Evening star., 1941-11-13
Army Denies Asking
Men 10 Volunteer
For A. f. F.. Service
Marshall Says Recruiting
Is Merely to Build Up
Gurrisons at Bases
BY NELSON NJ. SHEPARD.


statement that there is no founda-
rumorS that the Army is preparing
troops for a possible expedition TO
Africa or other critical areas out
side this hemisphere"
His statement was prompted, he
said, by stories that appeared this
morning claiming that the Army
was launching an active recruiting
drive among National Guardsmen
and SelecteeS to persuade them to
volunteer for 3-year enlistment for
service overseas. Recruiting officers,
it was claimed, are specifically ask
ing these men. who cannot legally
serve outside the Western Hemi-
sphere without amendment of pres
ent law. as to their willingness to
serve overseas.
War Department officials said
late yesterday that selective
service traineeS and National
GuardSmen were being circular
lied as to their willingness to en-
list for regular three-year terms
in the Army and to serve over
seas II necessary
Seeks to Build Garrisons.
Gen Marshall disclosed that the
War Department has been at work
for some time to build up its over
seas garrisonS in Iceland. the At
lantic bases, Panama and Hawaii |
In this connection, he said. approxi-
mately 25,000 men had volunteered
for overseas garrison duties last
month.
This is 5000 short of the number
required each month"; he asserted.
In addition to men for the regu-
lar territorial garrisons, Gen. Mar
shall said that the Army had been
endeaVoring to provide volunteers to
relieve the marines in Iceland and
elements of the British Army there.
This is the first intimation from the
poets to take over the Iceland gar
rison completely.
Recruiting Admitted.
The first report about recruiting
for services outside the Western
Hemisphere came yesterday from
the 1st Army. which is maneuvering
in the Carolinas. A dispatch said
selectees were being asked if they
would be willing TO serve overseas
with tank forces.
Army officials late yesterday ad-
mitted that three-year men were
being recruited, but denied it was for
the purpose of organizing an eXpedi-
tionary force. Gen. Marshall as early
as July in his bi-annual report ex-
planned the difficulty the Army was
encountering in preserving its forces
intact. He urged that the period of
service of selectees be extended.
Congress later extended the serv-
ice to 30 months, but it did not
amend the law to permit them to
service outside of what is generally
interpreted by the administration As
the Western Hemisphere and our
overseas territories.
Text of Statement
The text of Gen. Marshall's state
ment follows:
This mornings papers carry re-
ports that the War Department is
conducting recruiting campaign
for three-year enlistments for over
seas service. Several of these ar
tlcles are calculated to give the i'm
preston that We are engaged in
building up an expeditionary force
and one paper, I understand, has
already taken us to Africa.
during the past year the War
Department has been working to in
crease the number of volunteers. or
three-year men, to meet the in
creased requirements for the present
overseas garrisons, such as Panama,
Hawaii and the new Atlantic bases:
also 10 supply the large numbers re-
qured for Air Corps units, together
with a sufficient percentage of long
service men to give stability to the
regular organizations in the United
States, particularly the technical
Armored Corps.
IN addition, the Army has been
endeaVoring to provide the neces-
sary number of volunteers to carry
OUT the Presidents announced policy
OF relieving the marines in Iceland
ana the elements OF the British
Army stationed there The recruit
ing campaign to secure men for tho
Iceland command was initiated last
August at Camp Custer among the
units OF the 5th Division. We still
, nave to meet the necessitv for 10 OoO
men for this purpose.
Need More Volunteers.
The War Department has also
1elt that it was highly desirable to
nave at least one division out of the
81 divisions of the Army, the 1st
Division, 100 per cent volunteers in
order that it could be placed on an
equal footing with the marine divi-
sion with which it has been train
Ing for some months in a provisional
corps.
10 summarize, these requirements
amount to $4,000 volunteers a month
of which $4,000 are required for the
Air Corps alone. The recruiting
necessary for these normal and WELL
known purposes evidently gave rise
10 articles which appeared in the
papers this morning. In this con-
nectlon, approximately 25OOO men
volunteered in October, which Is
1000 short of the monthly number
required.
There is no foundation whatso-
ever for the allegation or rumor
that we are preparing troops for a
| possible eXDpdition IN A frioo ~ o+I,ar