Evening star., 1932-09-11

w YORK HARBOR. RIGHT: GEN.
BOkEN. Harris Ewing Photo.
duties I had taken personal control
of the War Department business. with
the result that a custom which had
grown up under my predecessors Of
chiefs of bureaus dropping in on the
Secretary to discuss matters pertaining
to their bureaus and to obtain per-
sonal action by the Secretary, entirely
disappeared.
The great mass OF all military busi-
ness from whatever source was han
died by me, leaving the Secretary COM
pletely free to consider the higher mat
ters Of his Office. This made it posi-
BILE for him to visit the camps and
find how the Army was being housed
and trained, to visit France and learn
at first hand the difficulties Of the
A. E. F., to meet the allied war lead
ers in Paris and London and learn
something of their troubles, too, as
such troubles affected the relations OF
/ their countries with ours.
1t gave him time, also, to write the
remarkable letters he sent our repre-
sentatives in every quarter of the
globe and which produced in reply in
formation concerning intimate phases
| vi bllC VOL CA4OaN AlOV NOAAAAAOSSA W
, cables, which were invaluable to him
in his consideration of the problem
he was called upon to solve.
At first he frankly did not like the
situation and spoke 70 me about the
disappearance of the bureau chiefs
| from his list of callers. But he quickly
saw it doubled his efficiency to be
freed from a mass of business mount
ing to unbelievable heights as the
Army grew from 100000 to 100000
men.
And as the Army grew he, too, grew
! in stature as Secretary OF War. When
we entered the war he knew little
about the business of war. But neither
did any one else in America. AS nj:
responsibilities increased he developed
with them. He, visibly. almost from
day to day, became bigger man, with
complete and comprehensive grasp ol
the whole military program.
Pays High Tribute to Baker.
have served in Washington re-
peatedly in my long career in the
Army and have known personally II
Secretaries of War. I have studied tht
work of the War Department from it;
foundation and have formed an esti.
mate of the various heads Of thai
great department. 1t is my considered
opinion that Newton D. Baker is tht
greatest War Secretary the United
| States has ever produced. And in say
ing that I do not exclude the forceful
Stanton or the brilliant Root.
No Secretary Of War in our entire
history ever faced such problems as
confronted Mr. Baker; no Secretary ever
solved his difficulties with more sue
cess. Secretaries of War who have fol-
lowed him have found his state papers
models of clearness, justice and free
dom from error. have it from one OF
his successors that when various prob
! lens have confronted him he has
studied the opinions written by Secre-
tary Baker in similar cases and has
| found those opinions unassailable.
They were," he said, 100 per cent
right"
When the war was over organized a
board in the War Department to con-
slider the award Of the Distinguished
Service Medal and the Distinguished
Service Cross to those Americans, both
military and civilian, in the United
States who had been recommended Tor
such recognition or who, in the opinion
of the board, were entitled to 1t. This
board finally grew in numbers until
there were some 80 officers engaged in
investigating the facts connected with
the great numbers of cases referred
to it.
Honored by President.
The board was instructed not to con-
slider the cases of Gen. Pershing, Gen.
Bliss and myself, the Secretary having
informed me the President would make
the award in our cases without action
by board.
This board submitted as its first rec
| ommendation the award OF the Dis
tinguished Service Medal to Secretary
Baker. But the modest Secretary pre-
ferred not to accept the award at that
time. as he did not want to be singled
out from other members of the cabinet
and the President himself, to whom,
under the law and the facts in the case.
the D. S. M. could properly have been
awarded.
1 therefore waited until became
Acting Secretary of War, in the alb
sence of the Secretary, and then sent
letter to President Wilson giving the
proposed citation for the award to Mr..
Baker and recommending that he make
the award as therein set forth.
The return of the Secretary to Wash
ington again stopped the award, but
10 years later. October 3, 1928, Re
publican President and Secretary OF
War made the award of the D. S. M.
to Mr.. Baker, as recommended by me in
my letter to President Wilson and with
great unanimity of approval through
out the country. The citation follows:
| Newton D. Baker, formerly Secretary
of War. For exceptionally meritoriouS
and distinguished services. AS Secre-
tary of War during the World War he
was responsible for the organization and
development of military program
which brought success to the American
aims. Throughout the war he rendered
services of inestimable value to the
country"
This man has grown upon the coun-
try as his services and character are
more clearly revealed. Many persons
have furnished guesses on the precise
character and quality OF that service,
but I know. We were associated more
than three years. working every day
without regard to hours under a pres
sure which removed any possibility Of
hiding the true character of the indi-
vioual. And / will close this record OF
three years by quoting his inscription
upon a copy of the book Newton D.
Baker," by Frederick Palmer, which Mr..
Baker sent to me:
ITO Gen. Peyton C. March, whose
work in the War Department was Of
| incalculable value, both to his country
and mankind, from his affectionate and
sdmiring associate,
NEWTON D. BAKER"
I will let the record stand on that.