The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1919-07-31
American Soldiers Bodies
Must Remain There for
Three Years
j. .4#Hy@.E,
FEARS DEPRESSING
.-.-N E@N s=A zs.s
EFFECT ON PEOPLE
There Are 100000 Soldiers Buried in
the Soil of France-United States
Will Create American Fields of
Honor In That Country.

WASHINGTON. July 31.-Ann-
ouncement was authorized by the war
department yesterday that before the
actual return of the bodies of Ameri-
can soldiers buried in France can be
undertaken, negotiations with the
Negotiations are under way to obtain
consent to the. removal, but up to the
present time France has refrained
from permitting it.
The French government is reported
to be opposed at this time to the re-
moval of the bodies of all buried sol
riers, first, because the transfer of
large numbers of bodies might result
in epidemics, and second, because
France is a nation in mourning, and to
permit the removal of French dead.
with consequent funerals and renewed
mourning would serve to add to the pc
Rod of national sorrow following more
| than four years of war The attitude
of the French government is reported
as being that it is unwilling to grant
to the American government privileges
in this respect which it does not care
at this time to accord to the French
people themselves.
/ Not long after the United States
entered the late war; said the an
nouncement authorized by the war de.
partment, the war department an
nounced that it would be its policy
to bring back to the United States the
bodies of American soldiers which were
buried abroad, provided the nearest
relatives requested their return.
''Since the armistice many commun
!, ications have been received by the wal
, department from the families of dc
ceased soldiers requesting that the, bod
; les of the latter be left permanent,
| interned in France. Many other fam
, lilies have requested that the bodies O.
their dead be returned to the Unite,
States.
Before the next step, the actua
( return of the hodies to the Unitet
: States, can be undertaken, the eonscn
of the French government must be oh
: tanned. There are approximately 4
1 100000 bodies inferred in France as
: result of the war. The attitude of III
G French government is against the re
! moval of any of these
: "A proposed law is under considera
: ton by the French parliament, which
/ If passed, would prohibit such remova
f for period OF three years from Jan.
i 1919. Pending the enactment of tn
! proposed law the matter is being regu
5 lated by ministerial action of tn
Il French government. along the sam
+ lines as the proposed law itself TIL
French government feels that il car
i not consistently extend to the Amer
y can government greater privileges i
4 this respect than ii accords to its ow
0 people.
e = For the bodies that are to renal
n permanently in France the Unite
c States government will undoubtcdl
II provide cemeteries or American field
+ of honor. They will be maintaine
p and cared for always by the America
t government. The French government
t, has considerably offered to cede sey
c cral tracts of land for this purpos,
o One of them at Romano Sous Montfal
Y con, is in the heart of the Meuse- Al
!. gonne battlefield. Another is near tn
5 city of Paris, upon the slopes of Mon
e Valerien, overlooking the pretty tow
Y of Suresnes. the valley of the Sein, an
r the Bots de Boulognc No more bea,
L tiful sight could be imagined. The mi
5, nicipality of Paris has already cor
1 structed splendid highway calle
X Boulevard Washington, connecting til
latter cemetery with the French cap
tai
elf we follow the example of OF
!, allies. no private monuments will h
:, permitted to be erected over til
! graves and thus all discrimination wi
| be avoided. Where every one did S
! well in life, there should be no distin,