State Department has the duty to deal with foreign
affairs--the especial duty--and yet no man in the State Department
has been here since the war began. This doesn't look pretty and it
won't look pretty when the much over-worked "future historian"
writes it down in a book. Remove that grievance.

The most interesting thing going on in the world to-day--a thing
that in History will transcend the war and be reckoned its greatest
gain--is the high leadership of the President in formulating the
struggle, in putting its aims high, and in taking the democratic
lead in the world, a lead that will make the world over--and in
taking the democratic lead of the English-speaking folk. Next most
impressive to that is to watch the British response to that lead.
Already they have doubled the number of their voters, and even more
important definite steps in Democracy will be taken. My aim--and
it's the only way to save the world--is to lead the British in this
direction. They are the most easily teachable people in our way of
thinking and of doing. Of course everybody who works toward such an
aim provokes the cry from a lot of fools among us who accuse him of
toadying to the English and of "accepting the conventional English
conclusion." They had as well talk of missionaries to India
accepting Confucius or Buddha. Their fleet has saved us four or
five times. It's about time we were saving them from this bloods
Thing that we call Europe, for our sake and for theirs.

The bloody Thing will get us all if we don't fight our level best;
and it's only by _our_ help that we'll be saved. That clearly gives
us the leadership. Everybody sees that. Everybody acknowledges it.
The President authoritatively speaks it--speaks leadership on a
higher level than it was ever spoken before to the whole world. As
soon as we get this fighting job over, the world procession toward
freedom--our kind of freedom--will begin under our lead. This being
so, can't you delegate the writing of telegrams about "facilitating
the license to ship poppy seed to McKesson and Robbins," and come
over and see big world-forces at work?

I cannot express my satisfaction at Secretary Baker's visit. It was
historic--the first member of the Cabinet, I think, who ever came
here while he held office. He made a