Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-01-28

i N Chaumont October is, 1917, to
see our lst Division.
The French military officials
were anxious to show their respect, and
it was arranged to have both an Ameri-
can and French guard of honor drawn
up to salute him upon his arrival al
my residence These two small guards
Wed with each other and both seemed
to get a great thrill out Of the cere-
mony.
After an interesting evening with the
marshal and his staff as our guests we
left the next morning by motor car foi
Treveray, accompanied by Gems. Rague-
neau and Alvord, Coils. de Chambrun
and Mccoy and Capt. Boyd.
The troops of the division were
drawn up in line ready to receive III
and presented a much better appear.
ance than at the review by President
Poincare. The men were especially
keen to be inspected by marshal OF
France, and their pride was clearly evil
dent by their perfect lines as they
swung by in the march past. The mar
shall in turn was enthusiastic over their
vigorous appearance and military bear
irg.
Mule Inspects Marshal.
One incident occurred that was not
on the program. On the way to the
field for the ceremony a well groomed
mule that happened to be running
loose pricked up his ears, looked us
over and decided to trot along with us.
One of my staff wagered that this wise
animal knew what was going on and
would be present to see the march past.
Sure enough, when we reached our po-
sition this Missouri product had pre-
coded us. Cautiously approaching, he
| hIaA
guest of honor. AS all efforts TO drive
him away seemed futile, he lowered
near as an interested spectator to the
proceedings, much to the amusement
Of the marshal
gave a luncheon at Neufchateau
| for the marshals party and my own
1 and the senior officers of the LIST Divi-
sion. After that we saw the training
conducted by the 1st Corps School and
| visited the American and French bill
lets at the village of st. Bin, where
the 101st Regiment, 26th Division, and
the French 69th passed in review In
excellent form. AS we returned to-
ward Chaumont, other American and
French units were drawn up by the
roadside in honor of the marshal.
1t was rather late when we started
and darkness overlook US while passing
on foot through the lines. The trum-
pets of each regiment sounded as We
approached, and with the lights from
our automobiles close behind illuminat-
ing the trees that bordered the highway
and the faces that peered through the
shadows to catch glimpse Of the mar
shall the scene suggested some legend
airy painting.
Finally we halted and the troops. In
Guiding the French 15lst Infantry
which had made q remarkable record at
Il
ment came ous Of the darkness into the
spotlight of our autos they made . pic
ture never 70 be forgotten.
French Coup Rumored.
The political unrest in France at that
time found expression in frequent crtti-
ciSn of the government. It was whis-
pered in some circles that there might
be a coup d'etat led by an outstanding
military figure. The removal Of the
marshal as commander in chief of the
not dimmed his popularity as the idol
Of the people, and he might easily have
been selected as the leader of such a
movement had 1t been seriously pro-
! jected.
Speaking Of its possibility as we drove
back, he said, confldentially, that 1t
had been discussed and that it might
occur. under certain circumstances.
But, much TO his credit, he fastened
cerely, to disclaim any ambition
in that direction. If the idea ever
found Judgment among the opposition
to the government, it never got beyond
a very small coterie. In fact, there ex-
listed no actual crisis that was likely to
precipitate a change in the form Of
| government
October IL, 1917, the following sum-
mary was sent to Washington showing
the estimate of the situation in Europe:
ID" The Germans on Western
front have been reinforced by four divt-
sions from the Russian front, giving O
present total of $50 divisions.
Persistent reports from widely sepa-
rated sources Of an (early) offensive by
Germany and Austria against Italy.
| determined effort to use present eco
nomic difficulties Of Switzerland to ex-
cite Swiss people against allies.
French report activity on part of Swiss
in construction of Notifications on
French border.
Reports indicate that after the fail
ure Of the peace conference asked for
In Pope's peace proposal the German
government tegan active efforts to
stiffen the spirit of the country"
Denies German Report.
Returning to Paris october 10,
learned that dispatch from Berlin 70
the New York Times represented me as
having said that the German lines were
| impregpable. The report might have
been idle gossip, but 1t was more prob
| ably circulated to create the impression
that our armies were starting on for
lorn hope. This report was so tar from
the truth that cabled the Secretary Of
| War that 1t was absolutely false and
without any foundation whatever.
In every reference to our future OPP
erations I had strongly maintained that
| 1t was not only possible to break the
German lines, but that it would be done.
| The very system of training that we
were persistently following was based
on the determination to force the Ger
mans out of their trenches and beat
them in the open. On no other theory
could they have been defeated.
Yet without question there were not
few among our allies and probably
some in our own Army who thought the
task impossible. supporting their view
by citing the failures of the previous
three years, especially that Of the
| Spring of 1917. It was none the less
o surprise, however, when q report came
1 directly 70 me that such views had ac-
tually been expressed in the presence Of
civilian visitors by ofacers Of rank IN
our Army.
| was indignant to learn Of tl1kt kind
Of talk. and in commenting on iSrSo the
Americana WIN had heard such state
.ments made said that "the German