New-York tribune., 1919-01-13
Pershing Invites
Fl Allied Armies
To Olympic Meet
Paris Games i'll May or June,
Under American Aus
pices,. TO Outstrip Any
Previous Fe;v Of Its Kind

PARIS, Jan. 11.--A mammoth mill
tary Olympic meet, to be held in Paris
IN May or June, under the auspices Of
the American army, for athletics from
all the Allied fighting forces, is pro-
iected in plans announced tonight.
General Pcrshing, the American COM
mander in chief, who is taking q keen
interest in the plans, is sending per-
sonal letter to the commander in chief
OF the armies of all nations with whom
the United tSates has been associated
during the war, inviting the officers
and men to participate. ra
Twenty-one Allied countries will be
asked to take part, and it is planned
that the games will surpass any other
athletic competition ever conducted in
the history of sports. The games will
be .flnanced entirely by the American
army IN cooperation with the welfare
agencies now operating with it,
French to Co0pcrate
The French government and the
French army have given their approval
" VIC pan ana nave PROMISED tnclr
hearty cooperation.
General Pershing's letter Of invita-
ton to the French army, which is du-
plicate of those sent to the commanders
of other armies, follows:
The officers and men Of the
American expeditionary forces. being
keenly appreciative of the splendid
relations which exist among those
who have borne arms in the great
common cause and which, in. the
present instance, have so happily
developed into such deep feelings of
mutual respect and admiration, are
most Anxious to preserve and
strengthen this relationship in every
way possible.
"Not that active military opera
tions have ceased, they believe that
nothing could be more conclusive to
this end then to gather in friendly
competition on the field of sport
representatives. Of the armies of each
of the nations which have SO long
been associated together in the stern
struggle for the right.
Accordingly, they have decided to
organize an inter-Allied athletic
meeting to be held in the Colombes
Stadium in Paris, during May or
June, 1919, in which officers and men
of all these armies shall be eligible
to take part.
Gas commander in chief Of the
AmGrican expedltionary forces | have
the Honor, Therefore, to invite
through you, their commander in
chief, the officers and men of the
armies of France to participate in
the contests, and to express the
earnest hope that many of them may
do so, and that the ties of the much
cherished spirit of comradeship which
have sprung up from the gallant
joint efforts Of our forces on the bat
tlefeld may thus be even more
closely cemented. Respectfully,
John j. PERSHING."
L. S. to Take Fall Charge
The plan involves large questions of
organization, finance and operation, and
the American army as host will assume
responsibility in all. matters of this
kind. The actual operating unit prob
ably will be games committee, whose
personnel will be selected by the chief
athletic officer of the American expe-
dictionary force, and the committee will
be the responsible agency and the final
authority, on all matters pertaining to
the games.
This committee viii ask the various
armies each to name two delegates to
sit as members of an advisory council.
The only cost to the Allied armies
participating will be that involved in
training, transporting, equipping and
rationing their own competing athletes
These expenses, 'it is undcrstood,> each
army prefers to carry.
Individual prizes already have been
provided for, and will he of artistic
merit with svmbolical designs. Tt is
probable that team trophies also will
be nreSonted