Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1918-02-16
A MILLION AND 1 HALF
TROOPS READY FOR
FRANCE IN 1918
CONTINUED From Seventh Page.)

CONTINUED From Seventh Page.)
ALREADY you will find in your
further examination in to some Of
the bureau work Of the department
that weapons whGGh were se,poted
end which we had started to manu-
facture, have been so far discarded
p that people have forgotten the names
of ;nem almost, and new things sub
stituted in their place.
GREAT SPECIAL DEPA RTMENTS
"This little group of officers which
stayed here have built the great spec
ial departments Of the army.
"rhc ordinance department starting
l think, with 90 or 9G officers. has
now something like 5000 officers.
They have had to he specialized, and
that has had to go on contemporary
cously with this tremendous response
to the changing conditions on the
other side. - '%@HI
''ln the meantime when we started
into this war l think it was common
" thought throughout the country
that our contribution at the outset
might wei be financial and indus
trial. The industries OF this country
were largely devoted at that time TO
the manufacture Of war materials for
our allies"
ENCEEDED ROOSEVELT'S
FIGURlGS.
a question brought out that Col.
Roosevelt was associate editor OF q
magazine which urged that every
nerve be strained to get 10000 to
100000 men to France in 1917"
Il am disclosing no secret" Sccre
tary Baker said, pausing, "whon
say that we exceeded that maximum
in 1917"
Senator Chamberlain asked If the
maximum had not been eXcccdcd by
August 1917.
mot the maximum, replied Secre
tary Baker. "The minimum was OK
ceeded."
MEN AVAILABLE FOR FRANCE.
NOW, instead OF having $4,000 or
100000 men In FrancC in 1917, We
have many more mon than that in
France and instead Of 100000 men
"hom we could ship to France IL
we could find any way to do it in 1918
we Will nave more than ZOO, 900 mon
III Franco, early in 1918 and we have
available, II the transportation facil
tiles are available to us and the pros
pcct Is not unpromising, 100000
who In 1918 can be shipped to France.
"Why," asked Chairman Chamber
lain, have You not felt it proper to
let the pubic into your confidence
with reference to these things that
you arc telling now?"
GERMAN GOVERNMENT
MYST1FIED.
Secretary Baker replied that he
hesitated to do that. He referred to
a statement by General Won linden.
burg to the effect that America was
advertising her intentions.
but isn't it a fact that Germany
has known all about this?" persisted
Senator Chamberlain.
NO." replied Secretary Baker. The
German government is still mystifi-
cd regarding the number Of men now
DIN France They know what is doing
at the front, but Germany is still
mystified regarding the number Of
men now in France"
Ills statement, Mr. Baker added.
was made on the basis Of the most
rel1ablc confidential reports received
by the War Department.
WELCOME TO TROOPS IN FRANCE
If the whole regular American
army had been sent into battle at
once, Secretary Baker said, like Eng
lands 1T would have been DESTROYED.
I'm eloquent words he described how
Franco welcomed the first American
soldiers. peasants kissing, he said,
the hens Of their coats.
"Of course" Mr.. Baker continued.
they welcomed the British, but their
need was not so great when the Brit
1sh went. or course they welcomed
the British but there were ties between
them and lis which there had not
been between them and the British
and so when our troops went there
was an instant and spontaneous rise
III the morable Of the French, but an
equally instant and spontaneous in
sistance that these soldiers who came
from America should continue to
como in an unbroken stream.
SELECTIONS OF THE TROOPS.
And so we made the election. We
decided not to send the regular army
as whole, but to send regular diyi-
sions and National Guard divisions,
selected according to the state of
their preparation, and keep back
here some part of our trained force
In order that 1t might innoculate with
Its spirit and its training these raw
leVies which we were training, and
one after another these divisions have
gone over until in Franco thern 10 q