Evening star., 1923-04-04
WAR DEPARTMENT
!. GIVEN FRIES FACTS
documents to Prove Charges
/ Against Peace Societies
/ Declared on File.

Brig. Gen Amos Fries, chief of the
chemical warfare service, has fur
,nished the War Department with
rcomplete and official documents sub
stantiatiny every charge he made
aga inst the patriotism of the National
gcouncil for Prevention Of War and
THE Women's International League
for Peace and Freedom, it was
+authoritatively stated in high Army
circles today.
The clash between the War Depart
'ment and the two organizations,
(which had been brewing for weeks
as a result OF the generals pointed
accusations. broke precipitately last
might. when both societies issued
signed statements charging the chem
ical division head with making mis-
statements.
They demanded complete retraction
of many things he had said and asked
tthe department whether it permitted
ranking officers to use their office to
attack and malign" public organ
!izations
Preparing Public Answer.
The War Department is busy pre-
pairing a public answer that is ex-
pected to vigorously defend Gen.
L
tary Weeks will at the same time let
IT be known that he will take no
action to "muzzle" Army officers and
deny them the right of free speech.
AT least part of Gen. Fries evidence
against the two antiwar societies
may be included in the War Depart
mentS statement.
The generals information is under
stood to have been obtained from the
Army intelligence service. the Navy
Intelligence service and the bureau Of
Investigation of the Department OF
Justice. All three of these bureaus
have been quietly Investigating the
foreign and domestic connections Of
the National Council for Preven-
ton Of War and the Women's Inter
national League for Peace and Free
dom.
Probe Abroad Extensive.
While the Army intelligence service
Is limited in the scope of an tnVesi-
CATION it may make into the activities
of any organization in the United
States in time of peace. 1t Is under
stood to have carried its probe con.
siderable distance in Europe. and
especially Russia The same Is true
of the Navy Intelligence service, high
Army officers asserted.
Both Of these bureaus have been
engaged picking up a vast amount OF
information regarding the European
connections of certain American anti
war societies. When the trails their
agents were following led them to
the shores of the United States the
case was turned over to Depa rtment
OF Justice agents, who followed the
trails to their end. As result, 1T is
said, the government is possessed OF
almost indisputable evidence against
certain OF these societies.
Has More Evidence.
Gen. Fries was not in Washing ton
today, but is expected back tomorrow
from a trip to New Haven. 1t is un-
derstood he has locked up in the safa
IN his office even more damaging in
formation against the National Coun-
ell for Prevention of War and the
Women's International League for
Peace and Freedom. This he will
turn over to the War Department.
Frederick J: Libby, executive secre-
tsry Of the National Council for Pre-
vention of War. announced that on
February 28 the executive board Of
that society sent to Secretary Weeks
a letter charging. Gen: Fries with
using his ONCE to attack and malign"
the council. The Secretary Of War
neither answered nor acknowledged
that letter, Mr.. Libby complained.
Mr.. Libby denied that his organiza
but declared Gen. Fries had stepped
too far when. in an address here sew
eral weeks ago. he asked that the
official of certain national welfare
society be removed ION the sole
ground that she. as an individual, is
a member OF the National Councils
executive board" AS q result, Mr..
Libby continued. the council asked
Secretary Weeks, among other things,
the following questions:
Questions Propounded.
"whether Army officers in explain
ing the military policies of the United
States are authorized to attack or
ganizations that oppose them.
. Whether Army officers are allowed
TO attack individuals who oppose their
whether Army officers are author
lied by the War Department to seek
the dismissal from their positions Of
individuals who are believed to op-
pose the War Department policies, as
Gen. Fries has been doing.
Whether there is any way OF OBJ
tanning through the war Department
a public retraction and apology from
officers in the Army who make public
fnisstatements and continue to repeat
them after they have been told that
they are in error.
: Council Denied Statements.
The letter to Secretary Weeks
quoted Gen. Fries as having said in
an address that woman representa-
tive of the National Council in Cali
fornia had admitted it's purpose was
TO establish communism in the
United States. At meeting in Kan
sas City the general was also said to
have declared that "hfty-two civic
organizations. including the D. A. R.
and the Womans Club of America
withdrew their Endorsements of the
council when its nature became
known"
The council, Mr.. Libby said, cate
gorically denied these statements in
the letter. It's executive board ad-
dressed to Secretary Weeks last Feb
ruary. Failing to receive a reply to
their questions and getting no satis-
faction for alleged abuse at the
hands of Gen. Fries. the council de-
cided to make public the entire affair.
This was done in the form Of the pub
lie statement issued last night, the
Women's International League issu-
ing similar statement simulta-
neously.