The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1918-11-29
WHAT BECAME OF
FIRST ARM|ST|cE
4PARTY OF GERMANS?
ROY w. HOWARD HAS NO APoL.
oGY FOR REPORT THAT ARM
icTIcE SIGNED.
EXPLANATIONS AFTER PEACE
President Of United States Calls on
Secretary Daniels to Express APP
probation for Admiral Wilson's
Manly Conduct.
(By United Press)

NEW YORK, NOV. 2Z.-Neltner
myself, or the United Press has any
apology to offer for giving to the
American people, as news, state
ment of the signing of the armistict
announced as official and furnished il
writing for publication by the vice ad
miral of the United States, in supreme
command of all the American nava
forces in France. We're the same iden
teal proposition presented tomorrow
we would act exactly as on Novem
Der z. No newspaper man could oil
would do otherwise"
Roy w. Howard, president Of the
United Press, made the foregoing
statement upon his return to New
York after having. spent Tuesday in
Washington, where he conferred with
Secretary of the Navy Daniels and
other officials following his return to
the United States on government
transport
''The bulletin which Admiral Viii
son gave out, and which the United
Press carried, was not a rumor' OF
a report It was bulletin furnished
to the admiral as official and so Civ
en- to u.s." continued Howard ut was
given to US for publication by the
ranking active United States naval
officer in France. There was no more
ground for doubling Admiral Wilson's
source of news than there would have
been for doubling the statement had
it come from Marshal Foch.
ut was. about 10 o'clock in the
morning French time) when first
learned Of rumor that the armistice
had been signed. The report was cur
rent in both French and American ar.
my circles in Brest when | arrived
that morning to embark for the United
States.
81 put in the entire day endeavor-
ing to confirm the report. But it was
not until about o'clock in the aft
ernoon that Admiral Wilson was mott
fed On what he stated was official
authority and on which | know he had
every reason to believe was official
authority, that the armistice had been
signed.
"The announcement had been made
by the local Brest newspaper and the
civilians, soldiers and sailors had their
celebration under full headway before
| was able to get from Admiral Viii.
son personally copy of his written
announcement and his personal assur-
ance that the bulletin was official.
1.-THE Admiral then sent his person
al aide with me to assist me in filing
the dispatch as do not speak French
fluently.
1T was the fact that all Brest, in
Guiding operators and censors, accept
ed the news as official and was cele-
brating at the time that caused my
wire to pass the French censorship
at Brest unchallenged.
Upon my return to the United
States, l learned that no news had
been published here of the fact that
celebrations of the signing of the
armistice took place on November Z
at practically all the army and navy
Eases on the French coast.
Il was also surprised to learn that
nothing had reached here by cable
concerning the fact that all Paris had
the report of the armistice being sign
ed. at the American luncheon meet.
ing in Paris on that day, the toast
master arose and with Admiral Ben
son seated on one side Of him and
American Consul Thacker on the 9TH
err, announced on what he said was the
authority of the American embassy
that the armistice had been signed.
"All the celebration on, that day
was by. no means on this side of the
Atlantic.
Nothing much yet has been said as
to the source of Admiral Wilson'S in
formation. This is not for me to dis
cuss. Nothing has been said as to the
reason for the report current that day
throughout France. No report has
been offered of how the report reach
ed the American embassy in aPris as
official Neither has any explana-
ton been offered yet as to what be-
came of the first German arimtisco d
came of the first German armistice
delegation, headed by Won Hintze,
which was reported to have reached
the French lines on Nov. 6, and which
then disappeared from the news, be.
ing supplemented by the Erzberger
plenipotentiaries.
Some of these matters will be
cleared up after peace is signed"
Howard called upon Secretary DAN
iels Tuesday to express his apprecia-
ton of the courage and squareness of
Admiral Wilson in furnishing the
United Press with a singned statement