Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1919-03-28
REPORT $500 MEN
MISSING IN FRANCE
General Pershing Says No Trace
Found of Many of His
Doughboys.
SEARCHING BATTLE FIELDS
Burial Parties Often Laid Sol
diers to Rest in Darkness
and Under Fire.

WASHINGTON. March 27.-General
Pcrshing reported to tho War Depart
ment today there are still $500 Of
icers and men OF the cxpeditionary
forces listed as missing. This total
compares with the British official fig
ures Of 161. 500 missing. and the French
OF 100000
All of the $500 names have been re-
ported as missing in casualty lists
already published. the report said.
Rcintcrment of bodies from isolated
graves in the centralized cemeteries
Is furnishing additional Identification
In NUN Der Of cases. and for this rea-
son the records Of grave registration
service are being carefully studied.
Discrimination of grave -egisua-
tion reports and also of hospital records.
referred to by General Pershing, was
said by officials at the War Depart
ment TO explain the killed in action"
appearing in the daily casualty lists
sent out by the department
HRTTLSH USE THIRTY
WEEKS TO LOCATE MEN
shings report said. had accepted the
policy of considering twcnty-six weeks
In the case of an officer and thirty
weeks for an enlisted man as the
length Of time after the man had been
recorded as missing before death IS
presumed; In the French army. he
No accurate estimate of unre ported
deaths can be given" said General Per-
snngs rspoTt Ts1y 5op Imhe1e are howeveE
reported to washington as missing.
Refinement OF bodies removed from
teries Is furnishing additional identiti-
cation of deaths hitherto reported as
iss,ns Tbs had,s Is especially true Of
allied units to which American troops
were attached. idcntifica lion being
either incomplete or iinperfectly reg
istcrcd at interment.
FIND MANY AMERICAN
GRAVES IN HUN PRISONS
Deaths OF American soldiers in
likewise disclosed by rcburial Of these
BODIES resulting In complete identiti-
eation. Access to sites Of prison camps
within cnemy's lines is leading to dis
sovery of many American graves and
sefn seporsed ae oSf casualties previously
Each Each company or other unit of the
hhmerlfan american exp texpeditionary force has
list of officers and men % carried as miss Miss
ing up TO February /. All units are
required to display such list in places
the purpose of securing casualty in
formation from every possible source
rms eNpedient is resulting in locating
Hcation showing present status and
whereabouts of many battle casualties
MANY BURIED IN DARK
AND UNDER SHELL FIRE
Consideration should be given to
tact that method Of warfare as we'll
as the extent of terrain fought over
lent eSceptional difficulties to discovery
and burial OF dead Burial parties
frequently completed their mission un-
der heavy fire, and often 1t could only
be done under cover OF darkness thus
making Identification difficult and often
impossible. Reburials are now fur
nishing means of identification in a
great majority of such cases. For this
reason grave registration and chaplain
reports are being investigated. a small
percentage Sof such reports investi-
gated are proving to be cases OF
American dead previously unreported
as such. AS rapidly as Identification
can be. completed from information
originaly Eled or subsequently oh
tanned from every possible source, cor
rect present status OF each case is
being reported by cable"