GUARDED SECRET
M. MOLOTOV’S VISIT TO WASHINGTON
EPISODE WITH COMIC ASPECTS.
STROLLS THAT CAUSED
ANXIETY.
Keeping secret the visit of Soviet Foreign Commissar Vyacheslaff M. Molotov was one of the dizzest experiences Washington has ever gone through, wrote Mr Richard L. Strout, in the “Christian Science Monitor.” It began like a passage out of a romantic novel of the Balkans; it carried through into incidents that had a comic aspect, and wound up with a closer unity between three great nations fighting Nazism. The result was spectacular, but the day-to-day developments were often quaint and incongruous. First news came to all Washington news bureaus from the censorship authorities, declaring reticently: “Only the White House will be considered the ‘appropriate authority’ for any report on the visit of a distinguished Russian personage.” “Appropriate authority” is a technical term used in the voluntary code of censorship under which wartime newspapers operate. The announcement didn't say who the “distinguished Russian personage” was. Washington correspondents scratched their heads. That was the beginning of the com-edy-mystery-romance. PLANE AHEAD OF TIME. Out of the sky on May 29 arrived at a local airport a big Red Army bomber, four hours ahead of time. It was reportedly the same Russian plane on which M. Molotov had arrived in Britain the week before, for the negotiation of the 20-year treaty of alliance, which the mild mannered Russian had in his pocket when he reached America. All members of the crew were Russians and had been decorated in the war. M. Molotov proved a difficult secret to keep. He had been travelling over half the globe so he was given. a chance to take a rest before dining' with the President on his first evening at the White House. But instead of resting, the Russian visitor preferred to stretch cramped legs. He strolled through the White House grounds, which have a commanding view of the Washington Monument. He was in full view of thousands of Government workers trooping from offices to homes and buses. But nobody recognised him or if they did, it wouldn’t have done any good for the newspapers were sewed up. They couldn’t write about “a distinguished Russian personage.” The day after his arrival, May 30, President Roosevelt invited in the Vice-President, the Secretary of State, and a few military and congressional leaders to lunch with M. Molotov. A PROTESTING GUARD. M. Molotov’s penchant for strolling caused difficulties. Once an excited guard pursued him down Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the Executive Mansion. “Hey, come back, don’t you know you’re a military secret?” he expostulated. Vyacheslaff Mikailovich Molotov meekly returned. It is reported, however, that he had bought a bag of peanuts from Steve Vasilakos, who holds a wheel-stand concession, through Presidential courtesy, nearest the White House. At the White House, M. Molotov was known as “Mr Brown,” in order to prevent betrayal by inadvertent use of his name.
The second day of his visit, “Mr Brown” was moved over to the historic yellow-and-white Blair Mansion, across from the White House, now used by the Government as a residence for distinguished guests. Passing crowds noticed two policemen always mysteriously standing at the front entrance. All sorts of stories developed which will doubtless gather detail in the future. One policeman stationed outside was heard to comment: “I don’t know who this guy is, but he is sure getting a lot of attention.”
Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/WAITA19420804.2.43
Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka
Wairarapa Times-Age, 4 August 1942, Page 4
Word count
Tapeke kupu
565GUARDED SECRET Wairarapa Times-Age, 4 August 1942, Page 4
Using this item
Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi
Stuff Ltd is the copyright owner for the Wairarapa Times-Age. You can reproduce in-copyright material from this newspaper for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International licence (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0). This newspaper is not available for commercial use without the consent of Stuff Ltd. For advice on reproduction of out-of-copyright material from this newspaper, please refer to the Copyright guide.