The Washington herald., 1917-06-28
MILITARY LEAK
alarms BAKER
Information Committee K
Scored for o. K. on News
Of Troops Landing.

A brief dispatch. hot from the
cables. was placed on the desks OF
Secretary OF War Baker. Secretary Of
the Navy Daniels and Mai. Gen. Tas-
ker H. Bliss. acting Chief Of start,
yesterday morning.
1t was signed "Pershing." and con-
tanned in the bare language OF an
army report historic tidngs. II told
that for the first time in history an
american fighting force had landed
on European soil TO fight the battles
OF liberty and democracy against the
crumblinE old order
The dispatch was held in the deep
est secrecy by the three officials who
knew OF its existence. This secrecy
was to protect men still believed to
be on the way.
Last night official reports from
France had announced the safe ar
rival at a French port Of the entire
American contingent. PersMng's s
first division OF regulars. ordered TO
France by President Wilson at the
earliest possible time" were on the
ground.
Late yesterday afternoon the com
mittee on public Information, OF
which George Creel u chairman. FER
mitted the publication OF the news.
The press cables up to that time had
told of the arrival Of two contia-
gents, ana said that a third was oa
the way.E Late reports to the War
Department state that the entire
movement has been completed sue
cessfully and that the final contingent
is now disembarking.
In official circles II has been an open
secret for more than two weeks that
the movement OF the frst division OF
regulars overseas was in progress.
Under the voluntary censorship the
newspa perS. in the interests OF the
safety OF the men at sea and on orIi-
cial request of the government. re-
Trained from printing any word eth
er Of the movement of the men to the
seaboard or their embaFkation there.
Sealed Orders Given.
The troops departed from a num-
Der OF ports on the Atlantic at dlt-
ferent dates. The ships sailed under
scaled orders. These orders. wher
opened at sea. instructed the ship cap
tains at which point they were "a
rendezvous. Then. under the protec'
tion of a swarm OF fast warships the
transports. made their dash through
the war zone to the French port
which had been selected for theil
point OF Decentralization. At that port
a temporary camp had been prepared
for them under direction OF Mai. Gen
William l. Seibert. of Pershing':
stan Gen. Seibert had the complete
cooperation OF the French oficers ir
his work. as Gen. Pershing has hat
at his headquarters in Paris.
The ships which conveyed tht
American troops safely through the
war zone were under command OF ar
| American oticer. Vice Admiral Will
| lam S. Sims, according to word re
| ceived here yesterday. There were in
dications that it was especially fol
this purpose that Vice Admiral Sim!
! was given temporary command of q
patrol feet in British waters. many
OF the units OF which were American
| warships.
While the situation later righted IL
self. premature publication OF the an
| nouncement Of the arrival OF two con
| tingents OF American troops in France
as authorized by the Committee or
Public Information. last night led Sec
retary OF War Baker to make one o'
| the most important decisions in re
gard TO censorship yet taken by th(
! government.
He took entirely out of the hands o.
the Committee on Public Information
| of which George CreeI is chairman
the handling OF military information
CONTINUED on PAGE TWO,