Thalassocrats

The tail swells of a West Indian hurricane are not conducive to sleep aboard an ocean liner, no matter how big. Yet it was a cheerily smiling James Ramsay MacDonald who stepped out of the side of the Berengaria and up a little gangway to New York City's official welcoming tug, early one morning last week. A band was playing "Rule Britannia," having in mind perhaps that Britannia was about to agree to rule the wave jointly. At just about that moment, Prime Minister MacDonald's political comrades, winding up a party confab in Brighton (Britannia's Atlantic City), were listening not only to Socialism's anthem, "The Red Flag," but also to "Auld Lang Syne." Aboard the tug to greet Britannia's chief were such famed U. S. citizens as Walter P. Chrysler (motors), Merlin H. Aylesworth (radio), Jules Semon Bache (art), Patrick Edward Crowley (railroads), John William Davis (law), William Thompson Dewart, Adolph S. Ochs, Bernard Herman Ridder, Ogden Mills Reid (news), Jesse Isidor Straus (drygoods), Morris Hillquit and Norman Thomas (socialism), Felix Warburg (money). The Prime Minister eyed their smiling faces at the rail, sniffed the brisk harbor air and descended to the tug's warm cabin, filled with handshaking and the aroma of coffee. New York City's officials and committee having interposed, Secretary of State Henry Lewis Stimson and British Ambassador Sir Esme Howard were waiting on shore. A motor cortege whisked the tug party to the City Hall, where Mayor James John Walker--who two years ago kept Mr. MacDonald waiting in the anteroom--orated that "in your welcome, the sky is the limit." A clerk caused England, which was listening in by radio, to chuckle when he misread the visitor's title as "Prime Minister of the United States." Norman Thomas, leader of the Socialist Party in the U. S., murmured: "I second that." The clerk explained: "I was only expressing a hope, Sir." Mr. MacDonald to Mayor Walker: "That's high treason, is it not?" Keynote No. 1. On the Berengaria, on the tug and now again in his first U. S. speech, Britain's Prime Minister explained that: 1) he came as his nation's, not his party's, representative; 2) he sought no alliances ("these belong to the old bad order of things"); 3) he wanted to advance no material interest but to "pledge ourselves to common aspirations . . . that our two flags, wherever the work of God is to be done in this world, will be flying side by side." Ride. After his New York speech, during which he loosed a great amount of visibly genuine emotion, the already strenuous events of the day began to tell on the erect, white-haloed figure. He was glad to slump into a chair on the private car of President William Wallace Atterbury of the Pennsylvania R. R. for the ride to Washington. He lingered over luncheon, was still at table when newshawks tapped at the window in Philadelphia. "Hey, Mac!" they shouted, "Come on out ! Just one word for Philadelphia !" He grinned, went to the platform, said he was glad to be there again. (He was there two weeks in 1927, abed with throat trouble). They told him about the World Series (see p. 22). "I hope you win," he said. "Be careful," said Statesman Stimson as the train pulled out. "Chicago's in it too." Washington. Berry, the Prime Minister's valet, and Inspectors Walter Dew and Victor White, his Scotland Yard attendants, may well have been surprised to hear the cannonading and bugle-blowing that went up as their chief, self-styled "missionary of peace," detrained in Washington to find a full-dress military reception. Green, Blue, Red. After visiting the British Embassy and pausing about 75 minutes, part of the motorcade reformed and the Prime Minister was taken to the President. He waited in the Green Room while Ambassador Howard went in to see the President in the Blue Room. Then Sir Esme came back, fetched James Ramsay MacDonald and the historic handshake of the trip took place. Mr. MacDonald introduced his daughter, apple-cheeked Ishbel. In the Red Room, Mrs. Hoover was waiting. President Hoover took his callers to her. Mrs. Hoover, Ishbel and Lady Isabella Howard at once began to chat, joined by Statesman Stimson. President and Prime Minister stood apart, talking earnestly for twelve minutes. Keynote No. 2. Back at the British Embassy some 30 minutes later, the Prime Minister received about 200 newsgatherers. "All that I put in a plea for is that disagreement never be aggravated by misunderstanding," he said. "Neither your President, I believe, nor myself--I can certainly talk for myself-- have any idea of spending much time in discussing details. We should like to survey together the large and wide, the high and deep problems of international peace." The Conversations. Into the Blue Ridge Mountains next day to do that surveying repaired President and Prime Minister. The world press waited. Not only had it no "details" to report but it could not even see the two talkers. Long, inspired screeds were written against the emotional background of the moment, establishing only two concrete facts: 1) Britain and the U. S. would agree to keep their fleets equal, the degree of potency probably being dependent upon what Britain considers her world-wide requirements. 2) Britain, with the U. S. concurring, would issue an invitation to France, Italy and Japan to discuss at London the reduction of all fleets so that the U. S.-British level of potency may be as low as possible. Reporter Hoover. On Sunday the President telephoned in to Washington (see p. 13) and told his secretary to tell the world that the Five-Power Parley invitations would go out at once. Conference date: January 20. Orator MacDonald. On Monday, the Prime Minister addressed the Senate. Aside from his keynotes (see above), his gist was this: "Gratifying progress has been made and the conversations are continuing." His mood was this: "Ah, Senators! As long as you conduct your negotiations by correspondence over thousands of miles of sea, you will never understand each other at all. In these democratic days when heart speaks to heart as deep speaks to deep and silence talks to silence, personality, personal contact, exchange of views by the lip, sitting at two sides of a fireplace--as it was my great privilege to do this week with your President--these things are to be as important as anything else in laying the foundation of an enduring peace all over the world." Worldwide echoes of the MacDonald visit:

P: The Vatican's official organ, Osservatore Romano, published an editorial entitled: "Ship Ahoy!" Excerpt: "The Statue of Liberty might well be transformed into a statue of hope. . . . Glory to God!"

P: In Cambridge, Mass., Sophomore Lawrence B. Cohen Jr., president of Harvard's Socialist Club, was arrested for handing out pamphlets expressing a Socialist welcome to the Socialist Prime Minister. Excerpt: "Do not be deceived; MacDonald is not a public menace, but he is a Socialist, and Labor candidates said last spring, 'We are not concerned with patching up the rents in a bad system, but with transforming Capitalism into Socialism.' " Next day Socialist Cohen told newsgatherers he expected his father, said to be a wealthy Manhattan attorney, would disinherit him because "he has no sympathy with my statements."

P: Malcolm MacDonald, second son, sailed from Vancouver to attend the Institute of Pacific Relations in Kyoto. He received radio bulletins about his triumphal father.

P: British pedants applied a new name to the Messrs. Hoover and MacDonald-- "thalassocrats," from Greek words meaning "sea" and ''power.''