Governor Herter's appointment as Undersecretary of State is a welcome one to those who have become increasingly uneasy about the men conducting American foreign affairs. One can hardly expect a radical change in our foreign policy because of his influence, but it will be reassuring to have a liberal, experienced in diplomacy, sharing a convalescent Mr. Dulles' responsibilities in a period of uncertainty.

Mr. Dulles' illness leaves open the possibility that the man holding the job of Undersecretary will succeed him. It was hardly comforting to think of Herbert Hoover, Jr., the man Herter will replace next month, as Secretary of State. Hoover's blunders on several important occasions have obscured the achievement which won him his job: successfully ending the Iranian oil dispute.

Although he was hired primarily as an administrator, he has been called on to make policy decisions during Dulles' absences. His conduct during the Saudi Arabian tank controversy and his demand that Nationalist China be included as an "equal" in U.S.-Red China negotiations over Formosa were notably inept actions, and certainly disenchanted the White House.

Governor Herter will undoubtedly make a serious effort to fill the void left by Hoover's inadequacy, bringing to the position knowledge and a liberal reputation which has grown since he was appointed an attache at the Embassy in Berlin in 1916. As a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Governor Herter was instrumental in winning support in Congress for the Marshall Plan, and he has served with some distinction as a legislator and governor in Massachusetts.

The Eisenhower team will probably find Governor Herter much more attuned to its policies than was Mr. Hoover, and one suspects, on the basis of his record, that he will express a more internationally oriented attitude in the inner councils of the Administration than did his predecessor. While Herter does not possess the experience nor outlook designed to make him another Chester Bowles, he is at least free of the burden which former President Hoover must have been to his son.

Herter is at least as capable an administrator as Hoover, Jr., and is far more competent to shoulder the responsibilities of Secretary of State. In the not unlikely event that Secretary Dulles will retire soon, it is reassuring to see a truly responsible leader being groomed to take his place.