Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-03-08

safe II we have a million men in train
| ing in the United States at all times.
| That will enable us to feed them out
to you at the rate of 100000 a month
and bring that number in by draft at
the other end, which will always give
us an adequate supply Of men who
have had as much training as they
can profltably secure here in the United
States.
"The finishing touches in any event
will have to be given in France, and
think you will find that men who
have had four months training here
are pretty nearly ready for use in as
ISOLATION with your veteran and ex-
perienced troops, and that no pro-
ionged period of European training, for
infantry, at least, will be found neces-
sary. This makes the problem very
simple from the point of view OF the
draft and the training camps.
"All accounts we receive in this
country of the conduct Of our men
are most stimulating and encouraging
| Apparently, the common opinion is
that we have rendered valuable, II not
indispensable service already, in a
purely military way, in the great bat
ties.
II was a little afraid that too en-
thusiastic comment might create a
feeling of resentment on the part OF
our allies Their men, of course, have
stood these attacks for q long time
and 1t would only be human If they
resented the newcomers getting toe
much attention at the expense of or
CARNATIONS which are battle-scarred
and have had their valor tested In
great conflicts; and I have little
| feared, too, that IL our people here
at home we're fed too many stories OF
success they might get the notion that
! this great task is going TO be easy
| for Americans and be ill-prepared for
any reverse, no matter how slight.
"Refer to Slight Repulses."
"For that reason I have exercised q
good deal of self-restraint in my own
discussion with the newspapermen and
in such public addresses as have made
seeking always to couple up the British
and the French with our American SOL
diers and to make the whole war /;
matter of common effort, rather than
Of our own national effort. This has
been especially easy. because the spirit
| Of America is now very high. The
country is thoroughly unified and Ia
waiting only to be shown how 1t car
make further effective sacrifices and
| efforts.
1T occurs to me in this connection
] that it might be wise for you IN your
! communicates. from time TO time, Il
/ refer to slight repulses suffered BY oui
! men; but of course l do not want oui
men to be repulSed merely TO balanct
the news.
July I wrote the President thai
100000 men had embarked FOL
| France. There had been so much
/ that
seemed necessary TO tell the facts. Tit
American people are accustomed to de-
manding the facts and there was Somt
Impotence manifested with the depart
ment for its continued policy Of silence
| on this subject. ! realized when
| made the statement that in all like
lihood l should have to discontinue
further reference to numbers, at leas
further specific references.
THE Germans, French and British
Of course, make no such announcements
and our allies will not like to have u
adopting a different course. There arr
doubtless good military reasons for no
being very generous with information
Of this kind, which finds Its way Il
the enemy and enables them to maxi
more certain calculations. Still, II tn
rate of shipments we have maintained
for the last two or three months car
be kept up for another six months,
am not very sure that exact news car
ried to Germany of the arrival o
Americans in France might not b.
helpful TO U.s. rather than harmful. tn
German government cannot fail to b
impressed by this steady stream o
fresh soldiers to the Western front.
THE President and have had sew
eral conferences about your situation II
France both of uS desiring in ever