I have appointed Mr. Norman Davis, who was formerly the Under Secretary of State, as a member of the delegation to the Disarmament Conference.

In my message to Congress I suggested that the Engineers continue to administer Rivers and Harbors as in the past.

I would put it parallel with the merchant marine reorganization.

Your annual Christmas service held at the foot of a living tree antedating the birth of Christ, is a dramatic and inspiring event of national interest.

It symbolizes and vivifies our greatest Christian festival with its eternal message of unselfishness, joy and peace.

It is not intended by this order to give any publicly owned lands a national-forest status which have hitherto not had such status nor to remove any publicly owned lands from a national-forest status.

No part of the debt owing to us has been cancelled or reduced; the postponed amounts are repayable over a period of about 10 years with interest at 4 percent.

In saving the collapse of Germany by the year's postponement the American people have done something greater than the dollars and cents gained from the maintenance of our agricultural markets, the prevention of panic and unlimited losses.

I have signed the act authorizing the foreign debt postponement for one year.

While I see little objection to the day following Christmas in order that Federal employees may have an opportunity to join their families out of town, I do not feel that we should extend the holidays at New Year's.

I have received requests from Federal employees in the District that they should be given two periods of holidays so as to cover the Saturday following Christmas Day, and from New Year's Day until January 4.