New-York tribune., 1922-04-15
Army Near to
Breakin 9 Z oinlt,
Harbord Says
Deputy Chief of Staff, Be-
fore Senate Committee,
Voices Protest Against
House Cut in Personnel
Demands $50, 600 Men
Cost TO Country Because
of Delay i'm War PLANS
Cited in Opposing Cut

WASHINGTON, April IA }By The
Associated Press). The question of
military preparedness arose to day in
the Senate Appropriations Committee
during its considerations of the army
appropriation bill. Discussion of the
subject was brief but Senators said
the question of national policy had
grown out of the fight over the House
reduction in the size of the army
Major General j. G. HarDord, deputy
chief of staff, ard Brlgadicr General
william lassiter, in charge of military
operations and training, appeared be
lore the committee to present the War
Departments views on the subject Of
the House cut, the former insisting
that the organization was strained to
the breaking point now under the
forced reduction Of a year ago, and
the latter describing the plan adopted
BY the department for building up a:
low expense" the forces required in
a national emergency.
"lf provision is not made for $50 900
men, said General Harbord, then
we who are charged with operation and
maintenance of the work must ask
Congress to rcstatc for US the mis-
sion of the army
Unprcparedncss Seen Costly
The statement followed a series of
questions by Senator Hitchcock. Demo-
crat, Nebraska, who contended that the
European idea" of preparedness had
been proved wrong by the World War
General Harbord declared that the
United States would have saved much
money upon which it is now paying
interest if it had been properly pre-
pared for the war The work done by
the American army, he said, was at
extraordinary expense "and would have
availed nothing had not gallant little
France held the line until we got our
machinery going"
Senator Hitchcock argued that the
United States had "fooled" all Europe
in getting actively and effectively into
the fray in less than a year. To this
the general answered that had the
preparation taken place ahead OF the
declaration of war Germany "mght
have felt different about engaging US"
I'VE did it in year, true" con
tinued General Harbord, "but had we
lived up to the national defense act,
We certainly would have saved i'm
mense sums that now enter into the
public debt, upon which we are pay
ing 1851, 100000 interest annually"
Something Would Crack
for officers and men to do what the
public expects of US" 1t is the Wort:
outside of the actual army functions
that requires the extra personnel, he
declared, adding that Congress. by its
appropriations and otherwise had
shown that it believed such work was
worth while, and thus the army had
come to regard it as "our mission"
He reiterated that to cut down the
strength to 115,000. as proposed by the
House, meant that something, some
where would have to crack, would have
to go undone."
In connection with the army reduc-
tion General Harbord said that it
military attachc offices. He included
among those closed Norway, Sweden,
Denmark, Czecho- -Slovakia, Hungary
and Ecuador, not naming the others
He also told the committee that the
Var Department was again seriously
considering the abandonment of some
of the army posts and the concentra-
ton OF the forces into those retained.
More Troops at Harbor Posts
1t was disclosed also that the de-
partment contemplates an early scat
terlng' of the 1st and Sd divisions,
now stationed at Camp Dix, \. j., and
Camp Lewis. Wash. respectively. The
troops of the 1st Division will be dis
around the New York Harbor
posts, General Harbord said, while
those at Camp Lewis will be placed in
various posts of the Pacific North
west. One of the reasons given for
the transfer of the troops was that
the barracks of the two wartime camps
were "literally going to pieces" and in
that men discharged would not re-
enlist.
A potential army of 100000 men is
the. goal set by the War Department in
laying its plans for national defense,
according to General Lassiter.. The
z. 100000 men army would be composed
Of three forces, he said. one-sixth be-
ing assigned to the regulars, two
sixths to the National Guard and
three-sixths to the organized reserve.
AS in the World War, in time of hos
tlllties these forces would be at once
merged into a homogeneous entity, un-
der unified Federal control.
If the broad plan on which work is
now progressing is abandoned. he
warned the committee, the United
States will have to face in the NEXT
war the same chaotic. conditions as
heretofore"
The present authorized strength of
10000 men, the witness said, per
mltted the department to maintain
only, 39,10S as infantry and 9,17S as
cavalry troops ready for instant serv
Ice ce-nearly 10000 men being required
for overhead, administrative and in
structive duties of various sorts. The
theoretical available force of infantry
and cavalry is larger than could be
actually depended upon if in case of
need, he added.
Division affected