Evening star., 1932-10-23

ME e0ltlon OF Inc SUNDAY otdi
for october l6. 1882. carries an
article by Maj Gen. D. c.
1 Shanks. headed "Shanks as ails
March for criticizing Pershing.
which contains so many errors Of fact
that correction is neces airy in the in
terest cf historical accuracy.
Disregarding the diatribes directed at
me personally, which are of no interest
to me, or to any one else, l should
imagine, I find in the article only two
references which may be considered as
bearing upon official relations between
Gen. Pershing and myself. and both
of them are erroneous both as 10
fact and Implications The first of these
describes an inspection made by me OF
the Port of Embarkation and its camps
"a few days before Gen. Pershing's re-
turn from Europe Gen. Shanks
states:
AS we were returning to the hotel /
said: Gen Pershing will be coming
home in a few days, what special cere-
mcny do you wish?' In petulant tone.
Gen. March replied: None, Gen
Pershing automatically becomes major
general as soon as he sets foot on shore.
Gen. March's prediction about Gen.
Pershing's demotion did net come true.
MY opinion is that if he had made any
public effort to denote Gen. Pershing
there would have been showdown and
a new chief of staff"
Report Held Untrue.
All this is ridiculously untrue. The
fact is that. on the recommendation CT
President Wilson and with the whole
hearted backing of the War Depart
ment including my elf as chief OF
staff, legi-tat:on had been enacted by
Congress and approved by the Presi-
dent. under which the permanent rank
of general was bestowed upon Gen.
Pershing. and he had been commits
stoned general CT the armies "a few
DAYS before his return; on September
3, 1919, to be exact. Gen. Pershlng
landed on September 8, 1919. He was
met by Secretary Baker and my elf. and
on his landing was led to little stage
which had been improvised on the dock,
where Secretary Baker formally pre-
sented him with his signed commission
as a permanent general, with char-
acteristically apt speech. Gen. Pershlng
accepted this commission then and
there, and there was no human agency
which could have deprived him of it.
Gen. Shank statement that II had
maze any pun IL cllOlt W o~AioeC NSh'
Pershing there would have been a
showdown and a new chief of staff is
so ridiculous as to be unworthy of
notice. If had attempted such thing
l would have been fit subject for a
lunatic asylum.
All this was a matter of public
knowledge to every one who read a
daily paper of that period. There was
no military secrecy involved in these
events. The slow passage of the legis-
lation through the Houses of Congress;
the commissioning of Gen. Pershing:
his welcome in New York and the be-
stowal upon him of his commission by
Secretary Baker; it was all important
news of that day and widely published.
Gen. Shanks account of this whole
matter is completely and laughably
erroneous.
Cites Goethals' Case.
The second, and more important
statement in the article deals with the
scheme to send Gen. Goethals to
France to command the Services OF
Supply of the A. E. F., and relates In
some detail conversations he alleges he
had with Gen. Goethals on July Z,
1918. and after breakfast on July 8.
1918. from which he draws many In