Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-02-14
,FOCH ALLIED
VICTORY in MARCH
Philip Gibbs T ellis of
French Ceneralissimo's
Assurance in Dark Hour
FORECAST END CLEARLY
Noted War Correspondent
Now i'm America for
Quiet Vacation

New York, Feb. 14--"Foch had a
visisn of victory even in March. 1918,
when. things seemed TO be at their
worst" Such was the statement OF
Philip Gibbs. the famous English war
correspondent who Is making his first
visit to this country.
lie is war weary and suffering from
the strain OF more than four years on
various battiefrCnts. Mr.. Gibbs has
nconfe here on vacation. but finds New
4 York very vivid" place and is going
\ way to the country with his brother.
Cosmo Hamilton TO be quiet for few
days
In connection with Fochs vision Of
victory the anecdote related by Mr.,
Gibbs has not before been printed. II
was OF time when the decision Of the
war was in the balance. when the
French and British armies had been
liworn to "a thin red line" so 10 speak.
and were at the end OF their strength.
This happened when the Germans
were crashing through on the Chemin
des Danes front" said Mr.. Gibbs.
putting every ounce of their power
into l.udendorffs master stroke. with
the British armies battered and war
broken. with their backs, very truly, as
Marshal Hag said, against the wall
at was at this time when certain
great British statesman met Marshal
E'och, the Allied generallssino.
''TWhat do you think Of things. Mar
shall Foch? he asked.
~ feel very sorry for Ludcndorff.
replied F'och quietly without the
slightest hes,tancy.
pressed for an cNc'amat on o. his
49, -. \ 49,. y.
the British leader that, In his opinion.
the Germans had reached the top OF
the wave and that the great stroke
that I.udendorff had planned would not
be successful.
The events proved that ho was cor
rect. The Allies had about three days
10 reorganize their strength while the
Germans were bringing up their big
guns over war-furroW ed ground and
their subsequent attack did not have tht
old power,
4 Perhaps F'och in his sion saw the
entire German disaster and the Allied
Victories that were to come"
Mr. Gibbs Is a man OF medium stature,
with keen, smooth-shaNcn face. lie Is
about forty years old. When he was
seventeen he went with the publishing
house of Cassell & Co. London. reading
manuscript. Then he Joined the Til'ot-
son Syndicate, which used to marlie :
works by Hall Calne. Barrie, Kipling
and other famous British authors Later
he Joined the London Daily Nail and
was for a time its literary editor writ
ing some columns Of history and some
novels, but when the Balkan wars
broke out he went as war CORE spondent
for the Chronicle.
Asked what experience OF his long
service in the world war fingered most
svivldly in his memory. Mr.. Gibbs re
piled:
II think it is probably that night ride
on French troop train from Paris tc
\ Nancy just as the French We're moDi,-
izing. II was a long ride and every
where along the line, sometimes far
away. sometimes near by. came the
sound OF the "Marseiilaise," sung by
French soldiers moving toward the raj
road.
"Ali through the night it sounded
the great dreadful, beautiful overture
TO the great conflict"