The Sentinel=record., 1918-01-29

tor Secretary Baker replied that Mr. Roosevelt was a contributing edi tor and continued
 This magazine came out in An gust lgi1, and this editorial says
 Since it is our war we van, toI put eyeryhins into it so as to finish i in the shortest possible lime SO that the world may be restored ToI our mind the whole plan of the war department has been favored with a desire to hold off until the allies i'm isbod the war for us.
 "What he says we should have done and ask your particular attention loI it. is this.
 We should have strained every en ergy to have gotten from 50oe0 to 100000 mon to France this year
 "That is, the year l9lI l tell mo secret but it is perfectly well known to everybody in this group that we have far exceeded what in August l9I7 was regarded as a program .so ideal that the editor of this magazine refers to it as a thing which we ou-h. to have strained every nerve in vain but hopeless effort to accomplish
 In response to a question by Sena tor Chamberlain the secretary said the United States did not have more than the minimum number of men in France in August 1917. He conuu- ued
 And then the editor goes on:
 And by next year, l@1S, we could have had 500.00o men to send over or any part of 5eO.ooo men which we could ship.
 Now instead of saving 50,0O0 or| 100000 men in France in l917 We have many more men than that in France and instead of having half million men whom we could ship to France if we could find a way to do it in 1918, we will have more than one half million in France early in 1918 and we have available, if the transportation facilities are available to us and the prospect is not uu- promising, one and one-half million who in 1918 can be shipped to France
 Senator Weeks asked whether the secretary knew who wrote the edf- torial and Mr. Baker said he though it was attributed to Mir. Wiggiu tho editor in- chief
 "Why," asked Chairman Chamber laiu, have you not felt it proper to let the puulic into your confidence with reference to those things that you are telling now2'
 Senator, confess l have hesitated and still hesitate" replied the sec retary "I have here statement from Field Marshal von Hindeuburg in which he is quoted as saying in a German newspaper in contempuous fashion of us that We have adyeer- used our preparations for this war in an unworthy manner
 Do you think for 8 moment, Sec retary Baker" said the chairman othat there has been any time within the last year that the German secret service has not been fully advised as 10 everything We have done"
 "Yes, Senator, do. If may rely upon confidential information which we get from confidential sources the German government is still mysuiied as to the number of men we have in l France or have had there at any time
 The chairman said he doubted this 1 After some discussion as to the policy of governments in announciue mill l tary secrets Mir. Baker said it was not the policy of tho American or other l governments to do so and added
 "I anu saying this now because you have asked me why ! have held back these facts until now anu sayins to you that you could not get from Great Britain at this minute-l dout know whether ] could get tha mum Der of soldiers Great Britain has ln | France or at home could get an approximation; l could get whatever | information might be deemed helpful 10 the immediate military object GO be accomplished. but l could not get from Great Britain or France either figures on the actual number or troops they have at the front
 "lt may te that that preeauuon is unnecessary and yet that is the pre- caution which military men have ob- served and ] have no further report to make in the matter of Che mum Der of troops there than to show as | was showing when ! read that eN- tract that cur original intention was to make our military effort in l9lSi and in August of 1917 a jealous ad- vocate of immediate military activity laid down as the maximum ohtainable program thing which has since been mult-fold exceeded
 "Why did we decide to send some troops to France in 1917? IL is no secret. When General Joffre came to this country from France, when the aa.tss.t Fw,r, Ify.~,,.o