Evening star., 1917-12-10
URGES MORE SPEED
IN u. S. WAR PLANS
Secretary Baker, in Weekly
Review, Warns of Enemy
Preparations in France.
MASSING TROOPS IN WEST

4
Germany has massed on the western
front her greatest army Of the war.
Secretary Baker declares in his weekly
war review made public today. To meet
| this menace the United States must
speed up its military preparations. the
iSecretary adds, with a warning that
the enemy is preparing to put into
execution in France plans he has been
maturing since the defeat of the Rus
sian armies at Tannenberg early in the
war The peace negotiations with
Russia have permitted the massing of
men on the western front for that pur-
pose.
"The united nation must stand
squarely behind our soldiers" the Sec
retary says. 1T is not sufficient to
prepare to fight; we must prepare to
The review asserts the German coun-
ter offensive on the Cambria front has
been successful in winning back less
than one-third of the territory cap
tured by Gen. Byng. The statement
also notes that American engineer
| troops, Exchanging shovels for rifles.
| fought Off the enemy side by side with
| the British
: The lesson of the German exhibition
of strength is then taken up:
Reviving Strength of Germans.
This Grman parrying thrust. the
most powerful and successful blow
aimed at the British during the past
two and half years, coming. as It DID.
! Immediately after the British victory
| in the same area, serves to emphasize
| the reviving strength OF the Germans
in the west.
| I'VE must recognize plainly that the
| situation in the eastern theater has
brought about very decided change
| in the strategic possibilities of the
| military situation in the west.
| Germany. by leaving only skeleton
4 centrating all available guns. muni-
/ tions and men in the theater of opera
| tions in the west, has been able to mass
| a relatively greater force than she has
ever been able to mobilize in France
| in the, past.
! This explains the success which the
! enemy was able to achieve in driving
| the British back from Cambria. 1t
would not do for us to minimize its
Importance.
."The enemy realizes that he finds
| himself temporarily in singularly
| fortunate position, and he can be
| counted upon to take the utmost ad-
| vantage of 1t.
Preparing for Present Situation.
I For a long time past he has been
preparing his plans for just an eventu-
| ality as would arise when Russia
should enter upon negotiations FOR
| sepa rate peace, which has been a prin-
| cipal German objective ever since the
| battle OF Tannenberg. We must ex
pect that he will put these plans into
execution. Thus. he may have at his
| disposal for a time preponderant nu-
merical superiority in the west; he may
even be able to achieve some relative
advantages in the field, such as those
| recorded during the past week
] THE magnitude of the task before us
can be more fully realized when meas
ured by the success which the enemy is
still able to gain.
! 1T means that we must speed up our
military effort. The united nation must
4 stand squarely behind our soldiers.
1T is not sufficient to prepare to
! fight; we must prepare to win."
1 The review also hints an expected
German thrust against the French front
and says:
Expects Thrust on French Front.
| "The number of hostile raids executed
! along. the French front northwest of
| Rheims, in Argonpe. in the region Of
| st. Quentin, in the Vosges. and partic-
ularly in upper Alsace. as well as the
increasing enemy artillery activity
\ north of the Chemin-des-Dames, on
| the right bank of the Meuse. in Chaume
wood, Maisons- de- Champagne and up
per Alsace, would appear to indicate
that the enemy is feelins out the
French front with a view to Identify
\ ing the strength of the units opposing
him..
| The statement describes events on the
italian front without adding to pub
Iished information as to what is tran
| spring there or an attempt to predict
the outcome of various Austro-German
thrusts. 1t adds significantly:
"Our declaration of war against
Austria now associates US imm mediately
with the struggle going on in Italy
Discussing armistice negotiations on
the Russian front. the statement says
the agreement covers the entire line.
| from the Baltic to the Black sea as
well as the region Of the Causasus."
| Compelled to Accept Truce.
The Rumanian armies" 1t continues,
i"while repudiating all attempts made by
1.-THE enemy. to fraternixe with them. have
Ibeen by force of circumstances COM