The north Mississippi herald., 1919-04-04
$500 AMERICANS
LISTED AS MISSING
Access to Prison Camps Dis
close Many Graves-Deaths
In French Hospitals of Un-
identified are Being Disclos-
ed by Reburial.

WASHINGTON, Mar. 27.-Gener-
al Pershing reported to the War De-
partment today that there are still
$500 officers and men of the expe-
ditionary forces listed as missing.
This total compared with the British
official figures of 161,800 missing and
the French of 100000.
All of the $500 names have been
reported as missing" in casualties
lists already published, the report
said. Reinternments of bodies from
isolated graves in the centralized
cemeteries is furnishing additiona
Identification in a number of cases
and for this reason the records of
the grave registration service are be-
ing carefully studied.
Re-examination of grave registra-
ton reports and also of hospital
records, referred to by General Per-
shing, was said by officials at the War
Department to explain the "killed in
action" and wounded in action"
casualties still appearing in the daily
casualty lists sent out by the depart
ment.
The British war office, General Per-
shing's report said, has adopted the
policy of considering 26 weeks in the
case of an officer and 80 weeks for an
enlisted man as the length of time
after the man had been recorded rs
missing before death is presumed
In the French army, he said, no
definite period had been fixed.
mo accurate estimate of unreport-
ed deaths can be given" said General
Pershing's report. "There are how
ever approximately $500 missing to
be accounted for, all of whom have
been reported to Washington as miss
ing. Reinternment of bodies remov-
ed from isolated graves to central
lied cemeteries is furnishing addition
al Identification of death hitherto re
ported as missing.
This is especially true of rebuials
of bodies originally buried by allies
units to which American troops are
attached, Identification being either
incomplete or imperfectly registered
at internment.
deaths of American soldiers in.
French hospitals of which only mea-
ger and often incorrect records or
file are likewise disclosed by reburial
or these bodies resulting in complete
identification. Access to sites of
prison camps in Germany and to ter
ritory formerly within enemy's line
Is leading to discovery of many graves
and notification of casualties previ-
ously reported as missing. Each COM
pany or other unit of the American
Expeditionary Force has heretofore
been furnished a complete list of
officers, and men carried as missing
up to February /. All units are re
quired to display such list in places
inaccessible to members of command
for the purpose of securing casualty
information from every possible
source. This expedient is resulting
IN regulating unknown graves and
Identification showing present status
and whereabouts of many battle cas-
ualties
consideration should be given to
the fact that method of warfare as
we'll as the extent of terran fought
over lent exceptional difficulties to
discovery and burial of dead. Burial
\ parties frequentil completed their
mission under heavy fire and often
could only be done under cover of
darkness thus making identification
difficult and often impossible.
''Reburials are now furnishing the
means of Identification in great ma
jority of such cases. For this reason
grave registration and chaplain re.
ports are being again Investigated
4 A small percentage of such report.
investigated are proving to be cases
Il of American dead previously report
ed as such. AS rapidly as identified.
81 ton can be completed from informa
tion originally filed or subsequently,
obtained from every possible source
correct present status of each case
is being reported by cable"