The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-11-01

ing in this country years ago would have
brought victory months earlier and
caused smaller casualties.
The General spiked the beliefs some
of the anti-preparednes men still have,
despite the war. that an army can
spring up over night, and declared that
the average training of the Americans
who went into action In France was
eleven months.
In response to questions ne said that
despite the valor Of the American SOL
diers n force of trained Germans could
combat effectively twice their number
OF soldiers trained only few weeks.
II do not believe" added Gen. Per-
shing, that the taking of young men
from civil life for three or six months
at 10 years would interfere with pro-
duction or industrial activity. 1t would
increase the efficiency OF the labortng
men. They would go back into civil
life better. prepared, filled UP with ag-
gressiveness and initiativeness. If /
were assured that there would never
be another war would favor uni
versal military training. L regard the
taking Of 100000 youths from their
other activities at 10 years as part Of
their education, and I think the effect
under the system of schools that
the American Expeditionary Force built
UP in Europe the men we're not held
to strict military duty. but the training
that they got made II easy for them
to master their studies. They could do
as much In six months as other students
do in a whole year. That is the view
OF leading educators. In these schools
in France 100000 men OF the army
were enrolled"
Gen. Pershing also strongly empha-
sized the moral and physical advan-
tages of such training.
The General opened his testimony
with a general statement in which he
decried our lack of military prepaped-
ness. He said in part:
"Our success in the war was not due
to our forethought in preparedness but
to exceptional circumstances which made
Il possible to prepare after we had de-
clared war. It Is my belief that II
America hsd been adequately prepared
our rights would never have been vio-
lated our institutions would never have
been threatened"
Plea for Aviation Progress.
Gen. Pershing rather adroitly criti-
cised the failure Of Congress to provide
adequately for the future development
\ OF aviation. He said:
THE future development of aerial
transportation cannot Of course be fore
seen, but we expect very rapid de-
velopment. During the war the air SER
vice developed rapidly and there Is every
reason to believe that we may look to
a great future for 1t. This service is
recognized In England. France and italy
as possessing great possibilities.
49, al
not lag behind in encouraging aviation
and should keep pace with the progress
OF other nations. OF course 1t is espe-
cially valuable for military purposes. If
Congress is OF the opinion that general
aviation should be encouraged 1 think
that appropriations for military, naval
and commercial aviation might very well
be included under one head: first for
the various services of the army and
navy and second to procure planes for
all other purposes, commercially and
otherwise, as may seem desirable.
MY idea is that there should be re-
tanned in the army certain personnel
and equipment to train fiiers and troops
The same comment might be made with
regard to the navy. Then for the de-
velopment OF the air which ought &c
be undertaken by the Government, we
should have some department which
would be not only a procurement bu-
reau for all aviation but which would
conduct scientific Investigations and
tests for the air service In general.
Certain parts of this service might be
used for war purposes"
Gen. Pershing declared that many Of
| the criticisms aimed at the General
Staff work during wartime were well
founded. THE bureaus were weak" he
said, land officers of these bureaus had
not sufficient training for their duties
All OF this may be said to be due to our
lack of preparedness l recommend that
TO General Staff officers be appointed
until they have completed a course at a
general staff school
AT the beginning OF the war we found
ourselves with no adequate organiza-
ton to meet the situation which con-
fronted us. On the arrival of earlier
contingents in Europe 1t was found nee
essary to create general staff from
the ground up"