Salt Lake Tribune | 1918-01-03 | Page 4 | Change is Impending in British Embassy

CHANGE IS IMHDHG 1 BRITISH EMBASSY WASHINGTON, Jan. 2. Sir Cecil Spring-Rice, who has heon British ambassador am-bassador in Washington since May 6, 1913, called at the state department today to-day to say that he was going home on leave of absence. That was as far as j the official statement on the subject went, but it is known that further ,. in-; formation to be given out from London will confirm the reports that come through English newspapers of a general gen-eral and sweeping change in the British Brit-ish diplomatic representation in most of the larger capitals. The purpose of tho reorganization, it is learned, touches the personnel of the embassies rather than the- policies of the British government in its relations with its allies, and it is expressly stated in an authoritative quarter that there is to be no change in these policies connected con-nected with the proescution of the war. Sir Cecil has desired for some time to be relieved of the heavy' duties of the Washington embassy as soon as such a change could be made without detriment to the service. It is known now that when Foreign Minister Balfour Bal-four came to the 1'nited States last spring the ambassador tendered his resignation, res-ignation, to take effect at the convenience con-venience of the foreign, office, and has been awaiting its acceptance since that time. LONDON, Jan. 2. In announcing that Sir Cecil Spring-Rice and Lord Bertie are on the eve of retiring from . the embassies at Washington and Paris, . and in reporting the rumor that Sir George Buchanan is about to resign . from the Petrograd post, . the Daily Chronicle pleads the "urgent need ot bringing fresh bloo'l into a servh-e which has long been divorced from the actualities of modern life. ' ' The paper pa-per asks whether the government had the courage to make a new departure in filling these important posts. It does not crfticise any of the ambassadors, am-bassadors, and especially commends Sir George Buchanan's work, but "speaking "speak-ing broadly, the prestige of the British ambassadorial service stands none too l high today. " It remarks that Viscount Vis-count Bryee was the most successful ' British ambassador in the past decade and hopes that Mr. Lloyd George will follow the example then given by ap- pointing new men. The Daily Chroiii-! Chroiii-! cle . continues: "The time has gone when British in-terests in-terests abroad can be entrusted wisely ,'; to men whose principal qualifications are aristocratic birth or wealth and who it. spend their lives in an atmosphere utterly ut-terly remote from the realities of the modern world and look with disdainful disdain-ful eye on commerfe. ? ' Sir Cecil Spring-Rice became British ambassador to the United States April 19, lflo, in succession to James Brycc. now Viscount Bryce. Lord Bertie" ot Thame has been British ambassador to France since January 1. 1909. Sir Cecil was born in 1859 and Lord Bertie was born in 18-44. Sir George Buchanan was born in 1S54 and was promoted to ambassador to Russia on November 'So, 1910. d