The L'Anse sentinel., 1919-01-24
CHARGES AGAINST
WAR DEPARTMENT.
Casualty Lists Bungled, Soldiers Mail
Dumped; Pay Held Up; Ford's
Eagle Boat" Plant Probed.

Washington, d. C.-Although more
than two months have elapsed since
the armistice was declared and all
fighting ceased on European battle
fields, the American people are still
in doubt as to the personnel of the
casualties of the American Expedi-
tionary Force. Daily papers are still
publishing long lists Of dead, wound
ed, and missing, and the second week
in January, two months after the sign
ing of the armistice, it was announced
that the War Department had put on
an extra force of one thousand ,000)
clerks in order to compile the casual
ties which have not yet been made
public. a
Not only have not all of the casual
ties ben printed, but much space is be-
ing devoted in the newspapers to cor
rections in lists formerly printed.
Men previously missing are now re-
ported killed. Many men previously
reported killed are now reported
wounded, and scores of instances are
on record where men reported killed
have arrived in this country in good
physical condition. In every state,
families who have men abroad in the
American forces are being kept in sus-
pense due to the bungling manner in
which casualty lists have been hand
led.
Senator Weeks Discusses Casualties.
This subject was discussed very
thoroughly in recent address in the
United States Senate by Senator
Weeks, of Massachusetts, and in all
probability there will be an investiga-
ton of the War Department in this
particular. Senator Weeks read the
records to show that during one week
in December "the Red Cross received
on an average of twenty letters a day
from parents who have been advised
by the War Department that their
sons had been killed on a specified
date. In every one of these cases,
the parents wrote that they have re-
ceived communications from their
boys subsequent to the date given by
the War Department" This is only
one of the many glaring errors and
inexcusable delays in compiling and
publishing casualties cited by Senator
Weeks. The Senator attributed much
of the trouble to the fact that the War
. Department refused to cooperate
with the Red Cross in the matter of
collecting data regarding casualties
and forwarding same to the families
of wounded soldiers. 1t was brought
out in recent investigation before
the Senate Committee on Military
Affairs that the Red Cross had been
in possession of thousands of names
of men wounded or killed which it
could have and would have forwarded
Immediately to the relatives of, the
men, had not the War Department
forbidden the Red Cross doing so.
Other Failures to be Probed.
This is only one of the many activ-
tiles of the War Department which is
due for investigation and publicity.
Charges of the most serious character
have been made against the conditions
Of the debarkation camp at Brest,
France, from which port practically
all of our returning soldiers must de-
bark. These charges have been made
by officers and privates in the army,
but they have ben excused by the War
Department upon the ground that
peace found the War Department
wholly unprepared to bring the troops
home and with no plans for their de-
barkation, and that therefore condi-
tions which may exist at Brest are un-
avoidable. The Senate Military Com
mittee is now investigating this.
Some time since, there was a series
of articles in several Of the metropol-
itan dailies, showing the breakdown of
the Ordnance Department. The gen.
eral charge made in these articles was
verified in General Pershing's report
at the close Of hostilities, in which he
said that among our most important
deficiencies in material were artillery,
aviation and tanks" and that even at
the close Of the war, there was no
heavy artillery Of American make up
on the battle fields Of France, and the
American troops had been supplied
with heavy artillery by the French
government, which "has always taken
a most liberal attitude and has been
most anxious to give us every possi-
BILE assistance in meeting our defici-
encies in this as well as in all other