New-York tribune., 1921-05-15

AaEERF " "a AfftNft a. NSNFt u VI SftS
Great H'dr.
~ ATTAIN PETER E. wRIGHT's
book At the Supreme War
~ Council (puhiished in London
by Eveleigh Nash, and soon to
be published in this country by G. p.
putnsm's Sons) has created great
stir in English military circles. It is
an expansion of an article printed last
fall in Blackwood's Magazine. But the
elaboration is considerably more ag-
rressive and peppery.
Captain Wright served as assistant
secretary of the Supreme War Council
at Versailles during the winter of
isi7-1s. He interpreted into English,
French and Italian the trilingmal
discussions OF the council and also
handled the official documents emanat-
ing from it or coming into its possess
sion. He writes, therefore. as a CON
lidentisl insider. His book deals chiefly
with the tragic consequences which fol-
lowed the Illustration of the councils
war plans for the campaign of 1918,
especially those relating to the crea-
ton of an Allied strategic reserve and
ths establishment of united Allied
command on the Western front, at
least, so far as the disposition of the
proposed reserve was concerned. He
charges that Field Marshal Sir Doug
las Haig and General (now Marshal)
Pasain by insubordinate individual
action prevented the creation of a
reserve and the establishment of mill
tary coordinstiou, They thus reversed
the decisions of the council and sue
ceeded in stripping it of its functions.
He therefore holds them responsible
for the Allied disaster at St. Quentin
snd the virtual destruction of the
British the army in Ludendorf's first
1918 drive
Charges Robertson, Maurice
and Repington Intrigued Premier
The author also bitterly attacks
Field Marshal Sir William Robertson,
former British chief of staff; General
Frederic Maurice and Lieutenant
Colonel Remington for having in
trigued against the Lloyd George gov
eminent and having made public mill
tary information of service to the
enemy
The many failures of the Allied
armies on the Western front prior to
Rochs promotion to the post of Cen
eralissimo were due primarily to the
lack Of unified command. National SEN
sitiveness stood in the way of sur
render to French control of the British
and Italian armies. All outstanding
Allied strategists were French. After
Caparetto Lloyd George denounced this
disastrous policy Of separatism. He
declared himself in speech at Paris
in favor of an Allied war council and
took an active part in creating it. This
council was to consist of the Prime
Ministers Of France, Great Britain and
Italy, who were to be assisted by mill
tary advisers representing the three
countries. The French adviser was
General Foch, for whom General Wey-
gand also acted. The British was Sir
Henry Wilson, and the Italian General
Gadorna. General Bliss joined the ad-
visory board later, representing the
United States.
This was first step toward unity of
control-but only a first step. War
can never be made effectively by
council, half political and half mill
tary Concentration of responsibility
and authority is indispensable. The
council went ahead, however, and drew
up war plan for 1918. This plan, this
author says, was the work of Foch,
Sir Henry Wilson and Lloyd George, in
The sense that while some of the lead
ers OF the alliance favored some parts
Of it and others others they were in
tayor OF all of 1t and imposed it on
the other leaders. They said in effect
to the Supreme War Council, he ex-
plains:
We will stand on the defensive on
the Western front till the Americans
srrive; on the defensive, if we give
the Allied armies On the front from
the North Sea to the Adriatic single
organ Of command, we should be able
70 resist the enemy, if they were able
70 resist Us. But let US take the Of
fensive in Palestine; Turkey is ex-
naasted, and a defeat in Palestine will
znock Turkey out. Such result will
nave further consequences which we
cannot foresee. but which might be
decisive"
Palestine Campaign Begun
Against Protest by Allenby
There were thus two parts to the
pian--an offensive in Palestine, which
asd captured Lloyd Georges imagina-
'ion' and defensive in the West, with