The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1919-07-01
SOME BITTERNESS
. BETWEEN OFFICERS
Gen. March Disgruntled by
Gen. Pershing's Indepen-
dence of Action
ATTEMPTED TO
MIDDLE HIS ORDERS
Pershing Stuck to His Original Demands
Which Were Granted by War De-
partment-March Claimed Too Much
Importance.

WASHINGTON, July Although Sec
rotary of War Baker refuses point blank
to make any comment on the possibility
of General Pershing being made chief of
staff, or on reports of friction between
General Pershing and General March, it
is we'll known in army circles that this
friction has existed for many months.
How serious it is or whether it has
reached the stage to be officially taken
notice of is another matter, but every
general staff officer understands that there
has been and is little love lost between
these two officers.
According to army gossip, General
March never liked the way lie was per-
mitted by General Pershing to come to
the United States in the early days of the
war and remain in Washington. The fact
that he was appointed chief of staff made
his absence from the fighting zone neces-
sary, but there seems to be an impression
that General March thought that his val
ne abroad had never been properly APP
preciated by General Pershing.
| Anyway there were frequent indications
| of friction between the officers of the
general staff and the officers of the head
| of the American expeditionary force in
France 1t began apparently over small
! trihes orders which General Pershing
sent in for equipment, etc BY virtue OF
| his position General March took occasion
! frequently to overrule suggestions made
| by General Pershing, and the latter not
infrequently fired back by refusing to ac-
cept the changes.
The first public notice of this came in
connection with an order for a certain
kind of puttees which Pershing sent in.
General March refused to comply with
the order on the ground that a better
kind of puttees could be provided, and
the war department so notified General
Pershing. By return wire the reply came
from Pershing that he wanted exactly
what he had ordered and that the sub
stitute proposed by General March was
valueless for the kind of trench warfare
he had in mind.
Subsequently it was often noted that
recommendations which the war depart
ment announced as having been made
| by General March to General Pershing
either were ignored or were not acted
upon for weeks. In matters pertaining to
casualty lists and in many other questions
the chief of staff ordered one thing tc
be done and General Pershing promptly
proceeded to follow his own course At
ter frequent disagreements over minor
matters it was announced that matters
pertaining to the American expeditionary
force would handled at the entire dis
erection of General Pershng,'
The story in army circles is that thi.
change came about when Secretary Baker
made one of his first trips abroad. Gen
eral Pershing is said to have informed hin
in no uncertain manner that in a war o
the present magnitude 1t was necessar!
for him to have carte blanche and not b,
instructed from Washington
The rivalry between Generals Marcel
and Pershing became more pronounced to
ward the end of the war and officer
who were warm friends of General Perish
ing took occasion frequently to point on
that General March always referred t