The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-01-18

Marshal Foch pointed out tn be commensurate with the pric resources, especially in men, re was now the duty of the allies
 Marshal Foch praised the work of tho American troops and said General Pershing had asked that the American forces be concentrated for an attack on one sector. The allied general issimo admitted that the Argonne- Mouse front, where the Americans be- gan their offensive on September 26, was "sector hard to tackle" The marshal said he had told General Persh- ing:
 Your men have the devils own punch. They will get away with all that. Go to it.''
 The American attack succeeded, the marshal continues, "and here we are on the Rhine"
 OFFENSIVE PLANNED ~
 The armistice was not concluded too soon and the allies got all they asked for from Germany without continuing the lighting. The allies, the marshal said, were prepared for another or fensive stroke which would have forced the Germans to give up. This was to have been made in Lorraine on Novem- Der 15 with six American and 20 French divisions
 ..This is, for me-" Marshal Foch be- gan. "a happy opportunity to toll you all the good things I think or the Aml.rican army and of the part II played on our side. Your soldiers were superb They came to us young, en- rA WY vigorous intelligence and they marched to battle with admirable gallantry
 .Yes. they were superb. There IS no other word. When they appeared our armies were, as you know, Iatigued by three years of relentless struggle and the mantle of war laid heavily upon them. We were magnif1cently comfort ed by the virility of your Americans.
 "The youth of the United States brought a renewal of the hope that has tened victory. Not only was this moral fact of the highest importance, put YOU also brought enormous mater al aid and the wealth which you placed at our disposal contributed to the final sue cess Nobody among us will ever 1or- get what America did
 "ADd vou know what happened on the. field of battle since the month or July-irst on the Marne, then in the region of Verdun. General Persnins wished as far as possible to have ms army concentrated in an American sec. tor. The Argonne and the heights or inc Mouse were a sector hard to tackle. There were consioerapte oos'Aoiea
 co TO TT. TELLS PERSHING
 .sAl1 right said to him. Your men have the devils own punch. Tney will get away with all that Go 70 it.
 And finally everything went we'll everything went so well that here we arc on the Rhine.
 Marshal Foch was asked by the cor respondent:
 "But was not the armistlco con- cluded too soon?' : .It was not possible to do otherwise" .rswered the marshal, because the Germans gave us everything that we asked for They satisfied all of our conditions. It was difficult to ask more.
 nDoubtless any general would have ryeferred to have continued the strug- rIe and to have battle when the battle which offered itself was so promising, hut the father of family could not hut help think of tho blood that would be shed. A victory. however easy' costs the lives of men. We held VIC tory in our grasp without any rurtner sacrifice. We took 1t as 1t came
 s~rhe German high command was not ignorant of the fact that it faced colossal disaster. When it surrendered avervthinr was prepared for an offen- sive in which it would infallibly nave succumbed On the 14th we were to at tack in Lorraine with 70 frencn oi- visions and six American d1Vlslohs, This attack would have been supported hv -other movements in Flanders and in W GERMANS WERE LOST
 .~rhe Germans were lost They capit- uiated. There is the whole story.
 "And now we must make peace which will correspond with the magni- tude of our victory. We must have peace <as absolute as was our success and which will guard us aganist all iu- ture aggressions.
 AFrance has a right to effective measures of protection after the for ynidable efforts she put forth to save .eivilization. The natural frontier which will protect civilization is the Rhine.
 "It Is on the Rhine that we must hold the Germans. It is by using the Rhine that we must make IL imposs'o1e for them to recommence the coup oi 1sI4. The Rhine is the common bar rier of all the allies, precisely or all those who united to save civilization k The Rhine is the guarantee Of peace for all the nations who have shed their blood in the cause or hDerty. lneh let us watch on the Rhine.
 eve have no idea of attacking Ger many or of recommending the war Democracies such as ours never attack They ask but to live in peace and to grow in peace, but who can say that Germany-where democratic ideas are SO recent and perhaps very superficial will not quickly recover from it's de- featf
 England has the channel to cross America is far away. France must al ways be in a position to safeguard the general interests of mankind. Those interests are at stake on the Rhine. It is there that we must prepare to guard against the painful surprises of the future
 Tho armistice is signed. but peace is not yet concluded. So long as the status of Europe has not been settled. let us watch: let us watch together, so that we lose not the fruits of our common vic tory. Lst us remain united as we were in battIe.s