Evening star., 1932-12-04
Gen. Shanks Again Replies to Gen. March
In Controversy Growing Out Of New Book

has especial reference to what have
alleged Gen. Goethals told me on the
streets of New York.
Quotes Goethals' Letter.
Gen. March asserts positively that
Gen. Goethals was never ordered to
France. In support of this assertion
he quotes from Gen. Goethals diary
dated $40 pm July 6. He then makes
Goethals from his grave settles this
whole matter.
Yet on July IA, eight days later than
the quoted entry in Gen. Cocktails
diary, he wrote q letter containing
these statements: Everything shaped
up towards my getting away, and cul-
minated in my actually making reser-
vationS being innoculated, and finally
I was actually packed" That Gen.
Goethals had his reservations on the
Leviathan Is to me matter of personal
knowledge. I made these reservations
and they were never Cancelled until Gen
Goethals had been turned back after
he had reached New York.
BY whose order were those reserva-
tions for Gen. Goethals made? We
have his positive statement that he
was actually packed, that he had taken
his innoculations and that he had his
reservations. Who gave the order for
his reservations? Not Secretary Baker,
for as late as April, 1880, Secretary
Baker never knew that any reserva-
tions had been made for Gan. Goethals
on the Leviathan." Inasmuch as Sec
retary Baker knew nothing about Gen.
Goethals' reservations there Is but one
man who could have acted and that
| man is Gen Peyton c. March
Apparently Gen. March Is under the
impression that the plan of sending
Gen. Goethals abroad in coordinate
capacity is state cecret known only to
! himself. On the contrary, it is widely
known. Gen. johnson Hagood refers to
| it In his interesting book, The Service
of Supply" have in my possession
| two letters from officers, both at that
| time serving IN France, and they both
| allege that they had information that
Gen. Goethals was due to sail from New
| York on the Leviathan on July 8. But
more, far more than all else, / had
| Gen. Goethals' positive statement made
to me in New York City
Met General on Street.
| When I had started over to greet
| Gen. Goethals at his hotel I met him
on the street. 1t was then he told me
he was going over in a coordinate
capacity. This would have made him
entirely independent of Gen. PERISH
ings control, and he would have dealt
directly with the War Department in
all questions relating to matters of sup
py. Gen. Pershing, under this scheme.
could no longer issue orders in regard
| to supplies. He could only make re-
| quests 1t requires no great military
| knowledge to realize the danger of hav-
ing two independent commanders op-
Grating in the same field. Gen.
Goethals greeted me with the remark
| that l was Just the man he was looking
| for. He told me he was going across
in a coordinate capacity He said the
| Job was q big one, and that he wanted
some officer whom he knew as his as
sistant and that he would like to have
me come over in that capacity as soon
as he should cable me. Taken wholly
by surprise / thanked Gen. Goethals
told him that had been hoping to gel
to France, and would be glad to 60 as
his assistant. After time tor considera-
ton ! saw that had made mistake
| wanted to go to France, but I wanted
to go In command Of division. More
over. felt that sooner or later the CO.
ordinate capacity plan would result In
friction and misunderstanding to which
! did not want 10 be party. Aftei
breakfast on July started over te
/ Continued ON Third Page.)