombs. Mr. Steinhardt sent his wife and 15-year-old daughter to Stockholm the day before Germany invaded Russia, but kept on living at the Embassy himself, with a fluctuating household of diplomatic staffers and American newspapermen, until the gen- eral Government exodus to Kuibyshev. Although no publicity hound, Mr. Steinhardt likes the company of news- papermen and never worries about their disclosing off-the-record matters. “There have been a dozen times in my career when newspapermen could have caused me headaches by letting out deli- cate matters. but none has ever violated = confidence,” he says. LAURENCE STEINHARDT, Ambassador to Turkey. —Underwood Photo. It is traditional that being a diplomat is an unprofitable occupation, but Mr. Steinhardt has not found any difficulty living within his $17.500 salary. He re= fuses to have a personal secretary, ex- plaining, “I like to be responsible for any mistakes I make.” He dictates his cor= respondence to Embassy clerks, answers his phone himself and even writes out | his own invitations, menus and place cards for ambassadorial dinners. Mr. Steinhardt acquired a bare work- ing knowledge of Russian, although his wife—daughter of a New York invest- ment banker—picked it up quickly. Both she and their daughter Dulcie Ann speak seven languages. Mr. Steinhardt speaks French, German, Spanish and Swedish, and doesn't expect to have much trouble in Turkey, because the higher-ups there speak French. He never has been there, and it is about the only place he hasn't been. He had crossed the Atlantic 70 times before he took up diplomatic work. “When I was young, I used to like to travel,” he says, & bit ruefully. Family Away Seven Months. “He hasn't seen his family or heard from them except in cables for seven months. They lived in Stockholm until November, when he started home from Moscow and they went down to Ankara to wait for him. That was the flight on which he and Maxim Litvinoff and several corres- peats were missing for several days dur- ing a series of forced landings in a South Russian blizzard. “I wouldn't give a nickel to go through that again” he says. “But I'd give $1,000 not to have missed it.” He flew back to the United States via Cairo, East Africa and South America, 15,000 miles in 14 days, going from 27 below in Russia to 110 above in Egypt, and fouching five continents in nine days. Since he got back, he has been shut- tling between Washington and New York, conferring with 15 or 20 people a day In preparation for going to Turkey, and writing about 40 letters a day. One day’s mail included letters from a Government official who wanted to talk about Turkey, a friend whose son couldn’t get in the Army because he was too fat (“I can’t make him any thin- ner . .."), a Hollywood executive with a movie proposition, and a publisher who wanted him to write a book (“He knows I can't write while I'm in the service™)— all small matters, but requiring ansyers. Mr. Steinhardt's father was a steel- ware manufacturer. He was born in New York, went to Columbia University Law School, and quickly got a national reputation as a medical law expert. This resulted from the fact that, due to family ilinesses, he spent most of his time for five years around the Lenox Hill Hospital, and boned with the successive classes of interns until he knew more than they did, and wound up by conduct- ing cram sessions for them. Mr. Steinhardt has long been known as a walking information bureau. These days he wishes he even had the time to walk. *}: -