New-York tribune., 1920-01-16
Baker Defends
CeneralsBliss.
Biddle, Scott
Secretary of War Denies
Former Chiefs of Staff
Were Removed Because
Unequal to the Task
d. S. M. Awards Attacked
Representative Callivan in
Answer Declares Only
One Private Got Honor
Ne1D York Tribxns
Washington Burea1l

Washington Bursct
WASHINGTON, Jan. 15.-A reply
by Secretary Baker to recent remarks
by Representative Gallivan, Democrat,
of Massachusetts, and a new state
ment by the latter added fuel to-day
to the heated controversy over the
award Of war service decorations by
the War Department..
Secretary Baker in letter to Repres-
tative Gallivan emphatically denied that
General March's predecessors as chiefs
of staff-General Tasker H. Bliss and
Major Generals Hugh L. Scott and John
Biddle-were "unequai to the task" and
"were removed" The War Secretary
quoted letter he wrote to General Per-
shing previous to retirement of General
Scott in which he indicated that he
would select General March for chief
of staff afr the retirement Of General
Bliss. He also cited the war records
Of each of the three and added that he
made public his letter to Mr.. Gallivan
as the only means Of "doing justice to
the regulations of the officers, who must
otherwise sit silent under the imputa-
tions contained in your speech"
Only One Private Honored
Representative Gallivans statement
contained figures of the awards Of Dis
:inguished Service Medals, showing
only one enlisted man, apparently by
error" had been honored. The medal
had been given to 554 officers and 80
civilians, the Representative said. He
added that he had no intention Of "be-
fuddling the distinguished Secretary Of
War" in compiling report asked for in
a resol luton introduced By Mr.. Gallivan
and adopted by the House.
Mr.. Gallivan said he did not care to
comment on the figures showing the
distribution Of the awards, but he as
serted that it was his opinion that the
medal had been restricted to much
narrower field" than he had indicated
in his previous remarks. He gave the
following distribution of awards Of Dis
tinguished Service Medals:
Generals, three; lieutenant generals,
two; major generals, sixty-nine; briga-
dier generals. twelve; colonels, 265;
lieutenant coloneb, seventy eight; ma
Jors, sixteen; captains, two; lieuten-
ants. three; chaplains, forty-three; !;
Yates, one; civilians, male, twent FIVE !;
civilians, female, nine.
The Representative from Massachu-
setts then compared the figures with
those Of Allied nations. Whereas
America gave out 695 Distinguished
Service medals, including seven to for
eigncrs, France bestowed IA; Great
Britain, seventy nine; Italy, twenty
two; Belgium, nineteen; japan, four;
Rumania, one.
In defending his former chiefs of
staff Secretary Baker pointed out in
his letter to Representative Gallivan
that Generals Scott and Bliss were
retired when they reached the legal
age for retirement and that General
Biddle was designated as acting CHIEF
The Secretary Of War quoted from
letter to General Pershing, written
September 10, before General Scott
was retired September %, in which
ne suggested that it was his "strong
desire to have a young man who has
had some experience in France" take
up the duties as Chief Of Staff when
General Bliss was retired on Decem-
ber 81.
Secretary Baker went or TO say that
ne had considered selecting General
March for the position to increase the
coordination between Washington and
the espeditionary forces. He realized.
he said, that bringing General March
back might be a serious loss to you
and have by no means decided upon
him General March) for the place,
but l would like to have your judg-
ment on this question"
General Pershing concurred in the
opinion, Of Secretary Baker and gave
General March immediate and com
plete opportunity to study the entire
situation in France"