FUNERAL SERVICE FOR GENERAL PABST 44!

having been Minister since 1923 and Military Attach^ even before
that. He, with Craigie and Romer, was one of my most intimate
colleagues. He was a typical hard-headed Dutchman but personally
agreeable and congenial, and I shall always look back on him as
one of my few most highly valued friends in Japan. I am greatly
depressed at his sudden death, but for him it is a happy release,
for he had, I believe, no close family bonds, being a bachelor, and
the developments brought about by the war must have been a
profound sorrow.

January 25, 1942

Sunday hymns again, which will now become a fixture. These
gatherings are-rather inspiring. The days pass rapidly and the
intervals between Sundays seem short. We are never for a moment
bored, at least I am not, and I doubt if many of the others are,
especially those who have some scholarly work to keep them,
interested.

Dooman is busy writing a very interesting book throwing side-
lights on Townsend Harris9 mission to Japan, derived from Japanese
documents to which he was given access by Count Hotta, the tennis
player, who is a descendant of one of the high Japanese officials,
equivalent to the Foreign Minister, in Harris* time. It is intensely
interesting to see how closely the psychology of Japanese officialdom,
especially of the police, compared with that which we in the Embassy
are facing to-day.

The only members of the staff I am really sorry for are those
few who have no scholarly interests and little or no incentive
to take up a course of profitable reading. Most of them are busy
enough with the daily duties of the chancery and the compound,
including even duties of the swabbing and cleaning gang which
undertakes the job of our departed charwomen in rotation every
morning. But certain members of the staff, I fear, depend too much
upon pure sociability, and to those who are thus dependent, there
must come moments of boredom.

FUNERAL SERVICE FOR GENERAL PABST

January 29, 1942

The Swiss Minister again. He generally has a number of questions
to discuss but he comes every few days in any case, just to keep in
touch. We could not possibly have a better person looking after our
interests ; he has a keen perception of the situation and a business-
man's approach, forceful while exercising great care not to com-
promise bis usefulness by any improprieties or unorthodox procedure.
At the same time his assistant, Hausheer, who also comes constantly,
is equally business-like. Their attitude reminds me closely of that of
the Swiss Charg6 d'Afiaires in Washington in 1917 and 1918 who
had charge of German interests and who used to come to see me at