Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-08-14

The hammering of the Northcliffc
| press brought about the modification OF
the British censorship.
Through his foresight and energy in
| thr face of ridiCule throughout CIR, AT
| Britain. II came about that at the out
! break of hostilities the British aviation
! corps. next to the British navy, was
| the best prepared branch of the service.
Came Here on Mission
It was in June. 1917. that he was
! sent to the United States as the head
! Of the British commission in this coun
! try. He arrived in New York on June
/ II and gave out a stat, ment he had pre-
4 pared on the voyage and declined TO
amplify. 1t follows:
The war cabinet has designated me
head Of the British war mission to the
! United States. and I have been instruct =
! ed to try to co ordinate the work of the
various admirable British organizations
here. These are charged with the task
! Of supplying our war and other needs.
! Until | present my credentials at Wash E
/ ington it is impossible. of course. for
me to make any further statement.
/ II can, however, express my very great
personal pleasure at being again in
/ America which have SO often visit e
ed and which has many delightful as :
/ ~ociatinns and friendships for me-: nor
is it saying too much when | add that
the whole British people have n pro-
/ found sense of grateful pprcciation of
/ the magnificent welcome accorded Mr..
| Balfour and his associates and the COM
( plcte success of his mission
New York newspaper men, reporters
/ and photographers had taste OF the
| Northrliffe dynamics that have unseat-
/ aI tA
up German trenches when they we're
| admitted to his suite in the Hotel
/ Gotham on June 10. The reporters
were detected without trouble by the
snappy blue eyes of the British pub
Usher and told that there was nothing
doing
The camera men were told they could
get one picture and ''he quick about
it." Meanwhile Lord Northcliffe was
moving about with celebrity that made
the camera men. no snails themselves
onvious. Finally he remained in one
position long enough for n good focus
and the photographers started swapping
Apparently they didn't work fast
enough for his lordship. who told then
his own camera mon would have taker
the picture in half the time. But--a'
he was informed at the end of the snap
ping Sossi"n-th" photographers had no
been content with ono picturo-they haC
taken eight apiece.
AS head Of the British war mission
not only did Lord Northrliffe divert thu
spending Of hundreds of millions Of dol.
lars, but used his canny insight into
human nature tn promote a mutual un.
dorStanding between the two nations
allied in arms. He it was who worked
with Secretary McAdoo and NJ. Andr'
Tardieu for the formation of the Allies
war council.
Praise for America
Lord Northrliffc returned to Londor
when Lord Reading arrived as British
amha assador to this country. He made
personally looked over the American
sectors and marveled at the fightinl
strength Of the United States forces
Upon this latter phase he said in ar
interview.
Il can claim To be the first Englist
writer ever to describe the American
soldiers in this war There was witl
the Canadian army a regiment o
doughboys who enlisted in the days ot
Your ncutralty and shared with th'
Canadians S0mr of the seyerest fghtins
in the mud Of Flanders. had m,
Christmas dinner with them in 1918
II was. therefore. one of the first t
have the opportunity of observing th'
kind of soldier the United States woulC
produce A good many people, and not
n few Americans among them, had go
il into their heads that the American
soldier would enter into the war in th'
cXuhprant spirit Of n baseball fan. Tha'
was nor 50 in 1913. and il Is not 50 II
tho case Of tho > 900 900 army of 1918
The boys who hav" been rushed across
tho Atlantic in hundreds Of thousands
aided, If may be allowed 70 say so, by
John Bulls navy and transports, are
iust as quiet and determined, daring
and modest as that portion OF tht
American navy which is working Will
frirtionlcss and fratcrnal amity witt
tho British feet.
"Glancing back to obtain a rough
idea Of the American effort up to date
a4 | have seen it in the United States
in Grcat Britain and in France. on'
must again place on record ones ad'
miration of the miracle OF the instan
opnration Of the srlectivc draft or con
,criptiou as we call IL over mere Inc
next miracle was the erection or the 81
rautic environments and the housing
clothing. feeding. drilling and railroaC
transport of your millions as ! wit
messed them in many parts of your
country.
But perhaps the greatest achieve
meut of all was the coming TO Europ
of YOUR armada. which arrived Mt
moment when the Allies, who had beer
suddenly attacked by an enemy. tina
had been preparing since the reign o
Frederick the Great, were feeilng IN
strain and stress Of their EFFORT To-
belated preparedness means great iosse
of blood and material.
The most difficult of undertaking
had 10 be faced-the creation of n stat