The dead ashes of some exciting diplomatic history were stirred last week when President Roosevelt put back into the State Department a wealthy young Philadelphian named William Christian Bullitt. Fourteen years ago the name of Bullitt brought forth resounding Democratic curses. His career as a budding diplomat seemed forever blasted. He was denounced as a betrayer of official secrets, a traitor to Woodrow Wilson, because he dared to criticize that President's high-flown peace plans. He did what he thought was his public duty and for it paid a terrible price in personal abuse.
So far has the world spun since stormy 1919 and its passions of peace that last week found Mr. Bullitt, now bald, slender and 42, comfortably settled in Washington as a special assistant to Secretary of State Hull. He was there to put his wide foreign experiences, his intimate contacts with European statesmen at the Government's disposal for the pre-World Conference conversations at the White House (see p. 9). The Bullitt career seemed on the point of a second and brighter blooming.
Before the Philadelphia City Hall stands a statue of John Christian Bullitt who was Diplomat Bullitt's grandfather. His father made much money in the coal business. "Bill" Bullitt went to Yale where with a good mind and a ready tongue he quickly distinguished himself as a writer and debater. He made Phi Beta Kappa and was graduated in 1912. Back in Philadelphia, he joined the staff of the Public Ledger as a cub, rose to an editorial job, went to Sweden on Henry Ford's peace ship in 1915. Next year he married Ernesta Drinker, daughter of the president of Lehigh University. Their wedding trip was spent behind the French and Russian fronts as guests of German High Command. When the U. S. joined the War, the State Department quickly snapped up the services of "Bill" Bullitt as an expert on German and Austrian affairs and put him in charge of Central European information.
Because of his ability he was picked to accompany President Wilson and the U. S. Peace Commission to Paris as chief of the division of current intelligence. Col. House gave him President Wilson's original draft of the League of Nations covenant, inscribed: "In appreciation of your help in an hour of need."
In February 1919, Diplomat Bullitt, with Journalist Lincoln Steffens, was entrusted with a confidential mission to Russia to make peace overtures to the Soviet Government. Col. House, President Wilson and Prime Minister Lloyd George secretly sponsored this delicate Allied enterprise. Mr. Bullitt spent a week in Moscow and came to terms with Dictator Lenin. On his return to Paris his peace proposal, involving recognition of the Bolshevist regime, was suddenly tossed into the waste basket by Messrs. Wilson and Lloyd George. One explanation for its junking was that General Kolchak's White advance seemed about to upset the Red government of Russia.