Washington, May 15.
A vigorous undercover scramble was under waw here today for the post of High Commissioner to the Philippines, one of the judest political plums which can be bestowed by the President.
The post pays $18,000 annually and will be vacated this summer by the present High Commissioner, Mr. Paul V. McNutt, who arrived in Shanghai today' en route to the United States.
The most frequently mentioned possible successor to Mr. McNutt is Mr. Francis B. Sayre, Assistant Secretary. of State. He is leading the Administration fight to ease the economic shock to the Philippines after Philippine Independence in 1946, Others mentioned for the post include Mr. Frank Murphy, present Attorney General and Mr. McNutt's predecessor in the Philippines post; Mr. Henry Morgenthau, Secretary of the Treasury: Gen. Maun Craig, retiring Army Chief of Staff; and Mr, J. Weldon Jones, acting High Commissioner and financial adviser to Mr. McNutt. Mr. Jones is a friend of the Vice-President. Mr. John N. Garner.
Congressional circles report that Mr. Sayre has been promised the post if his Philippines legislative programme is successful.
Mr. Murphy's supporters say he might accept the position after he finishes the clean-up campaign he has launched since becoming Attorney-General.
Gen. Craig is being backed as a counterpart to the appointment of Admiral William Leahy, retiring Chief of Naval Operations, who has been nominated Governor of Puerto Rice.
The possibility that a Jewish refugee colony may be established in the Philippines was pointed out as one of the main arguments for the appointment of Mr. Morgenthau to succeed the present High Commissioner—United Press.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.