New-York tribune., 1919-02-19
Kin Should Have Been Noti-
fed of Deaths Within Ten
Days, Declares Kansan
Reprimanded by Colonel
Forbidden, as Y. Nj. c. A.
Worker, to Inform Sol
diers' Relatives of Wounds
By Theodore M. Knappen
Netr York Tribune
Wu.shtr atom Ru-erfI

DIV tllGOoOlC lFAs bAlldppCll
New York Tribune
Washington, Bureau
WASHINGTON, Feb. 1s.-"The disre-
GARD of the rights of the kin of killed
and wounded soldiers was the most
hssrtless thing / have ever seen," Gov
eruor Henry J. Allen of Kansas told
the Senate Military Affairs Committee
today, in explaining why casualty re-
ports were so much delayed.
High officers had informed him. he
said, that full reports of all casualties
should have been available within ten
days after heavy action, whereas they
actually we're delayed, SO far as infor-
nation to relatives was concerned, as
much as six weeks and even longer.
The delays were due to q heaping up
Of red tape that was SO complex and
useless that it appeared that it could
only have been arranged for the pur-
pose of causing delay.
As illustrating how the devotion TO
form and routine enslaves and biasses
the military mind, Governor Allen told
how he had been reprimanded by Colo
mel Davis, the adiutant at General
pershing's headquarters, for giving in
formation, as a Red Cross agent, to a
mother in Selma, Ala, that her son was
killed and buried six weeks before the
War Department notified her.
Colonel Davis was not concerned
about the suspense this mother had
been saved or about the suspense and
anxiety OF other mothers All that wor-
red him was that the army had been
put in bad light in the Selma district
by the knowledge that the Red Cross
had reported a death six weeks before
the army had got around to it. Such
course, the colonel explained naIvelv.
had very bad effect on the reputation
Of the army
As means Of preventing any more
bad effects of this kind, instructions
were issued forbidding the Red Cross
TO report deaths or wounds or COM
municate with relatives until after the
names had appeared on the casualty
list at headquarters. Previous to this
time the Red Cross had been organ
izing and had begun to operate zone Of
the finest conceptions" of the war to
give relatives news of their soldiers in
France especially attending to cases of
inquiries from home in regard to SOL
diers who had not been heard of for
such length of time as to arouse ap-
prehension, and to report tenderly to
the home folk regarding the wounded
and the dead
The next step, the Governor said,
vas to permit the Red Cross to report
to the home head Office, but to REQUIRE
the latter to wait until the casualty
lists were ready before making any re-
port. Two weeks after the armistice
the War Department gave the Red
Cross freedom of action.
Col. Davis's Reply.
IA SH p4Git4tlA6 W SOIODCl Odfi ~ VI udl
'ae Red Cross was doing in this way
and was planning to do, Governor Al
zen pointed out that it was the same
thing that the British army organza-
ion did itself. Colonel Daviss answer
vas:
Just because one army wears red
PANTS is no reason why another one
should"
The peculiar facility Of the repre-
sentatives Of business nation to bun
7le the simple routine business Of the
army, such as reporting casualties
promptly, was manifest also IN the
army postal arrangements.
Owing, probably, to some red tape
'esulaton. vaich he was unable to cx-
siain in am ~ay, Governor Allen said
nat thousands Of letters addressed to
soldiers we're returned TO the senders
the addresses happened to be in
hospitals instead Of with their units
Snen the letters reached France. even