Evening star., 1919-10-12
BY WILLIAM T. DAUGHERTY.

CAME to know one German officer
who had all Of these. His name was
Udet. and he Is known in Germany
a. their greatest living avia tor. only
surpa ssed ny Baron Won Richthofen. who
was killed. Udet had well over sixty
planes to his credit. He was a dare
devil birdman. who on one occasion
gave an exhibition flight at Karrs
Horst. outside OF Berlin. for a select
group OF American officers. He was n
modest. unassuming chap. not over
twenty-five years OF age. Before the
war he was a "dachdecker" "a coverer
Of roofs).
1t would have been inconceivable
before the war that one of his humble
station In life ever should have become
IN officer In the exclusive ranks of the
German system. and Udet became a
first lieutenant.
III the American mission in Berlin
had been recruiting station I honest
ly believe that we could have enlisted
nearly the whole OF the remaining
German army. We had scarcely be-
come installed in Berlin when we be-
came flooded with applications and
applicants in person who wanted to
Join the American Army.
1t appeared that a report had been
circulated that the American Army was
looking for recruits from the German
army and was especially desirous of
Engaging German officers to act as in
0tructors.
The surprising feature OF this situa-
don was that some would come to us
and tell US they had read in certain Ger
man papers that We wanted recruits.
Others would say they had seen recruit
frg posters In German railway stations.
There was utterly no foundation for
this. for We were positively against any
proposition to engage either officer or
man. so long as he was German.
The applications came in such great
oumbers that mimeographed form let
tor had to be prepared and sent to the
eppucants. Meantime the officers Of the
Htssion were visited all day long by SOL
diers In field gray asking to be enlisted
or engaged. and we would often be
stopped In the streets to answer their
questions This continued as long as we
Wero there. Gradually they came to
laarn that the report was absolutely
talse.
striking statement that became cur
rent among the German populace and
military at this time was that the Japa-
nose were recruiting against the Ameri-
cans The report had gone out that the
japanese were especially desirous of en-
gaging the services Of German officers
and they were said by these irrespon-
stble persons to be doing a lively busi-
. nssA We paid no attention to these
Gtories-
We came to occupy peculiar position
In Berlin as time went on. Although
10 were created and authorized only to
handle the repatriation OF prisoners,
there were countless ones who took us
- be general information bureau. To
al requests. however we had to refer
applicants and visitors to proper author
Z tiles when we could Some OF these
were deranged. and we would often be
S~@~sOA W pCtoioSCut OucS VINO COulOn't
be made to.understand that we had no
authority over or interest in their cases.
Besides our waiting line Of German
recruits, We would be approached by all
manner Of visitors, generally those hav-
ting relation in the United States, or
knowing some one who had a relation.
& Who wanted to correspond with them,
regardless of the ban on correspondence
then. These were matters for the Inter-
national Red Cross or for our represep-
eAttve at the Spanish embassy, which
!. was handling our affairs. Many of them
I could not be made to understand that
We could not break the existing rules.
s Others wanted food, nor could they
understand why we did not have ships
chartered to sail up the Spree with this
precious charge. Still others wanted to
! tell us what they thought of the United
states government on general principles.
Il wasn't very flattering. Of course
We were even requested to send an
Arm1d force into Poland to intervene
b the alleged Jewish massacres there.
One woman, who said she was an
American married to a German and
whose English was Enthusiastically our
oWn, came to us once with a complaint