New-York tribune., 1918-08-19
Names To Be Mailed to All
Newspapers Instead of
Being Telegraphed
Lists Clogged Wires
Relatives Will Be Notified
First, as Heretofore, by
Washington

WASHINGTON, Aug. lS.-Wlth the
publication tomorrow of the daily list
Of casualties among Americas forces
overseas, The Associated Press and
other press associations, in cooperation
with the War and Postoffice depart
ments, will put into effect a now ar
rangement by which these complete
lists are delivered daily by mail to the
newspapers Of virtually every city IN
the United States.
Since the American army IN France
has grown to force of nearly null
ION and a half men, taking an even
greater and more aggressive part IN
the task Of driving back the Germans.
transmission of the full honor roll OF
dead, wounded and missing daily by
telegraph to all newspapers has be-
come almost an impossibility. For
weeks The press associations have been
obliged to curtail tl.e volume Of their
news reports in order to deliver
promptly these lsts--aIl important to
the friends and ncighbors Of the boys
;.t the front.
Full Lists TO Be Sent
To meet this situation, the Postoffice
Department, exercising control OF the
telegraph systems, has undertaken the
responsibility of telegraphing the lists
across the continent and of providing
printed copies to the press associations
simultaneously in Washington, Chicago
and San Francisco. From these points
the associations mail to the newspapers
each days list, bearing date of pub
lication several days later <han the
day it is telegraphed, so that all papers
may publish the same list on the same
day. Provision has been made for hav-
ing half Of the names appear FIRST in
the morning papers and half first in
the afternoon papers. but all papers
receive the complete lists for publica-
ton at the stated times.
This plan means publication OF the
Namcs n fcw days later than II they
were tc!egrapsrd to the papers, but
question il furnishes d means OF ma
tion wide distribution which will place
the lists before the public long before
most OF the papers could receive them
by mail from Washington.
viii Notify Relatives First
In announcing the arrangement the
Committee on Public Information eX-
planned to-night that it will not affect
the War Departments policy Of notify
ing Immediately by telegraph the fami-
lies OF men mentioned in thc list. The
committees statement said
"Thcrc will be no delay in the pri-
vate notification Of the next Of kin OF
officers and men reported in the daily
casualty list because Of the changed
system Of public announcement of cas-
ualties. As soon as it is possible to
compare the names which are reported
by the adjutant generals office With
the card irdeXed catalogue at the sta
tistical division the usual private telc-
graphic dotification will be made to
relatjvcW'
In order that tho plan Of sin,ultanc-
Gus publication in the newspapers may
be carried out fairly, and that the rela-
tvcs cf soldiers whose names appear
on the list may be saved annoyance
the War Department has the pledge OF
the press associations that no use
whatever shall be made of any list be-
fore the day fixed for publication. The
papers specifically are required to re-
frain from seeking information or pict-
urcs in advance Of the publication date
from relatives or friends of men
named.