Evening star., 1921-10-25

begins. After a statement of the
confidence Gen. Foch wins the ad-
miration of all, the measures to be
adopted for the organization of the
command before Amiens are taken
up. 1t is at this moment that Gen.
Haig pronounces the following
notes of one who was present-the
echo of his conversation with Lord
Miner:
"If Gen. Foch will consent to give
his advice. shall be very glad to
follow It,"
CIemenceau Not Satisfied.
There is no question vet of unity
satisfied. He rises and takes Lord
Miner OFF to corner of the room;
then Gen. Petain: then Gen. Foch.
These are brief a barte talks. in
which short words are exchanged
The idea is suggested to attach Gen.
Foch to Gen. Petain and intrust him
with liaison with the British.
NJ. Clemenceau answers sharply:
That's not what we are talking
about. What Foch needs is an inde-
pendent post from which he can con-
troll"
Gen. Petain. Il fine soldier inter
jects at once:
"Everythins You decide will be we'll
done
Then N Clemenceau sits down
again. He takes pencil and paper.
He writes. and as he writes he reads
aloud. He uses first the formula
which every one has used since the
morning to define the battle which
had to be won before Amiens:
Gen. Foch is charged by the
Brltish and French governments with
coordinating the British and French
operations before Amiens''
Here Gen. Foch stops the president:
BETTER make it on the western 'front.'"
NJ. Clemenceau answers:
OF course. you are right"
And he scratches out the last words.
for which he substitutes ION the
western front" Then he goes on.
He tGen. Foch) will come to an
understanding to this effect with the
two commanders-in-chie who are in
vited to furnish him with all neces-
sary information"
Foch Scores Delay.
II is now past I o'clock. Every
body goes to lunch together at the
old Doullens Hotel Les Quatre Fills
aFmon. ON the threshold of the
dining room NJ Loucheur. who sees
success in sight for the idea he had
supported before the war council on
formerly as an artillery lieutenant
hid served under the orders of the
new "coordinator." meets the latter
and says laughingly:
paper nrw:'' ~"
Gen. Foch, laughing back, saws:
Yes. and fine time to give it me"
Lunch is quickly over, and forty
minutes later Gen. Foch leaves for
British Headquarters at Dury to take
up ms TASK His task. the most diff
cult OF all tasks. despite the burning
desire of all to succeed and to sion
tne enemys advance. For military
Iiie' Wfth its simple formulate of COM
mand and obedience. lends itself re-
Iiuctantiy I,i TO combinations of this
Sfhere. For several weeks-as was
lneVitable-Gen. Foch "coordinated
more by negotiation than by com
ihaho- Racing from one headduar-
ters 70 another. advising. suggesting.
n;nnd sn;nastingIat 81 times even hustling-he
slneo inch by inch the theoretic
Clemenceau. the crisis of March aS
had endowed him. More was needed.
A rev days later NJ. Clemenceau. ac-
companled by VI. Loucheur. met
Gems. Foeh. Fayolle and Debeney at
Breteuil in the Disc. Then NJ. Ciem-
enceau said to Ger. Foch:
You are doing Very good work.
But you do not command enough.
nave just come from Haig. 1 have
wen MIN. want you to go
the whole hog and give orders
Gets Actual Brevet.
On April 5. new conference en-
abled NJ. Clemenceau to secure for his
point of view the seal of official sane
tion. Gen. Foch carries away from
the conference Il newspaper which is
an actual brevet of command. There
is no longer any question of CO.
ordination. HencefOrth, Gen. Foch is
to have "the strategic direction of
military operations on the western
'front.'. The commanders-in-chi of
each of the allied nations are to re-