New-York tribune., 1918-03-10
Casualty List
Rule Caused by
French Warning
Addresses and Dates Valu.
able to Foe, Pershing
Reported

WASHINGTON, March 9.-Ihe War
Departments order deleting the ad-
dresses of next of kin and dates from
the casualty lists given out here was
officially explained to-day as having re-
suited from representations of the
French government to General Per-
shing that the casualties as published
in this country made accessible to the
enemy valuable information.
At the same time the order of the de-
partment was brought up by Senator
New, of Indiana, who introduced reso-
luton requesting the department to in
form the Senate why the order had
been issued if such information would
not be Inconsistent with the interests
Of the service"
Senator New asked immediate adop-
tion Of the resolution, but Senator
Williams, of Mississippi, Democrat, OBJ
jected, and the resolution went over
until Monday without debate.
French Warned of Results
In explaining the reasons for the or
der Major General Peyton C. March,
acting chief of staff, made public a
paraphrase of the cable message re-
ceived from General Pcrshing recon-
mending the change. General Pershing
said the French government had di-
rected attention to the unqucstioncd
valuable information which the Ger
mans could obtain from statements
giving the exact number of casualties
resulting after raid, and from official
statistics in the form of casualty lists
which gave the precise effects Of a gas
attack
1t could not be learned whether Cen
eral Pershing specifically designated
the features to be deleted, or left this
to the decision of the department. Nor
was there any cxplane ton of state
ment in an Associated Press dispatch
to-day from American headquarters
that the rule forbiddng discussing of
casualties among the American forces
was temporary" Whether this re-
ferred to prohibition imposed by
General Pershing on correspondents in
France or to the departments new or
der was not made clear
1CHcldi 4udICIi explained CnaL tne
French government has never issued a
casualty list of any kind since the be-
ginning of the war. The War Office
in Paris, as soon as name is received,
notifies the Mayor Of the town from
which the soldier came, and the Mayor
personally notifies the soldiers family
or next of kin.
British Plan the Model
The British government, according to
the chief of staff, issues weekly lists
which contain only the information
now given out in Washington, while
the German government long ago dis
continued the practice of posting in
towns the names of the killed or
wounded from those towns.
to give out the lists as soon as they
are received from abroad. it was ex-
planned. Until further notice one list
day will be published by the adju-
tant generals office, mimcographed ID
copies being provided for newspaper
correspondents After explaining the
departments action, General March to-
day expressed the opinion that "the
patriotic press" would sustain the rul-
Adjutant General Mccain tonight
reiterated his statement that there was
no cause for anxiety among the rela-
tives of soldiers in France and that
all relatives Of men killed, wounded or
dying from any cause would be notified
Immediately.