Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-03-15
MAY MODIFY |
FOR CASUALTY LIST
Interest Taken by President
and Others Expected to
Bring About Change.

Further consideration of the subject
and the fact that President Wilson and
many other high officials of the govern
ment are taking a personal interest in
the matter, are expected to result in a
modification of the policy of the War
Department in the publication of CASUAL
ties incident to the war. During tho
absence Of Secretary Baker, who ordered
that the public should be promptly adj
vised of disasters as well as of victories,
Assistant Secretary Crowell directed the
suspension of all information concern
Ing casualties except the name of the
soldier.
His order was based on the recon-
mendat,on OF Gen. March. the new
acting chief of staff. following the re-
ceipt OF message from Gen. Perssins
saying that the Frenc.. government OBJ
iected to the publication in ehe United
States of data regarding engagements
in France. on the stounc that it might
give Information to tie enemy.
1t was generally supposed that the
objection as to the publication of de-
tails. such as the time and place where
the casualties occurred and the man
ner in which they We're Indicted. such
by gas or ehell. The authorities in
temporary control at the War Depart
ment concluded that the objections
raised would be met by publishing the
number and names OF those killed or
injured without further Information
Refused to Give Addresses.
That system was adopted and would
have been satisfactory to all concerned
but for .he fact that the department re-
fused to give the addresses of those
mentioned in the casualty list, with the
result that they could not be identified
except by special official notifications TO
the next of kin. In other words. while
a soldiers immediate family would be
inforpred if he had been killed or in
jured. his friends and the general pub
lie would have no information on the
subject. No good explanation has yet
been given for the omission of the ad-
dresses Of the killed or injured. in view
of the Gact that their number and names
are published by the War Department.
The popular view is that these men
are heroes and should receive the full
est measure of honor from the COM
munity in which they lived and from
the public at large. instead of being
country without the slightest recog-
milton in their own town Of their pa
triotic sacrifices for their flag and
country.
AS the next of kin is informed in
each case of casualty. il is admitted
that the lists published by the War
/ Department are intended solely for
the information of the public. 1t is
| further admitted that unless the name
! is accompanied by the state or city
address the lists as prepared do not
meet their avowed purpose.
Printed in Official Bulletin.
| Lists OF casualties prepared by the
adjutant general of the Army. in ad-
| dition to being made public by the War
Department. are now published in the
Official Bulletin. published by the COM
mittee on public information. George
Creel, civilian chairman of the commits
tee at first declined to handle the lists
of casualties for the avowed reason
that they were worthless" without the
addresses of those killed or injured.
Evidently he was overruled by other
sibly by President Wilson. At any rate,
the lists now appear in the Official Bull
letin just as prepared by the War De-
partment.
The other members of the committee
are the Secretary of State. the Secre-
tary of War and the Secretary of the
Navy.
AT the instance of the President. Sec
rotary Baker, who is now in France,
Pershing. 1t is freely predicted that
unless the French government objects
specifically TO the publication of the
addresses of the killed or injured that
information VIII be included in future
casualty lists.