Omaha daily bee., 1918-03-02
ARMY HEADS OF
GE n ERAL STAFF
TO Be REMOVED
Heturn of General March From
France to Result in Heads
OF Several Branches Being
Removed.
(By Associated Press.)

Washington, March Humorous
changes in the personnel of the gen.
eral staff OF the army are expected to
follow the arrival here of Major
General Peyton c. March, who landed
at an Atlantic port today, returning
from France, to assume his duties as
acting chief of staff. Officers here
have no kowledge of plans General
March may have laid in this regard,
but it has been announced that he
will draw his aid men in whom he has
special personal confidence.
1t is understood that one of the first
acts of the new chief will be to name
a successor for Major General John
Biddle, assistant chief of staff, and
who has been acting as head of that
body since General Bliss was assigned
to the supreme war council in Europe.
There are indications that General
Biddle already has been selected for
an important command in Europe,
and it is known that he would prefer
duty abroad.
Ill temporary NOW
Reorganization of the general staff
recently effected is now in operation.
1t has been stated officially however,
that the general officers recently as
signed to duty as directors of the five
major divisions of the staff are hold
. ing their positions temporarily. This
action was taken in order to permit
assistants in carrying out the task of
coordination of the purely military
side of the army.
Each of these directors is an assis-
tant to the chief of staff with power
to act in the name of the secretary,
or of the chief of staff in matters
pertaining to his own particular field.
By this means an organization has
been built up for General March in
such way that he will be able to
devote his own time almost wholly
to the broader problems of the de-
partment, leaving detail work to his
assistants, and quickly familarizing
himself with conditions throughout
the army.
General March brings to the head
of the general staff intimate personal
knowledge with conditions in France.
He has discussed every phase of the
relationship between the war depart
ment and the expeditionary forces
with General Pershing, and it is an
ticipated that complete harmony of
action and purpose will prevail on
both sides of the water under his
direction.
May Remove Censor.
r.. The remarks made by General
March today on his arrival indicated
his desire for a less rigorous censor
ship as to activities of American
troops in France caused some COM
ment among army officers here. A
majority of them agree that much
more could be told with safety as to
the doings abroad than has been the
practice up to this time. Secretary
Baker has taken the position, how
ever, that all information as to the
movements of General Pershing's
forces must come through that
Officers censor He has held that the
war department was too remote to
exercise any jurisdiction over this
subject.
The discussion of the new chiefs
probable attitude as to censorship |
brought out the fact that home |
officers here have been a little dis
turbed as to the nature of information
censors abroad have been permitting
to come through, particularly as to
the recent gas attack upon American
troops by German batteries.