The Washington herald., 1918-05-14
u. S. TROOPS MEET
HUN FORCES DAILY
Units Of Our Troops Being
Used in France as Gen.
Foch Desires.
EARL READING QUERIES HIS
GOVERNMENT ON DISPATCH
News Note from Ottawa Declared
Most Unfortunate" by High
Officials Here.

Earl Reading, the British Am
bassador, is understood to have
made inquiry of his government
concerning the origin OF a news
dispatch, carried from Ottawa
yesterday morning, quoting the
British war cabinet as announc-
ing that the American army would
not be fully utilized on the West
ern front until its full strength
had been developed
A thorough investigation into
the circumstances of the dispatch
is believed to be under way. Both
Earl Reading and Secretary OF
War Baker declared the state
ments in the dispatch to be ut
terIy at variance with what they
isI6Ss 10 be the facts.
Baker. Statement.
Secretary Bakers statement said
'-the statement purporting to come
from Ottawa seems to say that Amer
lean troops are not to be used acti- ely
in France for the present, but will be
conserved until they constitute q
larger and independent army.
The facts are exactly otherwise
The American troops in France are
now being used actively in battle and
in the trenches. and while all of the
plans Of the War Department look TO
the development OF the American
army as such, and the creation of a
distinctively American army. yet the
various elements OF it now in France
are being used in such ways as are
deemed most Elective by Gen. Perish
ing and as approved by the British
and French commanders and the gu
preme commander"
Earl Readings statement follows:
The statement attributed to tn,
British war cabinet to the effect that
the allies are so confident that, hav-
ing been given the choice of a small
immediate American army for de-
tense, or waiting till they are re.
inforced by complete. powerful
self-supporting American army, they
have chosen the latter Is diamctric-
ally opposed to all information re-
ceived by me from the British wal
cabinet and to all the requests which
I have been asked by them to make
to the United States administration.
Il am quite in the dark as to the
origin of the statement. At present
all I can say Il that I am convinced
that the document has not been is
sued with the knowledge OF the prime
minister or the British War Cabinet a"
OmeisIs Surprised.
On all sides, among Administration
officials and entente diplomats the
announcement from Ottawa was char
acterized as most unfortunate" -
Were II true, II was pointed out, the
British Government would not only
be placed in the position Of dispar-
aging Secretary Bakers announce
ment OF last week that more than
half q million American troops were
now in France. but of rejecting with
out notice to this government the
previously accepted offer Of President
Wilson to brigade American troops
with the British and French. II en-
tirely untrue the opinion here Is that
the dispatch Is calculated to do Sc
rious harm
There was a disposition in some
offlcial quarters to believe that the
statement sent from Ottawa improp-
erly characterized a. an offciai an
nouncement an unofficial report from
London. attempting to anticipate a
new proposal Of some kind from the
British War Cabinet concerning mill
Stary coordination In other quarters
tt Is thought perhaps that the COM
munication IN the original instance
might have been inspired by persons
IN the British war ONCE hostile to
the Lloyd-George Government and
friendly to Gen. Maurice, the former
director OF operations Of the British
&General Stan. who was retired follow
nz his attack on the premier in the