Evening star., 1925-10-04
Ambassador PAGES War Letters to Woodrow Wilso
"All the World Has Taken to Lying American
Envoy Said, in Describing Period
of Terrible Tension.
"When World Receivers Senses 1t Will Say
Thank God for u. ST." Was Predic=
tion-Sir Edward Grey's Situation.

On November %. 1914. Col. Squier
arrived at St. Omer, Gen. Frenchs
headquarters in France. and present
ed a brief note from Lord Kitchener.
He soon learned that his trip was not
the usual more OF less ssparade
affair that the visits Of military at
taches subsequently became.
Col. Squier was taken into the
British family and The British camp:
he spent five weeks in everyday
association: he lived Al times with
the men in the trenches: he messed
with the officers: he was shown every
thing and permitted to investigate the
deepest secrets Of the army. Before
lea wing London Lord Kitchener had
provided Col. Squier with authority
TO draw English gold from any British
paymaster in the army In France as
he desired and to draw it without
limit. His daily life from hour 10
hour was that of the British officer.
When he wished to pass from one
corps to the next, formal memoran-
the case of British officer except
that only his name and rank ap-
peared in the order. These orders
gave no hint that he belonged to the
American Army. These courtesies
were all in response to instructions
from kitchener's office in London.
The explanation was clear enough.
Neither Lord Kitchener nor The
many military leaders whom Col.
Squier met in France made any con-
realment Of their wish that the
United States should enter the war.
This was point that Sir Edward
Grey and the diplomats Of the foreign
office carefully evaded. but most Of
the important military chieftains
whom Col Squier met freely dis
| cussed the possibility: the fact that
his country was neutral did not
put the slightest restraint upon their
| tongues. That the real purpose OF
| this visit was to Bile the American
Army to learn the details OF the or.
F.! ganization and management of mod
ern war has always been Col Squier's
] belief
1t was Lord kitchener's plan to
place before the United States the
facts that would assist this country
| in preparing for whatever might
| happen. Col. Squier was not merely
| a military observer: he was given
access to military plans, to orsaniza-
| r,t $hn
quartermasters and surgeons depart
ment-to everything that formed the
materials and the background OF mod
ern war. He was invited to make
| elaborate reports on all these sub
| jects, and he did So the British off
/ GERS giving All possible help in the
prepare tion of these documents. r"
! long lists Of questions from the War
/ College in Washington the British Of
! fcers themselves sometimes wrote the
replies. The evident desire was to
| make the American Army AS com
| pletely informed about existing con-
| ditions and methods as was the
British army itself.
! Col. Squier wrote. frequently under
| gunfire and sometimes in the midst
| of a battle, a series of reports. His
| position was really an unpara lleled
one; he was technically neutral"
an officer of nation whose President
was preaching the doctrine of 'neu-
trality in deed and in thought" yet
| for five weeks he was virtually a
oov,,hAr of he Prit tscI,
unnaturally, he believed that Wash.
inston would be as interested in his
reports as he was himself
| In the United States the popular
ginning; far-sighted Americans. par
ticularly exPresident Roosevelt and
Gen. Wood. already foresaw the pos.
sibiity that the United States might
be drawn into the conflict. or at least
might he called upon. In case Of
! German victory. to fight for its own
independence. In any event. a wise
! national policy made it essential that
| we should abandon our antiuuated
| methods and reorganiZe an army on
| the lines made necessary by the pres
ent war. The great advantage OF Col.
Souiers visit was that it would pro.
vide the basis for such an orga MIA
| ton. He did his work with the ut
! most zeal and industry, and report
| after report was sent to Washing
ton. Had the American Army acted
upon the information thus dispatched.
| it would have been ready, on the
declaration Of war in 1917. with a
policy and program. ii not an army,
fully prepared for all situations. How
many lives would have been saved
and how much money would have
been conserved can be only guessed
at. Certainly the course of history
would have been very different.
| Col. Squier sent his reports to the
War College. therefore, with the salts
faction that any man feels Of having
performed a great task Washington.
however. manifested no interest IN
them. They We're deposited IN appro.
pirate Observation-Disclosures they still
remain. How many officers read them
is not known: that no action was ever
| taken IS the fact
| Note--The second insta lime mt of the
Waiter Hines Page letters to Wood.
row Wilson will he published tomor.
| row in The Evening Star,