The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-05-13
IOtaT .................. b57,4Ss MADE TRIPS UNESCORTED

l
 The Leviathan carried from 10000 to 11,0O0 men on each trip eastward and in lelS, when we were rushing troops to France, she often made the perious voyage across the Atlantic without cruiHr escort, relying on her speed and guns to escape the U-boats.
 When Admiral Gleaves came to Wash ington for his final instructions, just be- fore the first troop conveys sailed for Europe, as he was leaving my office, I said to him:
 Admiral, you are going on the most l important, the most difficult and the most hazardous duty assigned to the navy. Good-by."
 That was not overstating it, in any particular. No nation in history had ever attempted to transport so huge an army overseas. It would have been diff ficult enough under the most ideal con ditions, with nothing to hinder or modest.
 The German navy could have no greater object than to prevent our troops from getting to France. There could have been no greater victory for them than to have sunk transport loaded with American soldiers. Allied troop ships had been sunk, from time to time, in spite of every safeguard. We were taking every precaution that could be devised, but this was new and untried task for us-and one on which our whole participation in the war depended.
 WERE ANXIOUS DAYS Words can hardly express the strain of those anxious days when those ships Of the first conveys carrying 12,00o troops were running the gauntlet to France: or our relief when we received the news that they had all arrived safely at St. Navaire
 Sailing in a dense fog on June 14, 1917, the first group arrived June 26, the last, the cargo ships, on July 2. The first group, Admiral Gleaves reported, was attacked by submarines the night of June P. at 10:15 p. m.; the second group encountered two, and a torpedo was fired at the fourth group on June 29 That they had escaped the submarines was an added cause for rejoicing. Not a ship was damaged or man injured and an officer reported to Admiral Gleaves
 "We didn't lose but one horse, and that was a mule"
 The German admiralty had boasted that not one American soldier should set foot in France" Admiral Gleaves says in his book. The bluff had been called l and it could not have been called at more psychological moment"
 HAD TO WORK FAST
 Getting that first group of transports together was job. The army had only a few troop ships. none of them fit for transatlantic service. The navy had only three-the Henderson, just com pleted; the Hancock, and the former German commerce raider, Prinx Eitel Friederich, which we converted into an auxiliary cruiser and renamed the De- Kalb. The army secured IA mail and cargo steamships, and hastily converted them. It had to be quick work
 We had not contemplated sending troops so soon. From military stand- point it would have been better, SO some experts declared. to have retained the l regulars for while to aid in training l the new officers and raw recruits. and 1 not to have begun transportation until l We had larger army.
 But war-weary FrCnce. grirnly holding | back the Germans, and England, beset l by submarines, needed cheering up; need | ed visible evidence that reinforcement | was certain, that the Americans were | coming Marshal Joffre asked that some l troops be sent at the earliest possible | moment-"a regiment or two; if possible | division" He told Secretary Baker | that he looked forward to the day when | the United States should build up it's | 'splendid army of 4Oo00 or 5O0,0oo. PERSHING CALLED
 FROM BORDER
 Secretary Baker immediately began his ~f>s~@ N1cneTll Pershing was chosen to command the | forces to be sent to Europe, and was summoned from the Mexican border May The brief telegram sent him is of such historic interest that think you would like to see how it read:
 No. DIOD 45 GOVT.
 DI Washington. D. C.. May :. 1917. Maj. Gen. John J. Pershing. Fort sam
 Houston. Texas.
 No. 6719.
 Repair to this city at once and report to chief staff for consultation and on completion duty return to proper station. Travel directed necessary in military service. By order Secretary War.
 Mccain 9:12 a. m
 devoted considerable thought to se- lecting the officer to command this expe- dition: for he was also. if he made good. to have general direction of the vast task of troop transportation, selected Rear Albert Gleaves. then in com