New-York tribune., 1918-03-15
Words With George Creel
By Haywood Broun

To the Editor Of The Tribune.
Sir: George Creel writes and William
Randolph Hearst publishes an article con-
cerning me which says: "IIe and The Trib
unc have been busygfor some time with a
campaign to make the War Department
ridiculous in the eyes of the American
people, and to that end he and The Tribune
have not hesitated to publish any story
that came to hand, whether it was true
not"
This is false. Up to date the only foun-
dation which Cree has furnished for the
assertion is to deny the accuracy of short
story of 113 words written by me in The
Tribune of January &c. I have written
more than $4,000 words about the Ameri-
can army in France and Crecl has found
nothing else to criticise officially. When
Creel informed The Tribune that the 49,
word story untrue | promptly wrote
a retraction and said that | was sorry to
have written false story. l explained
that the officer who furnished it seemed
to be reliable. The story attacked the lack
of secrecy which l alleged existed in regard
to certain important military matters. 1t
related the unfounded fact that eighteen
major generals when informed by code to
open telegraph wires without code that
they would report for overseas duty on
specified date.
Open kilograms
Crecl in his letter to The Tribune said
that code was not used in ordering officers
to get ready for overseas service. He said
that they were notified in open kilograms
to report at Hoboken certain date. In
hi RI
seemed to be in confirmation of my con-
tenton that there was not enough secrecy
about certain important military matters.
When Creel summoned me before a moral
firing squad in his article in "The 1nde-
pendent he argued, with what seems to
me sophstry that there was danger in
the use of uncoded kilograms to officers
about to sail for France. He explained
that they might not sail for weeks after
reporting at the port of debarkaton. 1t
seems to me- however, that Germans might
be interested in the fact that General
Wood or General Kuhn or General Bliss
had orders to report at the port of de-
barkation, nor can I believe that any one
of these officers would be kept waiting for
weeks
In my retraction I mentioned other facts
which seemed to me to support the con-
tention that there was not enough secrecy
about important military matters. Creel,
however, was unfair enough to garble the
article and leave out whatever did not suit
his argument that my explanation was
"merely false the story for which he
apologies" And that was untrue
l have not been concerned with making
the War Department ridiculous, Creel
charges. have merely endeavored to show
in series Of articles that in some respects
it was inefficient. My chief complaint
against the War Department was against
the censorship. In spite of the fact that
there is not enough secrecy about some
things, there is too much about others.
In every case America has a right to know
of the presence of a unit in France Just
the Germans know it, In some
cases units have not been mentioned even
after the Germans have identified them by
taking prisoners. In other cases the in
formation has come to America long after
it in the hands of Germany | believe
the censorship is improving, but there is
still room for improvement. Major General
March when he arrived in America recently
said that the censorship was "lamentable"
The censorship rules were originally drawn
by George Creel.
Rubber Boots Lacking
| wrote in January that in some respects
the army not we'll equipped | gave
the War Department due credit for it's sue
cess in feeding the men we'll, but men
toned the lack of rubber boots, which are
almost an essential in trench warfare and
| also mentioned the fact that the army
was not we'll equipped with motor trucks.
In an article written on February IS Martin
Green, of "The Evening World" says of
"the regiment in which all New York is
intercsted": "Thc regiment has also been
supplied in the camp in question with n
lot of other equipment which they needed
long ago. 1t is now in possession of everv-
thing needed in warfare except an adcouatc
supply of rubber boots, of which there is
Il shortage in all the army units | have
visited"
1t was also reported in several papers
that the first American troops to 90 to the
front when a regular American sector was
taken over had to march u long distance
because there was not enough motor trans
portation available.
! wrote another article in which 7 said
that the earliest contingent of American
troops was held back of the line for train-
ing too long period. This was not based
on my own extremely limited knowledge of
military affairs, but on the opinion of Cen
eral Pctaln, expressed to us through press
officer, and on the opinion Of number of
American officers in France expressed to
me. The American army has since specdcd
UP its training.