Evening star., 1918-08-25

ports these names regularly to the
American minister In Switzerland.
Gen. Pershing Is notified; the War de-
telegram and his relatives are notified.
This is something which fate cannot
prevent!
Anticipating the problems which
arise as a result of American port.ci-
American prisoners would have to be
clothed and fed'through an American
relief committee. the Red Cross estal,-
ljshed base In Switzerland, and ap-
voluntary attache of the American
embassy In Berlin. to direct the work,
Dresel. a retired Boston banker. was
ministrator who had been helping Of
ficials OF the American legation IN
Bern since the United States had be-
come an enemy of Germany. Drasers
task was to get food and supplies into
able to care for any number of Ameri-
can soldiers who might be selected by
fate TO live the life OF prisoner OF
Tar No % one could udS supply 'pI him him With
many men we would send to France,
and there was no way to tell what pro.
portion of them might be captured.
The misfortunes OF war do not follow
Dresel had often inspected German
prison camps for Ambassador Gerard
and he knew. at least, what the needs
of our men would be.
a code book and head full Of plans.
He decided to be ready. within the
shortest possible time, to feed and
clothe. II necessary, 10000 Americans.
He ordered food through the American
Red Cross in Washington and through
the quartermaster's department of the
Army. Switzerland had no food which
he could purchase. France and Eng
land needed al they had. Spain and
Italy could not be counted upon, 30
everything had to be shipped from the
United States.
The next thing Dresel had to have
was a storehouse in Switzerland. On
behalf Of the A. r.. C. he purchased
the box factory at Buempliz. He se-
lected this building because 1t was ON
the main railroad line between Geneva
and Basel. Supplies from the United
States, whether shipped via France or
Italy had to n enter Se,.s Switzerland
to prisoners in Germany had to be
shipped through Bern and Basel.
The retired and retiring Bostonian did
things on a large scale; In fact, the
scale was SO large that the Swiss be.
came suspicious and the incident re-
was the direct consequence. Within
a few weeks after Dresel had ordered
the goods they began to arrive In car.
load lots. Day by day the boxes and
barrels Of canned food. bread. meat,
sugar. rice. beans. prunes. vinegar,
the box factory at Buempliz. Whom
there was no more room three addi-
tional warerooms were built. This is
what caused the story of the "AmerA
lean invasion" to spread through
Switzerland.
II n
About this time there was a notices
Able change in the attitude Of Swiss
public opinion. Until the first part
of this year 1t was generally believed
in Switzerland that the United States
twas not in earnest" Germany had
encouraged the report that the United
States would never really fight;
that America would "get out of the
war whenever there was good ops
portunity." Reports of a growing
army in the United States were 'mere
Yankee bluff." But when the Red
Cross began to make such great
preparations for American prisoners
and when the Army began to grow by
the hundred thousand in France,
"American bluff" was transformed
into German bluff" 'Tf the Red
Cross is doing this work In Switzer-
land, what must the United States
Army be doing ir France?" Express.
sions similar to this were heard in all
parts of the Helvetian states. Ellis
Loring Dresel had mas an impression
upon Switzerland.
Although he had box factory filled
with food and supplies. including
candy. toothbrushes and cigars. Dresel
found that he had to have an auto
mobile. and an automobile in Switxer-
land Is not only luxury, 1t 10 .
precious jewel! Gasoline is so scarce
and expensive that no private cars
are permitted. the only exception
being that John d. Rockefeller's
daughter, living in Zurich. has carl
Diplomats may have cars II they sup
ply their own gas, so Dresel made
arrangements to get the necessary
product from the American Army in
France. To be able to direct the
relief work and travel several times
daily to the warehouse II was i'm
perative that he have this means OF
locomotion. After having car he
needed a chauffeur. because he could
not take the time to drive the car
every time an assistant or an inspec.
tor had to go to Buemp1iz. The prob
lem was temporarily solved when he
found a French intern who know tho