The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1931-06-25

gency, but do not think good reason
exists for us to break up our divisions
and scatter regiments for service
among French and British, especially
under the guise of instruction"
1t thus appeared quite clear tina;
the French were so intent on their
plan that Premier Clemenceau pre-
sumed to cable Washington as to how
our units were to be handled. Upon
the receipt of the cable from Wash
ington about the disagreement between
Petain and myself wrote at once to
NJ. Clemenceau, quoting the cable and
adding:
MAY l not suggest to you, Mr.. Pres
ident, the ineXpedlency of communi-
eating such matters to Washington by
cable. These questions must all be
settled here, eventually, on their
merits, through friendly conference
between General Petain and myself,
and cables of this sort are very likely,
/ fear, to convey the impression of Sc
rious disagreement between us when
such is not the case. :"
cIemeneeau's Reply.
NJ. Clemenceau's reply, translated
into English, follows:
my Dear General: l hasten, with
out losing moment, to reply to your
letter dated January 8, 1918. found
myself in the position of cabling to
the ambassador of France at Washing
ton because the two contradictory re-
sponses which had received from
General Petain and from yourself.
when you did me the honor of calling
on me, obliged me, in the interests of
the common cause, to seek an arbi-
tration between the two commanders
in chief
Il need not conceal that / placed
full confidence in the American gov
eminent with regard to this. However,
it was not to the American govern
ment that l addressed myself.
cabled to the ambassador of France,
which was my right and my duty, in
order to give him directions for the
conversations which might take place
either with the secretary of war or
with the President of the United
States.
1T might very well have happened
that later on should have addressed
the American government, but insist,
on this point, that have done moth
Ing of the sort. / had not authorized
the ambassador of France to read all
or part of my dispatch to the secretary
Of war. l regret that he did so, but
I do not disavow anything that
wrote.
Il am giving you here the explana-
ton which I owe you and am going
to exercise all the patience of which
I am capable in awaiting the good
news that the American commander
and the French commander have
finally agreed on question which
may be vital to the outcome of the
war;"
clemenceau's Motive Questioned.
AS the French were dead set on
getting our troops under their control
it is more than probable that the
French premier, feeling that their
plans were not working out, sought to
create some distrust in the minds of
our administration at Washington
against my management Of things in
order to pave the way for insisting
that we were entirely wrong in not
consenting to amalgamation. How.
ever, at later meetings with Clemen-
ceau and Petain the alleged differ
ences were seemingly settled amicably,
as indicated in my cable Of January
ii, which follows:
"For chief Of staff: Have now def
mite understanding with French salts
factory to them and to me that our
divisions now in France shall COM
plete their training as already begun.
In the future divisions arriving in
zone Of French armies are to have Pc
riod Of training with French, each
regiment in a French division. When
sufficiently experienced by training In
quiet sector with French our divi.
sions are to be united under their own
commander and will be placed in the
line in our own sector"
NLAnrHn WIN