The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1917-09-20
Former Observer of the Ger.
man Armies Will Become
Chief of Staff
WANTS TO BE AT
FIGHTING FRONT
quarters to France to Be in Closer
quarters to France to Be in Cloesr
Touch with Pershing From Kansas
and a West Pointer.

WASHINGTON, Sept. 20-Maior Gen.
Joseph f. Kuhn, who has seen more actual
modern warfare than any other man in the
American Army, is to succeed Major Gen
Hugh L. Scott as chief of the general staff
Of the United States Army. General Scott
Saturday Whether General Kuhn will
take up the work Of chief of staff as soon
as General Scott retires or will wait until
Major Gen Tasker H. Bliss goes on the
retired list on Dec. 81 is not definitely
known, and Secretary Baker would not
discuss the matter tonight.
Major Gen Bliss was acting chief of
staff during General SCOTS absence in
Russia on the Root mission. 1t has been
animated for some time that when General
Scott is retired. General Bliss will receive
a. chance to round out his career by acting
as chief Of staff until his retirement. and
would then be succeeded BY General Kuhn.
Major Gen Kuhns rise has been az
rapid as that OF any other general officer
on the active list OF the army Only a
little over two years ago he was a heutcn-
ant colonel. In 1915 he became a colonel,
in 1916 brigadlcr general and head OF the
army war college, and this summer was
promoted to be MAJOR general in the ma
tional army and assigned to active duty il
command OF the Seventy-ninth Division al
Camp Meade, near Annapolis Junction
Md.
1t is intimated that after the elevation
of General Kuhn to the post OF chief OF tht
general staff, and when American forces
have been sent to France in sufficiently
!, large numbers to justify their use III tht
fighting trenches, large part of the gen
eral staff, including probably General Kuhn
himself, will go to France to establish
; headquarters in proximity to the fighting
E front General Kuhn has been anxious t,
90 to France ever since war was declared
: and it is stated that as chief OF staff h
= will recommend the transfer of the princi
pal part Of the general staff to France $
!, that he will be in close touch with Genera
, Pershing
$ General Kuhn is held to be emnentl
fitted for the position Of chief of staff
J, For two years he was military observe
L with the German forces IN the prcsen
war. and on his return to the Unite
) States, in December. 1916, he was mad
: chief OF the war college, which has bee
Il in charge OF creation and consideration {
d plans FOR raising a great army.
> He was an observer attached to tn
f Japanese army, in the war between tina
: country and Russia, and he has served a
7 military observer in nearly every othe
r war in the last twenty wears
= General Kuhn was appointed attach
at Berlin after Colonel Langhorne W;
recalled in April, 1915 He visited Il
: German fronts until the fall Of 1916 whe
= the German general staff considered
H unwise longer to allow American militar
II officers to observe what was going on alor
II the fighting lines,
II What General Kuhn learned in &c
many has been of the greatest value
II the war department in the developmeI
H of its plans FOR the creation Of a gre
army When Colonel Kuhn returned
II this country the regular army had scarce
II 100000 men in it's ranks, a large propo
II tCn of them on overseas service in HAVE
H Panama. and the Philippines, and Il
H National Guard not more than 1000
II men available for service on the Mexic;
II border Today there are about 81 0
II men in the regular army, nearly 1000
II the ranks of the National Guard al
II 6s7,000 drafted men in various stages
II transformation from civil to military Iii
II There viii be nearly l,250,000 men in t
H regular army. national army, and Nation
II Guard army by the end of October, al
II the war department plans to have ne
III year another million men in the field
Besides his vast store Of military know
edge and experience General Kuhn W
IN bring to bear upon his work as chief
alb staff the advantage of youth He is or
l., 3 years old, eleven years below the arr
)o0 retirement age
Ks Like Funston, General Kuhn is a nat
of Kansas but, unlike Funston, Kuhn