Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1918-05-14

complete force was due to an er-
ror, which has now been correct
ed.
Washington, May 13.-American
officers were inclined tonight to char
acterize reports from London, via OF
tawa, that American troops would
not be used until a complete and pow
erful American army had been devel-
oped in France as an echo OF the po-
litical controversy precipitated in
England by the incident of General
Maurice.
They could see no other explana-
ton since the statement attributed to
the war committee" of the British
war cabinet was promptly repudiated
by Lord Reading, British ambassador
here, and later was declared by Sec
retary Baker, in formal statement,
to be at absolute variance with the
facts as known here.
Americans Fighting.
Lord Readings statement said he
was confident no such announcement
had been issued with the knowledge
of Premier Lloyd George, adding that
the views of the British government,
which he was transmitting were ex-
actly opposite. Secretary Baker said
American troops were now being used
in battle and would continue to be
used as the supreme commander,
General Foch, deemed best.
Inquiry at the various bureaus OF
the War department showed that the
expedited movement of men to France
is proceeding as planned after the an
nouncement that American units
would be brigaded with the French
and British for immediate operations,
as we'll as training. :.
In view of these developments, it
was felt that an explanation must
come from the British capital.
London Announcement Displeasing.
Since the decision to scatter Amer
ican battalions or regiments in allied
forces was made only because of the
cry for man power from both the Brit
ish and French governments when the
German onslaught was battering the
lines in Flanders and Picardy, off,
cials here were inclined to find the
tone of the announcement now attrlb-
uted to the war cabinet distasteful.
The fhole American program in
France has been subject to revision
by reason of that decision, the effect
of which was to set aside national
pride and the ambitions of American
officers of high rank in order to fur
nish immediate aid. Such sacrifices
are not to be viewed lightly, it is held,
or to be accepted or rejected at the
whim of the moment in London or
elsewhere.
Just how this report may relate to
the recent political crisis in England,
American officers do not undertake to
say. They have a strong feeling that
English politics are behind the mys-
terry, however, and look to the British
gvernment to correct promptly any
misapprehension there may be about
the need for American aid.
Prefer American Training.
There are some other questions agi-
tating officials here which the Ottawa
report served to bring to light. For
one thing, American army officers, for
the most part, are convinced that the
American army will never reach its
highest efficiency under either the
French or British army systems. The
relations between the officers and men
in each army are things peculiar to
each army. They cannot be transposed
from one to the other.
In the opinion of many officers
here, the time is fast approaching
when American officers from the
other side should be relied upon for
the training of the American, rather
than veterans of trench warfare from
the French and British services. Men
who are most insistent on this point
of view believe trench warfare has
produced nothing as yet which justi-
hes the abandonment of all other
theories of military operations for
high specialization in trench tactics.
If America is to contribute largely
to the ultimate defeat of the German
army. they hold it. must contribute
something more than man power; it
must contribute to the working out of
a new theory of operations which will
bring victory, as trench warfare has
not done. For that reason they feel
it would be a mistake to lose the
dash and Initiative of the American
arrny in oyer-trainine for French ac-