The President's News Conference

UNITED STATES CUSTOMS COURT

THE PRESIDENT. I am able to confirm the appointment of Congressman [David H.] Kincheloe of Kentucky as a member of the Customs Court in New York. That is a Democratic vacancy, and, as the Court is very much crowded with work, I felt it desirable to make an interim appointment at once.

Q. Mr. President, you say this appointment is being made now ?

THE PRESIDENT. Yes.

COMMISSIONER OF NARCOTICS

I have also appointed Mr. [H. J.] Anslinger, who is the Acting Commissioner of Narcotics, to be the Commissioner of Narcotics. As you know, he has been the deputy under the old arrangement, and will now become the head of the Bureau that was created by the last session of Congress.

MISSION TO THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

I have also asked Mr. Eliot Wadsworth, of Boston, to go to Santo Domingo on a special mission for the Government. After consultation with the Santo Domingan Government we thought it desirable to send someone to discuss the whole question of Santo Domingan treaties, with view to development of some financial assistance to Santo Domingo in their reconstruction. And Mr. Wadsworth is very much fitted for the work, because he has not only been one of the principal men in the Red Cross, directing the work there, but also, as you know, he has been Assistant Secretary of the Treasury and has had a lot to do with foreign financial adjustments hitherto. ¹

¹ Eliot Wadsworth visited Santo Domingo from October 2 to October 9, 1930. On November 21, he submitted a report to the President reviewing the economic and financial of the country and the effects of the September 3 hurricane disaster.

REPORT ON POST OFFICE LEASES

We have had in hand a report from the Postmaster General on Post Office leases for some time, to which I have been giving study. We have completed a resume of it, and will issue you both the resume and the report. But as it is a very long and technical document, with a lot of figures and tabulations, it will be more convenient for you to have it released for Thursday morning so as to get it out tomorrow instead of summarizing it. So that you will get it some time this afternoon but put a release on it for Thursday morning.

That is all I have.