The Washington times., 1936-12-17

David Lloyd George"
If experience is the greatest
teacher, then Americans need only
learn the lesson of what went on
in France in the winter and spring
of 1918 to convince them that they
should keep out of any European
war at any cost. Take Mr.. Lloyd
Georges word for it, and you will
believe that all Americas effort
until March, 1918, comprised "a
lamentable story of indecision and
buStling incompetency."
PerShing, ne would have you
understand, was ShOrt-Sighted,
obstinate and "quivering with
suspicion that the French and
British meant to rob him of his
army and that once the Amer
lean infantry got brigaded with
European formations he would
be unable to recover them"
And finally he would tell us
that when the Americans got over
there in numbers sufficient to
decide the contest, they were so
lily equipped that but for Allied
supplies they could have done
little. ,
Lloyd George is special
pleader, always has been and no
doubt always will be. He is strong
on rhetoric and often weak on
facts, or blind to them. His fail
ings are those of a politician and
he has spent his life being a
politician.
INTENSE DISLIKE
He has an intense dislike for
PerShing and has nursed that dis
like for the past eight years. The
basis OF it is Pershing'S refusal to
turn over to him the soldiers OF
America to be led to slaughter and
most likely to defeat by "mcom'
petent" British commanders.
That word incompetent" Is
used advisedly because it is Lloyd
Georges own designation of the
British Commander-in-Chief in
France, Sir Douglas Haig.
If you should happen to read
Lloyd Georges Memoirs, be sure
to have handy a copy of Gen. Per
shing's MY Experience in the
World War;" The contrast is
vivid and Illuminating.
Lloyd George rants about the
presence of but 100000 Americans
in France at the time of the Ger
man drive.
However, Pershing points out
that for a year the British had
been urged to furnish ships. In
stead, through Northcliffe, Read
ing, Miner and Lloyd George,
they had spent the time jockeying
around to make their furnishing OF
ships contingent on brigading the
Americans with the British.
Lloyd George was clamoring for
American reinforcementS at the
very time that the French were
accusing the English of keeping
large bodies of troops at home for
defense purposes.
In this connection, we find
PerShing writing to Secretary of
War Baker, ON April S, 1918,
and urging that every frank rep
reSentationS should be made to
the British government as to the
urgency of their putting into the
army every possible man."
The American general went on
to say that the time to defend
England was when the battle on
the Continent had been lost.
The break through of the Ger.
mans on March 81 was due, &C
cording to Lloyd George, to causes
for which the general headquar-
tiers of the British army were re-
sponSible. He speaks of reckless,
foolish and unaccountable deci-
SionS made by Haig.
It seems to be pretty we'll es-
tablished that the British knew
when and where the blow was to
fall and yet did not prepare to
meet it.
DECIDING FACTOR
A few months later the German
offensive on the Chemin des
Danes almost wrecked the French
army. Yet Pershing had warned
the French that it was the opinion
of the American general staff that
they would be attacked there.
Lloyd George says that the allies
were almost defeated because
Pershing refused to let them
merge this troop indiscriminately
with their forces. !
An impartial reading of the
record, including Lloyd Georges
own testimony, leads to a very diff
ferent conclusion. That con-
cluSion Is this:
PerShing's refusal was the one
thing that saved the allied cause.
If he had turned his men over
to Haig, would they not have suf-
fered the same fate as the British
at AmienS? If he had turned his
men over to the French, would
they have not been caught in the
rout Of Chemin deS Danes? He
didn't do it.
Therefore, he had the divisions
intact which stopped the Germans
on the Marne and in the Cham
payne. Therefore, he had the
divisions intact which, with the
MoroccanS, decided the war in the
offensive at Scissors.
Finally, by September, he had
an army in France, greater than
that of England, and that army
was the factor which brought the
war to end at least one year earlier
&hon T1nyd Teoroa hod 6orad %o