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Show U. S. Embassies Are Always Kept Busy s Gossipy Folks From Home and Cranks Take Up Lots of Time London. "I'm awfully sorry the ambassador is away." "I can't tell you how sorry I am that the embassy couldn't arrange an audience for you with the king." "We are sorry, but the office of works will not permit you to climb the dock over the house of parliament." These and fifty or more stock phrases are kept constantly on tap during the summer rush of the American Amer-ican tourist season in Europe, for during dur-ing the rush season thousands ot Americans crowd the American embassy em-bassy here demanding everything from an immediate audience with King George or the prince of Wales to the securing of authority to climb the exterior ex-terior of the clock tower of Westminster West-minster palace or Westminster abbey. Practically everyone who visits Europe from the United States desires to visit one of the embassies or legations lega-tions of his own country. To the American embassy in London, by virtue vir-tue of its central position and rank In Europe, come most people. It has been estimated that telephone calls to the embassy here by people who have no actual business to transact, but "only want to hear an American voice again," average more than fifty a day each taking a precious five or ten minutes' time of a busy secretary or embassy attache. Worries cf U. S. Officials. If telephone callers were the least trouble, the life of an American embassy em-bassy or legation abroad would be a continuous, path of roses, but it Is not, for the callers who present themselves them-selves with passports, letters from friendly congressmen, Introductions from friends in the Department of State at Washington and a thousand others who feel that their "names must be well known over there," are the chief worries of the American government' gov-ernment' foreign representatives. The callers at the American embassy embas-sy during twenty minutes here recently. recent-ly. Included an associate Justice of the Supreme court, who occupied 4i minuses min-uses of the ambassador's time, talking imall town politics, while another foreign for-eign ambassador cooled his heels In hii anteroom, waiting for the ambas-mdor ambas-mdor long after hl:- appointment time; h holder of a minor ofli'-e in the Department De-partment of Education of the state of New York, who wanted the embassy to arrange a tour around England for a middle western college glee club which lie assured the embassy was the "best In the states," and seventeen people c'nmoriiiK for the two tickets to the j- ll'-ry of the house of commons which lire embassy l. daily allotled. Up to the Secretaries. Tli"-c c eunj-i fir C eienl i;i Is do I. ol c-tahli li tiieiri as s i ) f! i ' i '-ri I ly I roiiiiiu nt to warrant a so- ion 0r ' .-i, mm:, II to-, n t:;li: willi a bu-y inu-l..i-' .i l'i r ate (.hunted off on muiic iin-i iin-i ii ,i ci n:'. ie''r' !:ny or couii-ellor. v.l.o e ili.lv it U to -it from one half In I h: I e (i;:i rlIH of ;;ll ho 1 1 T h e;i li h g ,i iW . f,( t.n, i i I he ; ;ii,r I ; m;i home I , and ; till ' .. it t h" I r-: f . v. hii h .:- ei: her al r '.; I n tii!.i n iir.'ii.l Kur"ic or 1 i to In- l:. . si. In an nnniooin of Ihe American embassy here is a man who Is far more busy than any diplomat in the embassy. em-bassy. His name Is Thomas Smith, formerly the courier of the diplomatic pouch between Berlin and London before be-fore the United States entered the war. Having been under tire many times while going through the lines between the two great opposing capitals capi-tals during the war. Smith has long since become accustomed to being under un-der fire of cranks who write long letters let-ters to their home town congressmen or even to the State department protesting pro-testing the "slights and discourteous treatment received at the American embassy In London." Smith's Job Difficult. Smith's position is not an easy one, for upon his hands fall all of the visitors vis-itors at the embassy. Some a rare few have legitimate business to transact; the others have a thousand petty wants and complaints which must be cared for by a small embassy staff. Each, however, must be properly proper-ly cared for and sent away with the impression that he was the most Important Im-portant person who called that day. The casual tourist who wishes merely mere-ly to return home and tell the folks how he called upon the ambassador somewhere In Europe is riot the only pest who takes the embassy attaches from work on long and tedious reports, re-ports, for the crank, who enters the embassy with his hat pulled down over his eyes and a wise look on his face may take hours before he Is gotten rid of. This latter person usually demands to see the ambassador Immediately on a "subject of great national Importance." Impor-tance." Frequently he confides to the doorman that he Is "next to some Important Im-portant and astounding Information." As Is the case with all others he sees some secretary or attache In the embassy. em-bassy. His tale Is a long and tedious one. His story Is usually so absurd that It Is seldom Investigated, while investigations of the Informant haw frequently shown him to be a maniac, and In a number of cases these persons per-sons have proven to be escaped convicts con-victs who have become demented with the constant ftar of the police following follow-ing them. Where They Get Information. In some cases their "information" Is picked up In saloons and flavored with sufficient Imagination to make the story one which they feel the American Amer-ican government would surely be Interested In-terested In. One of the worst fears of n foreign embassy or legation Is for the petty politician the attorney general from I'odunk, or the state legislator from some remote spot. Although his posl Hon may be small, or even laughable to a foreign dignitary, he Inevitably wants to be pre.-ontcd at the palace or expects at least to lunch with the ambassador. am-bassador. It has freqneiitly been found t)'it this type of man actually prefers to be slighted so that he may leave the embassy or legation with great gusto, declaring that he will "write about II to the I'resident and secretary of stale." He frequently does and through the aid of some congressman, who litHe realizes the problems of those stationed abroad, causes some unsuspecting secretary sec-retary much trouble and frequently a shift to another post. |