The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-03-15
|WASH|NGION SILENT REGARDING PRESENT GERMAN SITUATION
Calling of Council of Allied Commanders, Which Foch Will Attend, Regarded
 Significant
Ny Associates pr.u

Washington. March 14.--Cables from London and Paris reporting the upris- ing in Germany reached the state de- partment today. but the | only direct " ord from that country merely con firmed press reports of the arrival at Dresden of President Ebert and some of his assistants in the old Berlin gov ernment The department did not make public the Dresden message in text or the reports from the British and French capitals, which were said only to contain summaries of the press reports published in those cities. Pending direct advices and a clearer understanding of the situation in Ber- lin and the scope of the new move- ment officials would not comment. Silence also was maintained at the war department. although it was regarded as probable that definite summary of the new situation as it-saffects al- lied and American troops holding the Rhine bridgeheads was soon to be eX- pected from Major General Henry T. Allen. commanding the American forces.
 The fact that n council of the military commanders on the Rhine had been called. coupled with the report from Paris that Marshal Foch had gone to attend the meet | ing was regarded significant 1 Any steps contemplated by the ni- l lies and involving the use of
 troops, 1t wns thought. would fin their origin nt this conference.
 AMERICAN PART DOUBTFUL l What part American troops might l play in the situation appeared highly doubtful. It was pointed out that the 1 American forces in Germany ara on an entirely different footing from the French or British as the United States ] technically Is still at war with Ger many. Armistice conditions govern tho American forces. while the allied com imands are under the terms of the | treaty of Versailles.
 General Allen has more thnn 13,- 1 GOO American troops under his
 command. The total number In Europe on March Q wns I7.0Sf, but l number of detachmeuts are seat j tered in various parts of France
 cpaaEed In closing out war-tinie sl enterprises.
 The force on the Rhine is composed of two brigades the First. at Coblenz, ll composed of the Eighth infantry, First battalion. First field artillery, First field signal battalion Cor4panies A.
 
 | sional troops of cavalry and the usual hospital transport and supply units; and the Second. commanded by Col. I William IT. Sage. at Andenarch, about thirty-f five Kilometres down the Rhine from Cob1enz. The Second brigade in- ciudes the Fifth and Fiftieth infantry. sent over to carry out the American part in policing the Silesian plebiscite area. When this was prevented. due to the fact that the United States had not ratified the treaty. the brigade was iretained in the American area on tha sl Rhine
 FULLY MOTORIZED I An unusual feature of General All lens command is that it is completely motorized. including the artillery.
 Whatever may be the outcome of the 1 military conference da the Rhine, 1t vas believed by officers that Genera Aliens function would be limited to defense of his area only.
 As a war measure. Ii was sug- Rested, the President could direct such operations ms he deemed nee.
 essary to compel the carryinE out
 of the nrmfstice terms, but 1t was
 added that nothing had developed l. fn< Germany sd fnr now known
 which could be clearly regarded as
 a violation of the armtstice. I FarlS reports or uprlslnRs III cttles along the Rhine also attracted atten- tion, as they were taken to indicate the probability that General Allen would come directly into touch With the new situation in Germany. His action, as reported fromt Coblenz, in informing socialist leaders in his ter ritory that if thev could not preserve order American troops would was taken as indicating that the American commanders course would be to con- cern himself only with seeing that nc disturbances occur In his territory. ]
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