The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1922-09-07
AMERICAN LEGION
WEEKLY LETTF.

brief announcement came out of Par.
is of the organization Of Fidac (Fed'
Grafton Interalliee Des Anciens Com
battante) )-Interallied Veterans Fed.
GRAFTON.
And the casual reader wonder what
new sort of alliance those former figt.
ing men, brothers of a common cause
had formed among them. Little was
said of objectives, of purposes. Men
imbued with passion for service, and
holding a vision, were venturing upon
an experiment.
But that was three years ago. Now
as final arrangements are being made
for the third International conference
of the organization, to be held just
before and in conjunction with the
fourth national conference of the Am
erican Legion in New Orleans, F-I-D-
A-C, success attained, the promise of
the future even brighter than the most
sanguine had hoped for in 1920, is
ready and eager to "tell the world
Down at New Orleans delegates from
eight or more of the principal allied
powers will gather for the convention.
They will meet as representatives of
their respective organizations of
World War Veterans.
And to them leaders of affairs in
their countries look for the writing of
new chapter in the history Of world
peace. The fighting men of many
lands, who waged war as brothers-in-
arms, work now toward bringing the
peoples of the world into closer bonds
of understanding, of sympathy, Of ef-
fort in restoring for all time interna-
tional amity of that object.
When the outline of FIDAC was
first broached, the strong men of the
veterans organizations in the allied
ard association nations seized on the
idea as mighty instrument designed
for the achievement of the thing they,
emerged so lately from wars horror
and havoc, dreamed of, prayed might
come to pass-Permanent Peace. The
first meeting was held in Paris in
November, 1920. Authorized dele
gates from the United States, Brit
ish Empire, Italy, Belgium, Czecho-
Slovakia, Roumania and Serbia (now
Jugo- -Slavia) were present. Charles
Bertrand of France was elected Pres
ident; Cabot Ward of the American
Legion was made first vice-president;
G.. r. Crossfeld of the British En-
pire, second vice-president, an Italian
delegate was made treasurer, Bel
gian delegate assistant treasurer. And
in the constitution the primal objec-
tives were stated:
Binding together the Veterans of
the Allied and Associated countries
participating in the world war in or
der to maintain, in Peace, the brother
hood founded on the field of battle
to continually strengthen the ties be-
tween the nations represented, to as
sist in guiding public opinion in mat
ters open to misunderstanding and
thus indirectly aid the leaders of the
respective countries in their appoint
ed task of avoiding and smoothing out
misunderstanding leading to disunion
thus preserving the Peace of the
World-to make available to each of
the member nations the legislation of
all the others, upon such matters as
affect veteran disabled men and de-
pendents of men who had laid down
their lives upon the field of battle"
There are other important clauses,
but the foregoing holds the principal
ones. In the first year, when the af-
fairs, of the federation were left large
ly in the hands of the executive COM
mittee, President Bartrand travelled
extensively through England, Rou-
mania, Czecho-Sloakia and the United
States, and due to his efforts cement
ing of lasting bonds between the vet
eran associations of the contracting
countries was accomplished. And the
federation already has been instru-
mental in facilitating manifestations
of friendship between the nations on
various manifestatlons
such as the Franco British-Amerlcan
cemernonies on American Memorial
day, the French reception of the Am
erican Legion, a humber of Franco
British meetings, and others that
serve to keep always burgeoning the
friendship established in blood.
The executive committee has been
continuously active. At the end OF
the first year legal committee com
posed of emininent jurists of America
France, British and Belgium had beer
organized, working committees were
meeting regularly and getting re-
suits, and all planned activities were
being carried out to the latter.
Applications for membership in FL
DAG must be well credentialed. II
must be presented through and ap
proved by representatives of an or
ganization already in the membership
And there's a reason. The origina
federation consisted of representative
of the largest veterans organization
in their respective countries and O.
organizations founded ON the highes
principles and soundest basis. It wa
necessary to exclude for the future al
organizations dedicated to personal O
political ambitions, to Bolshevist o
radical propaganda, to entity Of Law
and order. Strict adherence has beel
held to rules that organizations ad
mitted must have their membership
. made up of men who served in tn
World War, and must be national ]
their scope and purposes. ssas.*s~