Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1917-11-20
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would coordinate the work of the
various staffs, whereas under the Old
arrangement the general stalls had
met together only once year for the
purpose of settling the strategy of the
allies for battle fronts extending over
thousands of miles. He announced
that Lord Kitchener had recon-
mended such council in January,
1917, and that the general staff had
proposed ii in July of this year.
Dwelling on the charges that the
new arrangement was designed to take
control of the operations from the
hands Of The military and put them
in the hands of politicians. he de-
clareG that he had only twice over
ridden his military advisers when he
launched his program for making
more guns than they said were
the building of railways behind the
lines in the hands of a civilian, SIR
Eric Geddes, and both decisions had
proved successful
So far as he could gauge American
public opinion, America would have
preferred q council with executive au-
thority, but there We're reasons why
he thought it undesirable to set up
council with full executive authority
unless the allies We're absolutely driven
to it by the failure of the present
scheme The first advantage of the
present scheme was that information
at the disposal of one of the allied
staffs would be at the disposal of this
central council. Nominally. that was
so at present but only nominally. 1t
was therefore an essential part of this
scheme that il should be permanent
and that the council should sit day by
day co-ordinaitng the plans of the
general staffs for all the fronts. Mr..
Asquith had asked him about the Ital-
ian front and what Cadorna had said.
He replied:
1T is very difficult to give ans
wers to these questions l am not
sure that | can answer the question
as TO what Cadorna said. There is
good deal 10 be said about what Ca
dorna said and what he thot. We were
not responsible for the Italian front.
We knew or believed or suspected n
good deal. The Italian government
knew something about 1t.
but General Sir William Robertson.
chief Of the imperial staff at army
headquarters could not go on pressing
things in respect to another nations
conduct of its operations. II there
had been a central council at Versailles
General Robertson would have pressed
his considerations thru representatives
of the government and forced consid-
GRAFTON for them"
Affects all Fronts.
Showing that the Italian front was
important to the French front, the
premier pointed out that the British
and French, when disaster came, had
to rush troops there and asked does
not that affect our front"
"Of course it does" he declared,
and continued, well we have come
to the conclusion that the machinery
of liason officers and occasional meet
ings of chiefs of staff is utterly made
quate and inefficient for the purpose
OF securing real coordination. You
must have a permanent body con-
stantly watching these things, advis-
ing upon them and reporting upon
them to the government, whether our
front, the French front, or the Rus
sian front is most concerned"
The premier said he could assure
Mr.. Asquith that representation of
the navy was no afterthot.