Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1917-07-06
Premature Announcement
Endangered Expedition

Washington. D. c., July 4.-Here is
the story Of the whole Pershing expe
dition. now permitted to be published
for the first time:
The regulars and marines who com.
prise the expedition were moved from
their various posts to the seaboard
with the utmost secrecy. Not q word
of what was going on was printed any
where. Even men in the service did
not know their comrades in the next
tent werei going away.
RECRUITS AMONG MARINES.
The force is made up Of seasoned
men. veterans OF Mexico and Philip
pine service and marines from the
battlefields, of Santo Domingo, Hayti
and Cuba. There also was sprink-
ling of recruits especially picked at
their own request These men were
mostly newcomers in the marine
corps.
The men were moved to the sea
board and went aboard ship at sew
eral Atlantic ports. 1t was known
at several of the ports what was 90.
ing on, but the general public did not
know, and the censorship was depend
ed upon to prevent news Of the
movement from reaching Germany.
After the troops were at sea, their
ships filled with equipment Of all soTtl
from gas masks to beef. days went
past without word. Little wireless.
ing was done. 80 that no German sta.
ton could pick out Of the air hint
of the movement. Each Of the trans.
ports was conveyed by warships. The
other warships already in European
waters had been notified by cable
where to meet the transports.
sUBsEA GRENADE, USED.
The army had laid itself out to give
the men everything in the shop. Army
depots were practically stripped that
the first armed force to carry the
flag to Europe might be model con.
tingent, equipped to the last word
and ready to take its place in the
trench lines.
The navy had gone to its utmost
to provide every means Of safety.
The underseas grenade was held in
reserve for just such an emergency
as that in which 1t proved itself so
effective. 1t is a new weapon Of Of
Tense against the submarine. an AM
erican offering to democracy. The
grenade was perfected. 1t Is said.
by the special naval consulting board,
which has been at work on methods
than three months.
The navy had heard of the. first
attack on the American transports
while they were still outside the dan
ger zone.
EFFORT TO FOOL FOE.
That is why unheard of efforts were
made to prevent publication at any
cost Of the report from Paris of the
arrival of the first contingent. Other
contingents were to follow, and their
peril was doubled by the publication
of the report But It was too late.
The committee on public information
had approved the story, and it had
been flashed by telegraph all over
the country and run off in extra edi-
tons Of the newspapers.
So. to put the best aspect on things
and, if possible. to throw the Germans
off the scent. 1t was printed broadcast
next morning that troop movements
were complete; that all OF 'Pershing's
men had crossed the sea without the
loss of life
Meanwhile the war department
moved 10 prevent repetition OF such
an error. The censorship system was
and Brigadier General Frank
Mcintyre was placed in sole authority
relating to military matters. A day
later /; was announced that no fur
ther arrivals Of troops would ever
be made known: that all expeditions
overseas in the future would be secret
to the utmost, as result of the leak
of information to Germany.