New Mexico state record. (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1914-19??, 1919-03-07
DEMOCRATS IN ]. s.
SENATE EXPOSE
SECRETARY BAKER
CHAMBERLAIN LAYS BARE
FAILURES OF PACIFISr
WAR OFFICIAL WHICH RE.
SUITED IN DEATH AND
DISASTER TO SOLDIERS
(From Official Congressional Record
Continued from Last Week
Those Casualty Lists

those casualty Lists
Mr.. Chamberlain. Mr.. President,
am not going to discuss any further
this question of soldiers pay and
insurance. feel tempted to discuss
! the casualty lists. but | understand
the Senator from Massachusetts
(Mr. Weeks is going TO discuss that
matter. | think he gave notice Of
/ it few days ago, and I am rot
going to discuss it, because there is =
no use in taking up the time Of the
Senate on it in view OF this fact,
Mr.. Borah Mr.. President. do I
und rstand the Senator to say that
he is not going to discuss the casual
ty lst?
Mr. Chamberlain. Not just nov.
because understand the Senator
from Massachusetts, (Mr. Weeks) is
going to discuss that subject.
Mr.. Borah. May | ask one ques-
ton, not for the purpose OF leading
the Senator into discussion of this
matter if he does not wish 10 dis-
consideration TO it: What is the ex-
planation for this delay in the publ
cation OF the casualty lists?
MI. AHdHioci ialh' Ncui II -
long story.
Mr.. Borah. Is it just story?
Mr.. Chamberlain. Yes and Eo.
Take the Battle OF the Argonne For
est, for instance. There many young
men were killed, and under the in
tense fire there it was impossi
even to go where they were, or to
bury them, until later. The result
was that it was quite difficult in
many instances, because of wounds
and natural decay, TO identify many
of them. There night have been.
we will say. by way OF illustration
so of them lost in that way and 80
others were temporarily missing
from their command. They sought
to identity those indiv;duals-the kill
red and the temporarily rrissing-in
order not to harass needlessly the
! fathers and mothers and friends OF
the boys at home. That is the pur-
pose of it--not to give to the public
Nthe name OF a soldier until they have
had the casualty lists verified.
Mr.. Borah. l can understand per
fectly how that would be true at the
time the conflict was being waged
and for a considerable time there
after. and l am not raising this point
tor the purpose of discussion: but l
suppose every Senator has had nu-
merous letters on the subject. and l
never have been able to explain why
it is that II weeks. going on two
months, after the armistice was sign
ed the casualty list is still coming
out day by day. 1t does seem
to me that within a short time after
the armistice was signed and after
the settlement of the difficulty an
accurate statement Of casualties
could be- made. 1t is the suspense.
the agony of suspense, that is even
worse than the knowledge.
Mr.. Chamberlain. | am inclined
to agree with the Senator.
Mr.. Borah. simply wanted to
know whether or not there wes any
reason that we could assign to the
people who write US, why this de-
lay?"
Mr.. Chamberlain. | am frank to
say that from the evidence taken
before our committee there is no exc
cuse for all of it. There is an ex-
cuse for some OF it. The Red Cross
had information on lot of these
boys before the War Department
did. We had Mr.. Castle, of the Red
Cross, before our committee. We
had Mr.. Keppel. Assistant Secretary
OF War. who had the matter imrhe-
diately in charge in the War Depart
ment, before us. Mr. Keppel went
over to France to undertake to ind
out what the difficulties were and
to try 10 correct them, so that we
would get speeder returns. but foe
some reason the Red Cross was not
permitted to give out the informa-
tion it had until after the armistice
was signed or very shortly befor-
that time.
No Excuse For This
never have been able to see any
reason for that. | think they ought
to have been permitted to give it all
out, because here we've Red Cross
nurses that attended the hospitals in
France where young men died. either
from wounds or from disease. A
young man would write letter to
his mother or to his sister or to
somebody in this country and hand
II to the Red Cross nurse, and those
Cross, and they were not permitted
to give them to the people 70 whom
they were addressed. That may have
been all right, but it never has seem
ed all right to me, and | have ne4
been satisfied with any eXplanatI n
that has been attempted to be made.
The reporting of the casualties
ought to have been improved. There
letters came over here to the Red
are so many individual cases that
appeal to the heart that one hardly
4 knows where to start and where to
stop in discussing the situation.
Take the case OF an old classn1a'e
of mine. a. Washington ard Lee
University, who had two sons in
I France, both lieutenants. One OF
them was a young staff officer. not
over p years old. He was given
dangerous mission TO perform. and
he performed it like man; and
when he lay down. wounded. to die,
he wrote a message TO his command
ing officer telling him why he had