Strangers

A manner makes a difference at the White House. Several weeks ago a well-dressed young man walked briskly up the White House Steps, nodded amiably to the guards, pressed through the front door and strolled unchallenged into the dining room where President Hoover was alone. There he dropped his fine manner, began to talk rapidly, wildly. Realizing his danger before this stranger, the President conversed courteously with him, humored him, until a guard entered to lead the intruder away. A mighty shake-up occurred among the President's bodyguards.

Last week to the executive office lobby went Clark Brown of Climax, Mich. He, too, had a manner and for three hours sat at a table scribbling a message to the President. He went away to return again at noon, insistent upon putting in the Hoover hand his message--"The Final Edict of Heaven and Earth." When he was stopped, he became violent, lost his manner, tussled until bodyguards overpowered and hospitalized him. Hoover bodyguards are now on their toes, manner or no manner.

P:Also to the White House last week went another young man, well-dressed and with a manner. His wife and two children were with him.

"I wish to see Mr. Hoover," he said politely to the guard.

"Have you an appointment?"

"Yes, I telephoned Mr. Hoover."

The guard went away, returned, said: "I'm sorry but the President isn't in."

"Oh," explained the well-mannered young man, "I don't want to see President Hoover, but Ike Hoover."

Head Usher Irwin Hood Hoover of the White House warmly greeted the young man whom he well remembered as Archie Roosevelt.

P:Last week President Hoover nominated: Charles Calvin Moore of Idaho as Land Office Commissioner; Horace Paul Bestor of St. Louis as head of the Federal Farm Loan Board, succeeding Eugene Meyer Jr., resigned.

P:Last week President Hoover wrote curtly to U. S. District Attorney William A. Degroot of Brooklyn, N. Y.: "You are hereby removed from office . . . effective immediately." Cause: inefficiency.

P:Last week President Hoover signed bills to: Appropriate $340,815.08 for the expenses of the special session of Congress; make available $4,250,000 to combat fruit flies in Florida.

P:Casualty in the Hoover medicine-ball game:* William Hard, slight punditical newsman. Stopping a powerful throw, he slipped, sprained his ankle, needed crutches. "Hard luck," said the other players.

P:President & Mrs. Hoover last week broke a precedent by giving a private dinner for Belgian Ambassador & Princess de Ligne. They had a good reason (see p. 11).

P:"A blank cartridge fired against a blank wall"President Hoover heard that that was how potent Publisher William Randolph Hearst described the Hoover speech to the Associated Press on law enforcement (see p. 34).

* The Hoover weight has been reduced from 198 to 185 Ibs. in two months.