New-York tribune., 1918-03-11
War Department Says Lists
Give Information to
Enemy '.
Answer for Congress
Relatives Warned to Rely
Only on Omcial'No-
tiGcation

WASHINGTON. March 1o.-Thc War
department gives no indication of
yislding in its determination to with
bod the home addresses of soldiers
Iilled or wounded or who die of other
causes in France.
Basing its position on the objection
the French government made to Gen
ersl PershiHg against the American
method Of issuing casualty lists, the
department intends to meet objections
in Congress and from the public with
the answer that the old system betrays
valuable military information to the
enemy, and the fact that the nearest
relatives of soldiers are officially mott
fed hours before they could get the
Information from the newspapers.
The Committee on Public Informa-
ton maintains its stand that the mere
names of soldiers. without home ad-
dresses to identify them to neighbors
and friends. or prevent confusion with
other men of similar name are so
devoid of news value. that it will not
issue the lists. Therefore, the lists
will continue to be issued once a day
from the Office of Adjutant General
Mccain.
Pointing out that the French publish
no casualty list at all, but merely no.
tify the relatives. the War Department
officials give as their explanation of
the new move that the enemy by scan-
ming the complete casualty lists as
they have previously been issued is
enabled to piece out a fair idea OF the
identity of the troops confronting
him.
Although. under the new plan, rela-
tives will be notified and officials ex-
pect publication of names of troops
will find their way into local news
papers. it is felt that the publications
will be widely scattered and that the
task of assembling the names from all
the newspapers of the country and con-
solidating hem into military informa-
ton would De such a tremendous task
that from the aspects Of spy system
it is practically impossible.
In the smaller cities and towns it
is assumed the mere mention of
soldiers name will lead to ready iden-
tifcation and publication without
great deal of effort, but in the great
cities this is accounted wellnigh i'm
possible unless relatives themselves
notify the newspapers as they receive
kilograms from the War Department.
In promising to send quickly official
notifications to relatives, however, the
War Department is careful to warn
the public that it must not identify
men By their names alone, because
there are many similarities of names
in the army. Unless mans relatives
have received an official telegram con-
csrning him, the department says,
they must assume that some other man
OF the same name is referred to.
It is estimated that in the forces
Nv" dDiodu lHeTc arc nuHdIcHS o.
men with names quite common. and
mary thousands with namesA differing
only in spelling, or. perhaps, Initials
u mas been pointed out TO officials that
mere publication of names, without
iurther identification marks, probably
viii bring apprehension and distress,
and that the War Department and the
newspapers will be besieged with de-
nands for more specific information.
officials, however, rely on their official
kilograms TO relatives to carry the
news to those WHO are first entitled to
snow it, and feel that they may pass
Il on to others
Members of Congress who had fair
c.emonstration Of what to expect, when
,he tate Of many men was in doubt for
/ Gays, when the Tuscania was torpedoed,
are apprehensive of the demands their
tosstItuents will make upon them. Sen
s,or New, Of Indiana, already has res
satlon IN the Senate calling for the
var Departments explanation, and the
scIect Is expected to be taken up gen
'siiy in Congress this week.