The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1919-01-03
Massachusetts, Senator Delivers
Hot Indictment of Methods
of War Department
DEP PARTMENT DOES
NOT COOPER TIE
With Red Cross Could Aid Mate
rally in Rectifying Matters
If Given Opportunity.

w deuiHSiOn, Jan. 2.-The war de-
partnent was sharply criticized In the
senate today by Senator Weeks. O.
Massachusetts,, republican, for DELAYS
IN The errors in compiling casualties
among the expeditionary forces and
I6r failure to Cooperate with the Red
Cross In the matter OF forwarding let
ters from wounded soldiers to rela-
tives in this country.
Criticism Svas directed especially at
the office OF the adjutant general OF
the army, Senator Weeks saying that
Major General Mccain, the adiutant
general who retired last summer to
commanG division. and who was
succeeded By MAYOR Neneral Harris,
should have been retained. He could
not believe. he said. that change in
the office during the war was busi-
ncss-Ifke OF desirable
senator Weeks declared the war de-
psrtment's information as to casual.
ties often hal been wrong.
Many Parents Protest.
During the weeh ending December
IA" he stated. the Red Cross -.
ceived an average of twenty letters a
day from parents who had been. a.I-
vised by the war department that
their sons had been killed on a spe-
cific date. In every one Of these cases
the parents wrcte they had received
communications from their sons sub
sequent to the date given by the war
department. It seems almost miracu-
lous that so many errors could have
occurred in cases of this kind"
1t was also worth noting. the Mas
IN,
sending reports Of casualties to fam
lilies, the department simply stated the
| individual had been killed or wounded
without further explanation, and that
so far as he knew, the deprtament had
no other information on the subject
THAT work." he added. has very
properly been taken up by the Red
Cross, and it is testified that in the
neighborhood of ten thousand letters
"a week have been sent to the families
OF those killed or injured. giving the
facts relating to the death or condi-
tion OF the injured man"
Red Cross Does Great Work.
Describing Red Cross methods, Sen.
ator Weeks said that agency in Aug,,sJ
located in French hospitals 200 Ameri-
can soldiers reported missing by tho
war department. These men, he de-
clared. had communicated with tho
Red Cross. believeing that through it
their relatives would learn of their
condition. but the information never
was '"ansroitted because of an order
OF the department prohih'
mailing OF sucn letters Meanwhile.
the relatives had no knowledge as to
the location OF the men, though later
the order was modified and the agency
permitted to forward the letters en-
trusted to its care.
The theory under which the order
was issued. Senator Weeks said, was
that the department wished absolute
accuracy, which was desirable, but he
contended it did not follow that sucn
information would be any more ac-
curate or as accurate as information
obtained by the Red Cross through its
Individual Representatives.
Adjutant General Harris. he explain
ed, was not responsible for the order.
"One Of the most glaring errors
shown in the lack Of coordination be-
tween the war department and the
Red Cross SERVICE" the senator said.
s'is found in the fact that hospital
lists were not. until the latter part
of November, furnished the Red Cross.
although in the possession OF the war
department"