New-York tribune., 1918-05-30
Olive Drab in Paris
What 1t Means to Serue
Behind the Lines in France
Special Tribune Correspondence
Webster.

OOJI CO QOftLCfLC6
thing in the world to direct war efficient
'y from the distance of 5000 miles, and our
army is not yet perfectly organized. Always
there are the worry and delay attendant on
csbled instructions and orders, and upon
the uncertainty of transportation overseas
Useless Things
Orders came from Washington recently
for moving pictures of our men in action
The taking of these pictures was intrusted
to the Signal Corps and the Intelligence
Department. The Signal Corps had been
besieging the seats of the mighty for
months for moving picture cameras. They
had not arrived.
After final outburst of appealing cables
to, America the corps set out to find equip
ment in France. By tremendous endeaver
1t managed to collect couple of antiquated
cameras and some doubtful film. Thus
armed, they set about taking the pictures.
when they started to develop 'ey found
that the cameras and film hao oeen even
worse than they looked. All their work had
gone for nothing
despair was lightened, however by
triumphant cablegram from America an
noTncng that two "movie" cameras. with
expert photographers, were on the wav.
Inc harassed officers on whom the work
had devolved, greeted the new arrivals
with shortlived rapture.
we found" one Of them said aftervsrd
IN tragically calm tone, chat the camer.s
were studio machines, utterly use,ass
work IN the open. The two men that c.n.
with them were little more use. Thev had
never worked without a director wbo .,
ways told them exactly what to do .na
arranged their pictures for them befo-o
they began to Shoot
10 get pictures, with the eou;rn,..
sent U.s. we would have to string Cooner-
hewitt lights all along the front and ~
terest both Foch and Hindenhuro !, A..
undertaking."
u. S. P. o.
ihe mail service is also another so,
OF bitterness to combatant and nor-
batant alike. No one ever dreor..
"e ''e' arrangements were made to get
letters to and from our men overseas +h.+
soldiers would prove to be sucb terr;f..,,.
persistent correspondents The nowers
that be did not take into account the eesc+
that inconsistencies, plus leisure hours with
n'''e 10 90 therein, would have upon the
american soldiers powers as letter
"Hter. Neither did they plan for the
enormous force that we are eettinp to
france AS result, the entire mail car
vice has been on the point of collapse more
thar once
NO one not concerned in the workings of
the system has any idea how increasingly
o'lncuit 1t is becoming to keep track of
men, IN the continually shifting hundreds
OF thousands that We have over there.
Getting Lost
There is major general, whose name is
known from one end of America to III.
other, who has nephew in one of the un;ts
here in France. For three months now ha
mas been using every means in his power
to lind his relative. Until recently he boj
not succeeded in getting any trace of hin,
AS for the French civilian nonu,a+;o
the confusion in the mail service is o;v;ar
them an extremely uncomplmentary onin-
ion Of American mothers and wives Thev
themselves, write to their loved ones at +h.
'front.' only few miles away, and receive
gr"tifyingly prompt replies. Thew 90.
doughboys' whom they are growing to love
as they do their own children, write resm.
to their relatives across the Atlantic rh.u
hear the complaints Of the mon wb., ~
replies are received and have jumped TO
the conclusion that Americans care NOTHING
about their soldier soma.
Inosc monstrous American habits," thsv
explain with many shrusa and resturs. Of
nswildcrment. France has learned "a ,o~.
tho Americans. She 10 attn far removal
from understanding them.