Wheat Hero

Not even a Delegate to the World Conference, spry, fox-bearded old Henry Morgenthau Sr. one day last week stole the show. Vaguely correspondents have been conscious that he, as "wheat adviser'' to the U. S. Delegation, was hobnobbing busily with Canadians, Argentines, Australians, Russians. Suddenly they noticed him pumping the hand of Argentine Delegate Tomas Le Breton.

"Congratulations!" crowed Mr. Morgenthau. "Splendid, Senor Le Breton, simply splendid!" Edging nearer, newshawks got their craws full of a wheat story which carried all sorts of newsy implications, such as possible U. S. recognition of the Soviet Union (see p. 12).

Perspiring happily, Uncle Henry Morgenthau* told how he had been working "day and night" since the Conference opened to line up the World's Big Five wheat exporting countries (U. S.. Canada, Russia, Argentina, Australia) in a pact to enforce 15% cuts in their next year's wheat crops and restrict exports. Since rich & pious Canadian Premier Richard Bedford Bennett came to the Conference proposing such a plan he joined forces eagerly with Mr. Morgenthau. Because a wheat pact may lead to diplomatic recognition and because Russia is having a hard time just now to grow a wheat surplus anyway. Uncle Henry found Soviet Foreign Commissar Maxim Maximovich Litvinov willing to cooperate in restricting exports. But down in the Argentine there was the Devil to pay. A stubborn Argentine Senate, egged by small wheat growers, railed against restriction.

Big-fisted President Augustin P. Justo of Argentina fortunately took the Senate on. His instructions to the Argentine Delegation in London, he declared, were to support null efforts to reduce wheat acreage and the Senate be damned! Last week the Senate subsided. In London jubilant Uncle Henry pumped the hand of Argentina's Le Breton, spread his story, rubbed his long bony fingers, declaring "All that remains now is the settlement of actuarial details."

But, as a matter of fact, there remained Australia, a young and frequently obstreperous British dominion. Had rich Mr. Morgenthau, who made his millions in Bronx real estate, forgotten or ignored Australia? By the time newshawks seriously put that question Uncle Henry was already a wheat hero, cackling to everyone his best anecdotes about the days when President Wilson sent him as Wartime Ambassador to Turkey and such yarns as the one about the time he caught Governor Montagu Norman of the Bank of England "with his vest unbuttoned." (Governor Norman, lolling back with unbuttoned vest, refused to loan an additional -L-1,000,000 to Mr. Morgenthau's Greek Refugee Settlement Commission until reminded that the Greek Government could withdraw a -L-2,000,000 gold deposit from the Bank of England and take other steps. While Mr. Morgenthau outlined these steps Mr. Norman petulantly buttoned his vest, snapped "You know too much!" as THE BRONX'S "UNCLE HENRY" . . . was noticed. he popped the last button into place and authorized the loan.)

Australia, according to cables reaching the London Financial Times, stood resolved last week to hold aloof from the Morgenthau wheat pact, thus rendering it unfeasible, but her dynamic Resident Minister in London, Stanley Melbourne Bruce, onetime Premier, kept pestering Australian Premier Joseph Aloysius Lyons daily with long, urgent dispatches at 40-c- per word. Meantime as dry heat seared a U. S. crop already short, wheat soared 13-c- a bushel for the week. Texas wheat hit $1.

*"Uncle" to intimates, "Pa" to his children, "Gramp" to theirs.

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