Statement by the President on the Death of O. Max Gardner.

THE NATION mourns the untimely passing of O. Max Gardner. Great as were his achievements in public and in private life, he was on the threshold of what all his friends were confident would be a career of distinction and further usefulness, in the field of diplomacy.

Whether he turned his talents to the law, to business and industry, or to government, so great and so versatile were his talents that his achievements at once became outstanding.

In Washington, particularly from the war years onward, his counsel was invaluable. In his last official post, that of Under Secretary of the Treasury, his advice was always helpful, particularly in the approach to the solution of those manifold problems of finance and fiscal affairs which reconversion presented.

Keen, kindly, courteous always, rich in humor, delightful as a raconteur, he had also a prodigious capacity for work. To these qualities he added a tact and urbanity which would have served him admirably had he been permitted to assume his duties as our Ambassador to Great Britain.

In his passing I have lost a loyal and devoted personal friend and the country has lost a great American.