The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1930-05-15
PERSH|NG'S SILENCE
AS TO CLEMENCEAU
DISAPPO|NTS PARIS
French Hoped American Com
mander Would Add to Feud
Between Two Graves

Paris, May l5.--(P-The undis-
guised hope Of the French. albeit
tinged with alarm. that General
Pcrshing would hop aboard the Glenn
enceau-Foch controversy beyond the
tomb, in which former President Pre-
mier Poincare recently joined, was
dashed to the ground when the COM
mander of the A. E. F. landed at
CherbOurg recently.
Il have nothing to say" General
Pershing told reporters, land If I did
have something to say I should pre-
fer to say nothing"
Interviewers pointed out that two
entire pages of Clemenceau's book
"Grandeurs and Miseries of Victory
described the state of affairs behind
the American army's lines in the
Argone, as ''chaos" but General
Pershing refused to comment.
A few days after Marshal Foch
died, a book written by NJ. Raymond
Recouly. a noted French author, pur-
ported to quote Foch in some state
ments which left no doubt as to the
allied commander ill chiefs opinion
concerning Georges Clemenceau, gen.
orally known here as the Father of
Victory"
This vas in March, 1929, and Glenn
enceau Immediately began to work on
his book, "Grandeurs and Miseries of
Victory" laboring so hard that he
came to an untimely death-so the
doctors say-at the age of 88.
Il hate to start a controversy over
a coffin" the Tiger wrote, but my
silence would be construed as acquics-
cence."
Thereupon he proceeded to lambast
the daylightS out of Foch, incidentally
taking pot shots at Poincare and
Pcrshing.
The reference to the American
army which caused intervicwers to try
and obtain General Pershing's com
mcnt read:
"Foch himself demanded supreme
command of the allied armies, ane
suddenly stricken with paralysis o.
the will power failed to exercise it. HI
refused III September, 1923, to Civ
Pershing the orders imperiously nee
essary to the good Of the country.
had to enjoin him in writing to en-
force his authority"
Foch as quoted by Recouly ha,
already replied to this attack:
Il never so much sought to com
mand as I did to bring those aroun
me to concur with my ideas. T,
command is nothing; what is requires
is to understand the character o
those you are dealing with and t
make yourself understood by then
To understand one another, that's tn
whole secret Of life"
One commentator, rather melan
choly, says: "Toch and Clemencea
never understood one another an
there is the whole secret"
Some of the amenities exchange
between the commander-in-chicf
the Allied armies and the French We
premier are in the following order.
Foch: "Clemenccau is going to til
United States to whimpcr and senti
m%entalizc, like the old dotard he Is
This is alleged to have been sal
when the Tiger visited the Unite
States during the French America
debt controversy.
Clcmenceau: 'FOch vas an III
subordinate soldier"
Out of the flood OF comment whic
this post-mortem duel is creating j
France, there energies a general fec
ing of regreat that such a situatio
should have arisen.
Poincare summed 1t up by sayir
that Foch and Clemenceau bot
greatly served their country. and
time, this alone will be remembered