I^^o,^ 'Ov Columbia Sanibergitp ^ mtJ)eCitpofJ|eiD|3orfe LIBRARY A JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR IN TWO VOLUMES VOLUME II \. \. t^f(/'fUf{Y7 r^ /^^ ^If^/t^r^ ^r- '(^fj Oa/o r A JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR BY CHARLES G. DAWES BRIGADIER-GENERAL ENGINEERS WITH ILLUSTRATIONS VOLUME II BOSTON AND NEW YORK HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY COPYRIGHT, 1921, BY CHARLES G. DAWES ALL RIGHTS RESERVED , ^' \ ILLUSTRATIONS Meeting of the Military Board of Allied Supply AT La Grange du Roy, near Coubert, 1918 Photogravure Frontispiece Major-General James G. Harbord 4 Chart showing Plan of Organization of the Gen- eral Purchasing Agent 10 Brigadier-General Johnson Hagood, Chief of Staff, Service of Supply 16 Lieutenant-Colonel John Price Jackson, Chief of Labor Bureau, and Staff 22 Colonel Harry Maud, B.E.F. 42 Lieutenant-Colonel G. Davidson, B.E.F. 52 Colonel James A. Logan, Assistant Chief of Staff, G-i, General Headquarters 62 Brigadier-General Harry Wilkins 72 Lieutenant-Colonel Nelson D. Jay, Assistant General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. 80 Civilian Labor Reception Depot, St. Denis, Novem- ber 16, 1918 88 Italian Troops at Work on the Sermoise End of the Nevers Railroad Cut-off, November 20, 1918 88 Indo-Chinese in Formation after Mess ready to start for their Work 96 Lieutenant-Colonel F. W. M. Cutcheon, Chief Board of Contracts and Adjustments, A.E.F. 108 Lieutenant-Colonel Francis E. Drake, Chief of Control Bureau, Office of General Purchasing Agent 120 vi ILLUSTRATIONS Major-General H. L. Rogers, Quartermaster- General, A.E.F. 132 Lieutenant-Colonel H. M. B^-llesby, A.E.F. , Pur- chasing Agent in England 144 Harold F. McCormick, Purchasing Agent in Switz- erland 156 Lieutenant Dalton H. Mulloney 168 Brigadier-General W. D. Connor, Commanding General, Service of Supply 180 Colonel J. P. McAdam, General Staff 192 General John J. Pershing with Colonel James L. Collins and Colonel Carl Bo\td 204 Lieutenant-Colonel Edward B. Gushing 216 Secont) Headquarters, General Purchasing Board, Hotel Mediterranee, Paris 228 Third Headquarters, General Purchasing Board, Elysee Palace Hotel, Paris 228 Edwin B. Parker, Chairman U.S. Liquidation Com- mission, War Department 244 Hon. H. H. Hollis, Member U.S. Liquidation Com- mission 248 Homer H. Johnson, Member U.S. Liquidation Com- mission 252 A JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR APPENDIX B REPORT OF THE GENERAL PURCHASING AGENT AND CHAIRMAN OF GENERAL PURCHASING BOARD AMERICAN EXPEDITIONARY FORCES TO COMMANDING GENERAL, SERVICE OF SUPPLY AMERICAN EXPEDITIONARY FORCES February 28, 1919 A JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR APPENDIX B February 28, 1919 From: The General Purchasing Agent and Chairman of the General Purchasing Board, A.E.F. To: Major-General James G. Harbord, Commanding General, Services of Supply, A.E.F. In compliance with your instructions I submit a Report of the Activities of the General Purchasing Agent and the Gen- eral Purchasing Board of the American Expeditionary Forces, covering the period from the beginning of operations to the present time. Preceding the Report and as indicating the viewpoint from which it is proper to consider the operations reported in their relation to the supply situation in Europe and in the United States during the war, the following ob- servations are pertinent. From the middle of June, 1917, when the work of the A.E.F. in France was inaugurated, until December 31, 191 8 (the armistice having been declared November 11, 19 18), is ap- proximately eighteen months. The detailed tonnage figures attached hereto, which have been continuously and carefully estimated, show that during that period approximately 10,000,000 ship tons (40 cu. ft. equals one ship ton) of material was acquired in Europe for the use and maintenance of the American army, being approximately 555,000 ship tons of material per month. This material was secured on the Con- tinent and in England through the operations of the General Purchasing Board and the General Purchasing Agent under the supervision and with the cooperation of our allies, France 4 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR and Great Britain. The record of trans-Atlantic shipments from the United States to our army show that during these eighteen months to December 31, 191 8, it was only possible to send to the A.E.F. 7,675,410 ship tons or 426,000 ship tons per month, based upon Army Transport figures showing an average of 56.43 cu. ft. per 2000 lbs. received from the United States. Owing to the lack of ships during the first seven months of the existence of the A.E.F. in France, from June to December, 1917 inclusive, a period when it was charged with the necessity of founding a base and line of communications in such a way as not only to provide for current arrivals, but the eventual care of an army of millions, only 484,550 ship tons were directly received from trans-Atlantic shipment. It is a commentary not only upon the supply emergency under which the A.E.F. continually labored, but as well upon the splendid effort to alleviate that condition made by the War Department, that during the thirty days preceding the armi- stice nearly twice as much material was shipped to the A.E.F. from America as it received from there during the entire first seven months of its existence. From June, 191 7, to May, 191 8 inclusive — the first year — the A.E.F. received from Amer- ica 2,156,238 ship tons of supplies. From June i, 1918, to the declaring of the armistice — five months and eleven days — it received from America 4,059,695 ship tons. It will be noted that the success of the shipping programme in the United States was such that in the last five months preceding the armistice nearly twice as much tonnage was shipped from America to the A.E.F. as had been shipped the entire pre- ceding year. In military and industrial efforts in the A.E.F. there were occasional failures as there were in the United States. Mis- takes occurred here and there, as always in a great and com- plex enterprise, but to the observing officers of the A.E.F. experiencing analogous difficulties in their own work of war preparation, the gathering of the American army, the indus- trial devotion to military preparation once the war was de- MAJOR-GENERAL JAMES G. HARBORD B: REPORT TO C.G., S.O.S. 5 clared, and the efforts of the different departments of the Government, all challenged the highest admiration. No matter how great or how successful were the activities in military preparation of the domestic industries and govern- mental departments of the United States, so long as ships were lacking the A.E.F. could not be largely supplied from across the ocean. The efforts put forth by the United States in the shipbuilding programme, with results just beginning to be greatly felt at the close of the war, coupled with the other great efforts in preparation for a long war, made the United States potentially the most powerful military nation on earth and so recognized. The greatness of scope in its undertakings and the immensity of the field requiring coordination made inevitable a certain delay before our nation reached its real military stride. History will probably show, when our home achievements in military preparation are compared with those made by any other nation during the first twenty months of the war, considering our condition of preliminary unpre- paredness, that our record has been surpassed by no other nation, and that the armistice date on which the war ended should not justly be allowed to obscure the results obtained because they could not all be in evidence at the front. The knowledge of their existence, however, had a tremendous effect at the front. This preparation and potential power of our nation was at once the rock upon which a stronger morale of our noble allies was based, and upon which the morale of Germany broke. To the A.E.F. in France was given an environment in which its efforts could be more immediately felt along the actual fighting front. More tonnage was not sent from America for the use of the army because the ships did not exist with which to transport it. But war once entered upon, conscription having been im- mediately put into effect, a national programme of industrial and financial devotion to the purposes of war adopted, in- cluding absolutely essential financial aid to our allies, our nation succeeded in its greatest supply effort beside which all 6 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR others seem small and from which directly resulted Allied victory — the supply to France of over two million soldiers, than whom no finer or braver body of troops ever existed. The world has not seen in its history such a quick organiza- tion and transfer, to a field of conflict over such a distance, of a force such as was gathered in the United States under the supervision of the War Department during the last two years. In the emergency situation constantly confronting the supply officers of the A.E.F. it was a source of regret from every standpoint that greater recourse to American products in supplying our army could not be had, but there were not sufficient ships to make such a course possible. Operations were primarily governed by military exigencies. Charged with the conviction, however, that the first question of im- portance at all times in order to gain victory was the pro- visioning, arming, maintaining, and caring for American troops in the fighting line, the supply procurement service of the A.E.F., while subordinating ordinary business consid- erations to this question of proper supply, endeavored at the same time to apply as safeguards the checks, regulations, and restrictions of normal business organization where these did not involve a diminution in supplies of first military emer- gency. The record of the A.E.F. up to the date of the armistice, November ii, shows that it had sufficient supplies to enable it to exist and function. It was not over-supplied. The fact alone that the American nation was operating under a pro- gramme proposed by the Commander-in-Chief and ratified by the Government, providing for the existence of an army in France by June, 1919, of four million men, alone justifies every possible purchase of supplies and material which were secured in Europe for the purpose of saving tonnage from America. The supply requirements of the A.E.F. at all times preceding the armistice, based upon the four million men programme, were so enormous that the question whether or not these men could have been supplied by the utmost B: REPORT TO C.G., S.O.S. 7 exertion, both in Europe and in the United States, was a matter of such doubt that in resolving it in the affirmative last June, when he determined that so far as he could accom- plish it the war should be brought to its climax in the fall, the Commander-in-Chief made the most vital, dangerous, important, and successful decision of his entire military- career. The strenuous activity of the supply procurement agencies of the A.E.F., from their very inception, in seeking European sources of supply proved of invaluable assistance when at the crisis of the war military exigency demanded the heavier use of Allied shipping to transport men from America at the expense of supply shipments. At the time of the armistice, on November 11, 191 8, Germany beaten to her knees threw up her hands in unconditional surrender. Up to that very time, in view of the four million men programme, the General Purchasing Agent and the General Purchasing Board were bending every energy toward supply procurement in Europe so as to make possible its completion. In demanding this programme on the part of the United States none realized so well as the Commander-in-Chief the risk which he took in connection with ship shortage in the coming months, con- sidering the enormous increase in the demand for supplies incident to the accession in France of several hundred thou- sand troops per month. With that foresight and caution which he always combines with energy and courageous decision, he called into conference with him in June, 1918, the heads of the services, including the General Purchasing Agent, and ex- plained the overwhelming necessity for the most strenuous supply procurement, construction, and transportation efforts in Europe if the American programme, which he regarded as absolutely essential to an early victory, was to be successfully carried out. From the higher standpoint of history, when truth and justice are not befogged by partisan, personal, or business con- siderations, the question which will be considered is not, for 8 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR instance, whether the lack of ships prevented the A.E.F. from properly patronizing American business institutions in securing so much of its necessary supply in Europe, but whether, notwithstanding its great effort to secure supplies from Europe, it had sufficient on hand and under arrangement at the date of the armistice, to have enabled the American Government, if the war had continued, to carry out the four million men programme by June, 19 19, without having troops in the line improperly fed, clothed, and armed. The Com- mander-in-Chief — the Commanding General, Services of Supply, concurring — decided that with his supply organiza- tion functioning as it was in the A.E.F. and with the great and successful efforts being made by the War Department to supply an increasing number of ships, there would result the accomplishment of this almost superhuman task. Notwith- standing the inevitable and natural criticism incident to the close of any war, every patriotic and right-thinking American may find great pride in the thought that the American war preparation, of which the A.E.F. was but a part, in spite of mistakes which were inevitable and experiments which often failed — considered as a whole and measured, not only by results, but by the methods insuring them — will stand in history both from a military and business aspect as one of the greatest organized efforts ever put forth by any nation. The General Purchasing Agent, therefore, in presenting the following Report and with full realization of its public im- port, submits these observations with it, hoping to induce in its consideration by others that high perspective gained only by keeping in mind the great preponderating and continuing element of military necessity and emergency involved in all procurement matters of the A.E.F. from the smallest to the largest transaction. Whatever success has resulted from the efforts of the General Purchasing Agent and the General Purchasing Board has come because they have never lost sight of the military aspect of supply procurement, while they endeavored to apply as far as consistent with this fact every B: REPORT TO C.G., S.O.S. 9 available device of normal business organization designed to prevent competition, check extravagance, and safeguard honesty. These supply procurement activities are not properly to be considered from the primary standpoint of the obligations and conventional methods of ordinary commercial transactions. Had the General Purchasing Agent retarded the supplying of military needs in an endeavor to fully comply with the checks and safeguards of normal business, he and his Board would properly have been swept out of existence within a month. At the same time he feels that the record of his office and this following Report will show that every effort was made to apply these safeguards where it could be done without inter- fering with matters of military exigency. In the consideration of the question whether or not the A.E.F. should buy articles in Europe or requisition them from the United States, the probable time which would be con- sumed by securing them from the United States by requisi- tion was a most important element. Probably many articles could have been more cheaply procured in the United States, even taking into consideration the high cost of freight to France, if it had been possible to wait the requisite time for ship tonnage to carry them. The question of priorities and relative necessities in the matter of use of the limited tonnage was such that the advisability of purchases in the United States as distinguished from purchases in Europe was con- trolled by the continuing tonnage emergency. General Purchasing Board and General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. The plan for the creation of the office of the General Pur- chasing Agent and the General Purchasing Board was con- ceived by General Pershing, Commander-in-Chief, American Expeditionary Force. In general it may be stated that the department of the administrative staff under the General Purchasing Agent was the result of a supply emergency 10 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR existing at the time of its creation, which has continued throughout America's participation in the war. The plan originated by General Pershing to cope with the chaotic con- ditions first existing in the matter of supply requirements of our army in France, resulting from the independent action of the separate services, owed much of its eventual efifective- ness to its simplicity. Foreseeing the necessity for the con- tinued extension of central authority in supply procurement, General Pershing did not attempt in the first order consti- tuting the G.P.A. and the G.P.B. to fully define their duties. As is often the case in the unusual environment created by war, the establishment in any army of any new organization which functions satisfactorily results naturally in an increase of authority and jurisdiction extending far beyond the origi- nal purposes for which it was created. In this particular case, the G.P.A. was designed at first to be simply a coordinator of purchases. He did not possess, nor has he exercised, the power of direct purchase, but his power of direction and veto over the purchasing activities of the army, and his contact with the chiefs of the purchasing services and our allies, resulted in the evolution in him of large powers over the general policy of supply procurement. Coincident with the assumption of the power of coordina- tion, he inaugurated under the direction of the Commander- in-Chief, in order to save trans-Atlantic tonnage, a system to supplement the supply procurement activities of the inde- pendent services in Europe and superimposed this organiza- tion upon the separate services in such a way as to expedite rather than interfere with their functioning. The fact that the G.P.A. was the only executive officer of the Administrative Staff, with headquarters for the most part in Paris, resulted in his being used by the C.-in-C. and the C.G., S.O.S., as their agent in Allied inter-army and inter- governmental supply negotiation. Again, from time to time the arising of acute emergencies in connection with the afifairs of the army led to the placing upon him of certain specific B: REPORT TO C.G., S.O.S. ii tasks by the C.-in-C. and the C.G., S.O.S. , because his juxtaposition to the authorities of the French and EngHsh Governments facilitated inter-AlHed negotiations by him in Paris as compared with the inconvenience of negotiation at Chaumont and Tours. So pecuHarly has the work of the ofifice of the G.P.A. and the G.P.B. been the result of emergencies created by the new conditions of inter-Allied military en- deavor, that since the signing of the armistice its demobiliza- tion has been proceeding rapidly. Its whole system was, in effect, a device superimposed upon the regular army organi- zation. Attached to this Report of the G.P.A. are the separate reports made to him by the chief purchasing officers of the services and the chiefs of the bureaus of his office, comprising his organization. Instructions were given by the G.P.A. to the chiefs of the purchasing services and the chiefs of the bureaus in his office to confine their reports to the smallest limit con- sistent with giving an idea of the general scope and accom- plishments of their respective work. Since the prime re- sponsibility for the consummation of purchase transactions is with the independent services, subject, only tor coordination purposes, to the control of the G.P.A., the record of aggregate financial transactions and the details of purchases properly rest in the files of the respective services of the army. The compilation of these will probably be contained in the report of the Chief Finance Officer of the A.E.F. Such references to costs as are made in the reports filed herewith are only desig- nated to throw light upon the general procurement efTort of the A.E.F. The reports attached hereto of the officers assigned to the G.P.A. are manifestly a better source of information for the details of the operation of his office than a recapitula- tion of them by the G.P.A., who will therefore largely confine himself to general statements. Since the business of the G.P.A. under the emergencies of war was in a constant state of evo- lution and readjustment, certain organizations were formed and operated for a time by the G.P.A. which were afterwards 12 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR transferred to other jurisdictions. In such cases a report from the organizations are included among the attached reports and indicate the time of their transfer to other authority. This is the case with the report of the labor organization which was formed by the G.P.A. under G.O. 5, S. of R., March 4, 1918, and carried on by him until September i, 1918, when it was transferred to the Army Service Corps. Likewise upon the organization of the Finance Section of the A.E.F., the Board of Contracts and Adjustments, established by the G.P.A. , February 14, 1918, was transferred to the Chief Finance Officer in December, 1918; as was also the Bureau of Accounts and the Financial Requisition Officer created under the G.P.A., July 12, 1918. It is the desire of the G.P.A, in this General Report to make clearly evident the fact of the importance, in the success of supply procurement in Europe, of the continued existence of the right of independent purchase by the different services subject to coordination by his central authority. Without the authoritative pressure direct, and without delegation, from those at the point of necessity upon those responsible for the satisfaction of the need, which was secured by a coordinated system of purchase by the different services, the supply re- sults of the A.E.F. could not have been accomplished. While in the results showing tonnage purchased by the independent services as represented on the G.P.B. there are included such supplies as were brought to the attention of the separate serv- ices by the superimposed organization of the G.P.A. in neu- tral and Allied European countries, yet the bulk of these sup- plies would have been secured without the assistance of the organization of the G.P.A., although at higher prices and under greater difficulties. In other words, in the judgment of the G.P.A. the important element in the success of the Ameri- can army in France in supplying itself was the pressure put by the independent chiefs of the services upon their own supply agents in their efforts to carry out the military procurement programme imposed upon the chiefs by the C.-in-C. and sup- B: REPORT TO C.G., S.O.S. 13 plemented by the pressure of the G.P.A. and the C.G., S.O.S. The designation in orders of the Chairman of the G.P.B. as the G.P.A. of the A.E.F. makes it all the more important for him in this Report, as a matter of plain justice, to again emphasize the fact that all purchases were consummated by the independent services and not by himself as an individual officer. The results obtained were through the members of the G.P.B. representing the independent services, supplemen- ted, expedited, and coordinated by the superimposed organi- zation of the G.P.A. As a matter of fact, when General Pershing, acting in an environment of acute emergency, con- ceived and created the G.P.B. and the office of the G.P.A., he established an interdependency and mutuality of interest in an effort for a common result which made close cooperation and complete understanding on the part of both necessary to success on the part of either. The G.P.A., therefore, names here some of the different chiefs of the independent purchasing services reporting to him as members of the G.P.B. at different times as the ones in his judgment largely responsible for the trans-Atlantic tonnage saved through purchases in Europe. General Purchasing Board Quartermaster Corps 1st Member — Lieutenant-Colonel, Colonel, Brigadier-General Harry E. Wilkins. 2d '* — Colonel, Brigadier-General C. R. Krauthoff. 3d " — Colonel W. R. Grove. 4th " — Colonel M. J. Henry. Chief Disbursing Officer, A .E. F. Lieutenant-Colonel, Colonel Chades E. Stanton. Medical Corps 1st Member — Major, Lieutenant-Colonel Daniel P. Card. 2d " — Lieutenant-Colonel, Colonel C. C. VVhitcomb. 3d " — Lieutenant-Colonel Daniel P. Card. 14 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR Engineer Corps 1st Member — Major, Lieutenant-Colonel, Colonel Thomas H. Jackson. 2d " — Colonel J. A. VVoodruflF. 3d " — Colonel C. McD. Townsend. 4th " — Colonel F. C. Boggs. 5th " — Colonel Thomas H. Jackson. Air Service 1st Member — Major Edgar S. Gorell. 2d " — Lieutenant-Colonel A. P. Spaulding. 3d " — Captain, Major Morrill Dunn. 4th " — Colonel H. Dunwoody. Signal Corps 1st Member — Captain James B. Taylor. 2d " — Major, Lieutenant-Colonel A. G. Gutenshon. 3d " — Lieutenant-Colonel L. T. Gerow. Ordnance Department 1st Member — ist Lieutenant Olney Bonar. 2d " — Lieutenant-Colonel E. D. Bricker. United States Navy 1st Member — Captain George C. Schafer. Chemical Warfare Service 1st Member — Captain, Major L. F. Urbain. 2d " — Captain, Major R. S. Ward. 3d " — Major L. F. Urbain. Motor Transport Corps 1st Member — Captain, Major Hugh Tolman. The following is a classification of the authority and func- tions of the G.P.A. and the G.P.B.: I. Coordination of Purchases. The supply division of the A.E.F. being composed of eight independent services, each possessing its own appropriation from Congress and authority to make purchases for its own department, General Pershing, in order to coordinate the procurement activities in Europe B: REPORT TO C.G., S.O.S. 15 of these independent bodies, in G.O. 23, G.H.Q., August 20, 191 7 (attached hereto as an appendix), estabHshed in Paris a General Purchasing Board composed of eight independent officers of the independent services and appointed as Chair- man of the Board the General Purchasing Agent to whom these officers reported for duty. As emphasized before, the G.P.A. possessed no authority to make purchases under the law, but exercised the power of control and veto of purchases, and to this effect all orders, before being placed by the differ- ent purchasing departments of the A.E.F., were required to be submitted to the G.P.A. for approval. The G.P.A. was likewise designated as the representative of the C.-in-C. in liaison with the various Allied Governments and purchasing agencies in matters involving economic and other questions of supply and labor. 2. Supplemental Organization of G.P.A. to increase Procure- ment of Supplies in Europe. In addition to the control and approval of purchases, the G.P.A. was also charged with the work of locating supplies in Europe with a view to saving ton- nage from the United States. Upon the first day of his ap- pointment he commenced the formation of this organization. Under it he maintained representatives in France, Great Britain, Spain, Portugal, Italy, and Switzerland, through whom passed all purchases made by the A.E.F. in those coun- tries and to whom all purchasing officers of the A.E.F. re- ported when assigned to those countries for procurement. These representatives worked in close cooperation with the chief purchasing officers of the Allied countries and with our diplomatic agents and representatives of the War Trade Board, and in this manner were able to secure supplies which in many cases would otherwise have been unobtainable. Their duties were also to furnish reports of available supplies, copies of the fonvard requirements of the A.E.F. having been fur- nished them as rapidly as possible, as a basis upon which to figure requirements in advance of the receipt of requisitions. Purchases were made by these representatives only on orders I6 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR from the chiefs of the various services forwarded to them with approval through the office of the G.P.A. These representa- tives of the G.P.A. were designated as General Purchasing Agents for the respective countries in which they Avere lo- cated, with the exception of France, and an organization partly military and partly civilian in each country built up under them. The agency in Great Britain was established by General William Lassiter a short time prior to the appoint- ment of the G.P.A., and this organization was transferred to the jurisdiction of the G.P.A. In the Allied countries the representatives of the G.P.A. dealt with the representatives of the Governments, and orders were handled in conformity with the regulations and agreements imposed by the Govern- ments, both as regarded requisitions upon the Governments and purchases in the open market. In neutral countries purchases of supplies and commodities for which export per- mits were obtainable were made from individuals and firms. The G.P.A. sent experts to adjoining countries to investi- gate the textile industry, the question of raw materials, tim- ber, lumber, horses and mules, tinned food supply, shipping facilities, etc. His representatives, in conference with the officials of the Ministere de lArmement, through the Comite Technique Permanent d'Etudes Franco-Americaines, studied the industrial situation in France in relation to the question of importing raw materials for manufacturing in France with the object of saving tonnage from the United States and uti- lizing the available local labor. These efforts met with con- siderable success in connection with the manufacture from tin plate and from other raw material, cylindrical and other bulky articles. As a result of the efforts of the G.P.A. and the G.P.B. under the above two classifications of duties, and with the cooperation of the French and British Governments, there were secured up to the date of the armistice for the American army in Europe, as before stated, approximately ten million ship tons of material and supplies. BRIGADIER-GENERAL JOHNSON HAGOOD Chief of Staff, Service of Supply B: REPORT TO C.G., S.O.S. 17 3. Bureau of Foreign Agencies. Supervision and control of orders sent to foreign countries were effected not only through the purchasing agents for the different countries, but through the Bureau of Foreign Agencies in the office of the G.P.A., which was charged with the direction and supervision of European purchasing agencies outside of France. This Bu- reau operated under the general supervision of Lieutenant- Colonel N. D. Jay, Assistant G.P.A., and under its chief. Captain R. H. Cabell, Jr. 4. Purchase by Category Department. In order more effec- tively and intelligently to control purchases, to prevent competition between services, and to secure the business advantages incident to large transactions, the G.P.A. ini- tiated and secured the promulgation of GO. 41, S.O.S., of September 2, 1918, establishing categories of supplies used by more than one service and authorizing the G.P.A. with the approval of the C.G, S.O.S. , to designate specific services to purchase such supplies for all other departments. Under this arrangement only one department of the A.E.F. was author- ized to secure any one class of supplies, except in case of extreme emergency, when the purchase was required to be certified by some responsible purchasing officer. The insti- tution of this system was the work chiefly of Lieutenant- Colonel N. D. Jay, Assistant G.P.A. of the A.E.F. Prior to the establishment by order of the machinery for categorical purchases and under the pressure of a "great emergency in connection with machine tools, since the lack of ships prevented the shipment of tools from the United States for almost one full year, the G.P.A., in the early period of the existence of the A.E.F., established a Machine Tool Section in his office which, under the authority of the Q.M.C., lo- cated, negotiated, and distributed, among the supply serv- ices of the A.E.F. for the equipment of repair shops, all machine tools obtainable in Allied and neutral countries. Prior to September i, when the Machine Tool Section was transferred to the Ordnance Department, more than five i8 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR thousand machine tools were procured and transferred by that section of his office. This work, initiated in November, 191 7, at the suggestion of Lieutenant-Colonel Drake, saved, in the judgment of the G.P.A., the mechanical situation of the A.E.F. It was these machine tools which enabled the A.E.F. to repair the damaged Belgian locomotives secured by the G.P.A. as a cession from the Belgian Government, which not only resulted in a large saving of tonnage, but furnished the A.E.F. with absolutely essential locomotive power im- possible at the time to be obtained elsewhere. The G.P.A. also endeavored from time to time to secure the interchange of surplus stocks of materials between the different depart- ments, and in other ways to induce the heads of the inde- pendent services to think in terms of the army as a whole instead of in terms of eight separate services. Even when purchases by category were effected, the division of stocks into the eight separate custodianships of the different services resulted in a failure to secure the most economical use of exist- ing supply. When one service, through foresight and in order to carry out its programme of accomplishment, was possessed of a sur- plus of supplies which could be diverted to the satisfaction of the acute necessities of another service, the machinery of transfer was extremely cumbersome and the opposition to its exercise on the part of the heads of the services extremely embarrassing. 5. Statistical Bureau. The rapid development of the need for procuring supplies in Europe in order to save tonnage from the United States necessitated the creation of a Bureau for collecting, classifying, and analyzing the requirements of the supply departments of the A.E.F. The Statistical Bureau was established on December 3, 191 7, and was organized under the authority of Major J. C, Roop, its first chief, who was largely responsible for the scope of its work and satisfac- tory functioning. Upon his temporary transfer to my Staff as the American member of the Military Board of Allied Supply, B: REPORT TO C.G., S.O.S. 19 he was succeeded as chief by Major J. W. Krueger. To this Bureau was assigned the work of collecting and compiling, on the basis of the forecasts issued by the supply departments, information regarding material procurable in France and adjoining European countries. The Bureau likewise main- tained a record of all purchase orders which passed through the office of the G.P.A. and, upon the establishment of the Metal Control Bureau, of the metals consumed in filling such orders. Preparation of Supply Forecasts of the A.E.F. As has been before stated, the work of organization of the G.P.A. 's office and the G.P.B. was progressive. While early appreciation was had of the objects which it was desirable to obtain in the way of coordination with the French and the English Governments and of the activities of our own supply services, the army was handicapped in its early stages by a great lack of per- sonnel accompanied by a constantly expanding programme of supply procurement. It was very difficult to secure the preparation of the quarterly forecasts of the requirements of the army outside of the forecasts relative to food and cloth- ing. The estimate of future requirements for construction purposes was especially difficult, as construction programmes were constantly being enlarged or altered. However, by con- stant cooperation between the services and the G.P.A. the quarterly forecast became progressively more fixed. The final forecast by category of the requirements of the A.E.F. for the last quarter of 191 8 is given in the appendix of this Report. It well indicates the magnitude of our army trans- actions and necessities. In the matter of securing forecasts, the able activities of the Assistant G.P.A., Lieutenant-Colonel N. D. Jay, Lieuten- ant-Colonel Roop, and Major Krueger, as in so many other departments of work of the office, were especially noteworthy. 6. Bureau of Purchase Programme and Classification. After the promulgation of G.O. 41, S.O.S. , the work in connection with forecasts of requirements and purchase classifications 20 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR rendered advisable withdrawing this work from the Statis- tical Bureau and creating a special bureau to handle it. For carrying out the supervision of the category system of purchasing, provided for in paragraph 3 of G.O. 41, H.Q., S.O.S., September 2, 191 8, the Bureau of Purchase Programme and Classification was established in the office of the G.PA. and was further charged with the supervision of the compila- tion and classification of consolidated lists of requirements as shown on the quarterly forecasts of the supply services of the A.E.F. The duties of the Bureau comprised likewise the re- cording of data and information obtained from the Allied Governments and from purchasing officers in Europe re- garding available supplies in Europe and the standardization of descriptions of supplies requisitioned by the A.E.F., for the purpose of compiling a supply catalogue including the names and types of similar articles used by the French and British armies. The Bureau of Purchase Programme and Classification was headed by Major J. W. Krueger, who carried on this work with the high ability which characterized his other extensive activities in the office of the G.P.A. 7. Control Bureau. Through the Control Bureau, office of the G.PA., passed for approval all purchase orders and requi- sitions upon the Allied Governments, with the exception of certain small local purchases made by supply officers outside of Paris. An examination of orders was made by this Bureau with the object of preventing competition between depart- ments for the limited quantities of merchandise available, and the consequent payment of unduly increased prices. Through this Bureau was maintained a liaison with the French Mission established in the Headquarters of the G.P.A. , under which the approval of the French Government was given to all transactions save those involving very small amounts, and in this way gave French governmental protection to the A.E.F. against the payment of exorbitant prices. No requests for purchases by the A.E.F. were authorized by the French B: REPORT TO C.G., S.O.S. 21 Government at prices higher than those actually paid by that Government for similar material, except in very rare cases of special emergency. When the prices asked seemed exorbitant to the French Government it would itself requisition the material at the fair price and turn it over in the form of a concession to the A.E.F. Under this arrangement no purchase exceeding the amount of five thousand francs could be made by the A.E.F. without the approval of the French Govern- ment. 8. Wood Section (tinder Control Bureau). The superv^ision and correlation of all purchases of lumber and lumber prod- ucts in Continental Europe having been delegated to the G.P.A. by G.O. 8, S.O.S., of April 8, 1918, this Bureau was established for the control of wood procurement both in the open market and through, and with the collaboration of, the French and other Allied purchasing and distributing agencies. A liaison service was organized between the Wood Section and the Inspection Generale des Bois (Wood Service) of the Ministry of Armament. (See Report of Lieutenant H. W. Crandall attached.) 9. Metal Control Bureau {under Control Bureau). At the request of the Ministry of Armament, based upon the fact that the purchasing departments of the A.E.F. had been steadily exceeding, through their purchases in France, the monthly allotment of metals assigned to the use of the A.E.F. by the Metallurgical Section of the Ministry of Armament, the Metal Control Bureau was organized on June 28, 1918. The duties of the Bureau comprised the examination and approval of all purchases of metal goods and equipment, both with regard to weight of metal and prices, as well as the prepa- ration, for transmission to the United States, of orders for metal for distribution among all departments to meet their manufacturing needs in France. A liaison service was or- ganized between the Bureau and the Inspection des Forges, of the French Ministry of Armament. 10. Central Printing Office {imder Control Bureau). The 22 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR difficulty of procuring the large quantities of printed matter and stationery necessary for the various departments of the A.E.F. and the rapidly increasing prices of such work oc- casioned by constant canvassing of the market by purchasing departments, brought about the establishment on December I, 191 7, under the G.PA. of a Central Printing Plant. This plant handled a large percentage of the printed matter for the various Staff Departments. It was transferred, by recommen- dation of the G.P.A., on October 21, 1918, to the Chief Quartermaster. II. Procurement of Civilian Manual Labor jor the A.E.F. The responsibility for the procurement, organization, trans- portation, maintenance, and discipline of civilian manual labor in Europe for the A.E.F. (other than labor procured locally through the French regional authorities) having been delegated by GO. 5, H.Q., Service of the Rear, March 4, 191 8, to the G.P.A., the Labor Bureau was established and the G.P.A. was designated as the sole agent through whom negotiations with the French authorities in relation to such labor should be conducted. The Bureau was operated as a subdivision of the G.P.A. until it was transferred on Septem- ber I, 1 91 8, by GO. 38, H.Q., S.O.S., to the Army Service Corps. The recruiting of civilian labor under G.H.Q. was found impracticable, since G.H.Q. was removed from first contact with the labor supply, and for the reason that all labor con- tracts required careful coordination with, and supervision by, the French Government. At the time this work was started an acute need for civilian labor existed in the A.E.F. So great was the pressure of the necessity for construction work along the Line of Communications that combat troops needed at the front were engaged in large numbers in manual labor. The labor organization was under the necessity of furnishing men immediately. At the head of this organization the G.P.A. appointed Major J. P. Jackson (now Lieutenant-Colonel), a man of high qualities of natural leadership who at all stages B: REPORT TO C.G., S.O.S. 23 of this difficult task showed remarkable ability, patience, energy, and organizing talent. The French Government ren- dered invaluable assistance in the work, and through negotia- tion with them as well as by the quick institution of labor recruiting agencies throughout Europe, the labor organiza- tion was enabled to furnish men almost as fast as they could be used. In the very early stages of the labor organization the demand for labor was such that men were furnished in advance of thorough organization into labor units, but the situation was rapidly adjusted, and during the months preceding June, 1918, the labor organization furnished sufficient men to re- lease for the early and important American offensive efforts, a number of combat troops equal to a full division. Upwards of 1300 commissioned and non-commissioned officers were de- tailed to the Labor Bureau of the G.P.A. in connection with the militarizing and organizing of civilian labor. With the cooperation of the State Department, and as a result of a visit to Italy by Lieutenant-Colonel Cutcheon, of the Staff of the G.P.A. , 3500 militarized laborers were received from that country. A Women's Division of Labor Bureau was estab- lished. After the first heavy pressure for workmen in the first six months had been relieved by the Bureau and the civilian labor properly organized, the G.P.A. recommended that the control of the labor organization be transferred more directly to the S.O.S. and incorporated in the Army Service Corps. On September i, 1918, the G.P.A. transferred to the Army Service Corps the control of the organization, consisting at that time of over 29,000 employees properly officered and organized. Among the nationalities employed were French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Belgian, Greek, North African, Senegalese, Chinese, and Maltese. Great credit should be given to the officers of the Labor Bureau for their energetic and intelligent work. Many difficult situations arose which were successfully adjusted, and a high degree of organization was effected. From September i to November 11, under the jurisdiction of the Army Service Corps, the labor battalions 24 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR were so increased that at the time of the armistice the total number of laborers, men and women, employed by the Labor Corps was 42,000. Including replacements the total number of laborers procured up to this time was over 85,000. In addition to the Chief of the Bureau, Lieutenant-Colonel Jackson, the G.PA. desires to especially commend the ability, energy, and good judgment of Major F. E. Estes (now Lieu- tenant-Colonel), Chief of Organization Division; Captain Jeremiah Smith, Chief of Contracts and Foreign Relations; Major G. Ijams (now Lieutenant-Colonel), Chief of the Procurement Division; Captain H. M. Sprague, in charge of labor transportation; and Sergeant Robert C. Wallace, assistant to Chief of Procurement Division. Because of his contact with the French Government the responsibility for the procurement of labor did not pass from the G.P.A. to the Army Service Corps in September, but remained in the G.PA., and Major G. Ijams remained as the representative of the Labor Bureau attached to the office of the G.P.A. in charge of this work. The procurement of labor presented the same difficulties as the procurement of supplies. There was a great dearth of man power in Europe owing to the large armies maintained by the Allies. The character of the labor secured was often poor and the sources of supply widely scattered, and in many cases difficult of access. Constant questions involving the domestic labor policy of France, local labor laws and customs, were before the G.P.A. and Labor Organization for adjust- ment and settlement. The form of the organization which was devised for han- dling labor was determined by contact with an actual situa- tion. At the time it was initiated the need of immediate labor relief was so acute that we were ordered not to halt recruiting pending the detail to us of sufficient officers to promptly handle it and the assignment of central depots for its assort- ment and intelligent distribution. This of necessity involved the Bureau in temporary embarrassment in connection with B: REPORT TO C.G., S.O.S. 25 post commanders when it at first sent labor to them improp- erly organized, but this difficulty soon vanished as officers were furnished us to more completely man the battalions. The fundamental principle underlying the whole system was a central responsibility for recruiting, care, transportation, maintenance, and discipline. One reason for this central responsibility was because the French demanded an organiza- tion which they could hold to account for the keeping of the agreements which in recruiting all labor it was necessary for the A.E.F. to make with the French Government. It was also necessary from many other standpoints. The existence of an independent central control was not only not inconsistent with the military system as organized, but essential to its proper working. The organization was charged with the duty of keeping the labor battalions in the requisite condition to do their work when during the hours of labor they were turned over to the local military authorities. In this organization the G.P.A. had, as always, the loyal support of Colonel H. C. Smither, Assistant Chief of Staff, G-4, S.O.S. , and Colonel J. P. McAdam, Deputy Chief of Staff, S.O.S. The fact that these officers, in connection with the relations of the Staff to the Labor Bureau, realized that a contact of mind was of invaluable assistance in the many difficult questions which constantly arose, led them not to make important decisions having an effect upon the discipline and conduct of this im- portant organization without full knowledge of all the factors involved. The wide latitude and discretion given the G.P.A. and the Labor Bureau by these officers did not result in any inclination of the former to unduly assume authority. And the same confidence given by Colonel Smither and Colonel McAdam to the G.P.A. characterized the relations of the latter with Colonel Jackson, the able chief of the Labor Bureau. It may be unusual in a military report of this kind, but in addition to an expression of his high respect for the ability and consideration of Colonel Smither, to whom he was more 26 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR immediately responsible, the G.P.A. desires to here record his deep feeling of gratitude and friendship. 12. Technical Board. In order to coordinate, develop, and utilize to the fullest extent the electrical power facilities in France, and to control the procurement in Europe of sup- plies and equipment which are component parts of power plants, the Technical Board was created as a subdivision of the office of the G.P.A. by G.O. 8, S.O.S., April 8, 1918. To this Board were assigned experienced electrical engineer officers, who maintained close contact with the electrical power requirements of the A.E.F. and with the available facilities throughout France, and were able to give compre- hensive advice to the construction forces on all matters per- taining to light and power. The Technical Board appointed by the G.P.A. consisted of Lieutenant-Colonel F. E. Drake, Chairman; Major Dugald C. Jackson, Chief Engineer; Captain A. B. Cudebec and Cap- tain A. T. Kennedy. As epitomizing the extremely important work of the Board, the magnitude of which can be only un- derstood by reference to the report of Major Jackson at- tached hereto, I quote the following from the report of Lieu- tenant-Colonel F. E. Drake to the G.P.A.: Officers of thorough experience and of various lines of technical activity were assigned to duty with this Board and the activities were spread to all departments of France where troops or units were stationed. The acquisition of power apparatus was supervised by this Board as well as the unification of projects, until, at the signing of the armistice, there were more than 300 different places in France where power or lighting, having a total energy involved of more than 75,000 h.p., had been effectively supervised and con- trolled by this Board. The activities in detail which are extremely interesting will of necessity be of great importance to future military opera- tions requiring similar services, so that the history of the operations of the Technical Board as being prepared and sub- mitted in formal report by its Chief Engineer, will become an important document. The presentation of his report in B: REPORT TO C.G., S.O.S. 27 elaborate detail will be made to you by Major Dugald C. Jackson. In this connection I wish to speak in the highest possible terms of the technical services rendered by Major Jackson as Chief Engineer of the Board, whose well-known status in the electrical engineering profession throughout the United States and Europe is known to the scientific world. His personal activities and energy since joining your staff have been of the highest order and his well-deserved promotion could only have been prevented by the signing of the armistice. I wish also to especially refer to the devoted services of Captain A. B. Cudebec, who, until the arrival of Major Jack- son, served as Acting Chief Engineer of the Technical Board and actually the officer organizing its first operations under my immediate direction. Captain Cudebec has shown not only his experience in great power projects in the United States, but his technical appreciation and very great ability in nego- tiating and treating with the various French authorities and private interests with whom we have had to operate. Captain Cudebec is hereby commended as a most efficient engineer with unusual experience and foresight and his work for the Technical Board has been most important and satis- factory. 13. Board of Contracts and Adjustments. The Board of Contracts and Adjustments was established under CO. 29, G.H.Q., February 14, 1918, in the Office of the G.P.A. to prepare contracts and agreements between the different de- partments of the A.E.F. and corresponding departments of the French or British Governments, to advise officers charged with the handling of contracts and the obligations accruing therefrom, and to aid in the adjustment and settlement of outstanding obligations resulting from agreements of the United States with foreign Governments. The need of the existence of a Board of Contracts and Ad- justments became evident to the G.P.A. very early in the administration of his office. It was again the ever-existing emergency confronting the A.E.F. which required the tem- porary establishment of a legal department concerning itself largely with the inter-army and inter-government business 28 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR passing through the hands of the G.P.A. Having recom- mended the establishment of such a board to the C.-in-C, and having received authority to proceed with its organiza- tion, the G.P.A. was concerned with the necessity of securing a man of commanding ability and legal experience to place at its head. He had not then met Lieutenant-Colonel Cutcheon, but was acquainted with his high standing as a lawyer. At that time Colonel Cutcheon was engaged in organization work of the Red Cross in Washington. The C.-in-C, at the instance of the G.P.A., having offered him a Captain's commission, he accepted the same and came to Europe in February, 1918. To him upon his appointment the G.P.A. turned over the organization of this most important business, giving him unlimited discretion as to mode of procedure and in the selec- tion of the Board and its assistants. To a realization of the large accomplishments of the Board of Contracts and Ad- justments under Colonel Cutcheon, and under his able suc- cessor, Major Carl Taylor, it is necessary to read the attached report. So burdensome were the duties, so continuous the work and so limited was the personnel of the Board that its success was only achieved at great cost of physical strain and mental effort. No lawyer can read the report of the Board of Contracts and Adjustments without agreeing with the G.P.A. that to Lieutenant-Colonel Cutcheon and to his assistant who afterwards succeeded him. Major Carl Taylor, are due special acknowledgment and appreciation. 14. Financial Requisition Officer. On July 12, 191 8, the office of Financial Requisition Officer was created in the office of the G.P.A. GO. 41, Hq., S.O.S., September 2, 1918, changed the system of requisitioning, receipt, and disburse- ment of funds in the A.E.F., and put into operation a new method, effective as of October i, which provided that funds "be credited by the Treasurer of the U.S. to the Financial Requisition Officer, A.E.F., upon approval of his requisitions, based upon estimates submitted by disbursing officers and forecasts received from the various departments." The order B: REPORT TO C.G., S.O.S. 29 directed that fixed credits be established in the name of the Financial Requisition Officer in depositories designated by the latter, these credits to be maintained by transfers from funds to his credit with the Treasurer of the United States, that individual balances to the credit of Disbursing Officers in the depositories be discontinued, and that the latter draw checks against the credits of the Financial Requisition Officer in the depositories up to the limit of authorizations given them by the latter. The new system was designed to free the large sums of money which had in the past remained for consider- able periods unavailable owing to the fact that the moneys received could be used only for disbursement under the par- ticular appropriations under which they were requisitioned, the unused balance of one disbursing officer not being avail- able for use by another. This office should not be confused with the disbursing officers of the various corps who made the actual payments of money. The Financial Requisition Officer afforded simply a convenient method of securing funds for the disbursing officers and reducing the surplus funds needed to provide for an emergency. The Financial Requisition Officer of the A.E.F. is Captain R. Ives, who rendered most creditable and important service to the army and to the Government. 15. Bureau of Accounts. The Bureau of Accounts was or- ganized under G.O. 4, Hq., S.O.S. , March 23, 191 8, for the purpose of recording, compiling, and furnishing information and statistics with respect to claims, contracts, arrangements for replacements, and other obligations existing between the United States and European countries. The Bureau of Accounts was established by the G.P.A. on April 27, 1918, and functioned under him until its transfer to the office of the Finance Officer of the A.E.F., November 8, 19 1 8. A resume of its work is contained in the attached report of Captain Charles R. Stanley, to which attention is asked. This Bureau functioned under great difficulty with insufficient 30 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR personnel, but, notwithstanding, the results obtained were most creditable. 1 6. Bureau of Reciprocal Supply. As a result of the de- mands for replacement of raw materials made by foreign Governments and private firms and corporations arising out of the manufacture of articles of equipment for the A.E.F. in European countries, the Bureau of Reciprocal Supply was established by G.O. 152, G.H.Q., September 10, 1918, in the office of the G.PA., for investigating all replacement claims pertaining to articles for military supply and for recommend- ing to the C.G., S.O.S., the means of their adjustment. The Bureau was authorized to negotiate with the War Industries Board and the Director of Purchases in Washington the necessary purchase priorities for such materials and to ar- range with the C.G., S.O.S., for the allotment of the A.E.F. tonnage needed to transport them to France. The Chief of this Bureau was Lieutenant-Colonel Perry Osborne. This Bureau was successfully engaged in some very important negotiations, but its late formation and the declara- tion of the armistice made its field of activities limited. Special Activities of the G.P.A. The activities and nego- tiations of the G.P.A. which became necessary as a result of the new environment of allied warfare in which each army was placed cannot be adequately covered here. A Report of Daily Activities, by order of the C.G., S.O.S., was made by the G.P.A. from March 10, 1918, to December 31, 1918, and is hereto attached as an appendix. As prior to that time no record was kept of his daily activities, save that preserved in official correspondence, no extended reference will be made to them here. These activities, like the office of the G.P.A. and G.P.B., had no precedent. Starting with the detail of a few officers the G.P.A. com- menced his duties. When, in considering that part of the business of the army which passed through his hands, he realized that our foreign environment and relation to our allies required new departments of activity in the existing B: REPORT TO C.G., S.O.S. 31 army organization to provide for the proper conduct of its business, he suggested their formation, and when authorized they were placed under his jurisdiction. This fact, with the fact of his location in Paris, is responsible for the creation of so many departments of activities with such widely divergent fields, as, for instance, the Labor Bureau, the Technical Board, the Board of Contracts and Adjustments, and the Bureau of Accounts. The first request for activity in Septem- ber, 1917, outside of prescribed lines, which was the precursor of many others, was the order of the C.-in-C. to organize the transport of coal from England in view of an acute crisis existing at that time in the coal supply of the A.E.F. A plan was devised, afterward passed upon by an Army Board and confirmed by the French Government, for the shipment of coal from English to French ports by American transports and the exchange for coal from French mines in the interior in an amount equal to that unloaded from England at the French ports, thus saving domestic transportation in France of the army supply of coal. The services of Lieutenant-Colonel Frederick Trevor Hill were especially important in this con- nection, and to him should be given chief credit for the plan devised. The G.P.A. placed at the head of this work Lieu- tenant-Colonel H. B. Moore (then Captain), who after\vard became and so continued until the end of the war the Director of Army Transport Service of the A.E.F. , rendering services of most exceptional usefulness from the beginning to the end. He was the first ofiicer of the A.E.F. to receive promotion from the C.-in-C. in recognition of efficiency. After the immediate pressure of the coal situation was over the work and organization passed to the regular channels of the army. Again, where in the activities of a separate service of the army there were special occasions and matters in which inter- Allied cooperation was needed, the services of the G.P.A. were invoked either to expedite or to supervise for the time being the special activities of the separate services. The fine understanding which grew up between the G.P.A. and the 32 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR able and efficient independent heads of the separate services was such that so far from being made to feel unwelcome in such special work of this nature as was imposed upon him by the C.-in-C. and the C.G., S.O.S., the G.P.A. met on their part a cooperation in the common effort and spirit of team- play which facilitated in every way his special efforts. As coming direct from civil life into the army organization the G.PA. desires to record here his appreciation of the free- dom from smallness and jealousy on the part of the chiefs of the services in connection with what was at times clearly an invasion of individual authority and prerogative, none the more welcome because it had behind it the pressure of acute military emergency. In some instances where special duties were imposed upon him, such as recruiting, organizing, transporting, and militarizing civilian labor, the G.P.A, was compelled to use almost entirely the machinery of an inde- pendent service, which was possible only through the most complete cooperation and understanding with its chief. An example of this was the use by the G.P.A. of the financial machinery of the Engineer Department in connection with the recruiting of the civ^ilian labor force of the American army in France. As among the names of those conspicuous for their spirit of most generous and broad cooperation in the emergency activities of the G.P.A., he desires to mention Major-General H. L. Rogers, Quartermaster-General; Major- General W. C. Langfitt, Chief Engineer; Major-General M. M. Patrick, Chief of Air Service; Brigadier-General Edgar Jadwin, Director of Construction and Forestry; Brigadier- General C. R. Krauthoff, General Sales Agent; Brigadier- General H. E. Wilkins, Chief Purchasing Officer, Q.M.C. (now Chief Quartermaster, Port of New York) ; Brigadier-General Wheeler, Chief Ordnance Officer; Brigadier-General Edward Russell, Chief Signal Officer; Colonel C. McD. Townsend, Chief Purchasing Officer, Engineer Corps; Colonel E. D. Bricker, Chief Purchasing Officer, Ordnance; and Lieutenant- Colonel H. B. Moore, Director Army Transport Service. B: REPORT TO C.G., S.O.S. 33 It was in such special work, which, like his service upon the Military Board of Allied Supply, was not contemplated at the STATEMENT OF APPROXIMATE TRAXS-ATLANTIC SHIP TONNAGE SAVED BY AMERICAN EXPEDITIOXARY FORCE PURCHASES IN EUROPE TO DECEMBER, 1918 Quartermasler Corps: Purchases through Chief Purchasing Officer . Coal Autos and other vehicles purchased by Trans port Dept. later taken over by M.T.S.. . . Horses and mules Fuel wood Charcoal Machine tools (through G.P.A.) Ordnance Department : Purchases through Chief Purchasing Officer (includes orders executed here, prelimi- nary arrangements for which were m.ade with French Government by Chief of Ord- nance at Washington, estimated at loo,- 000 tons) Engineer Corps : Purchases through Chief Purchasing Officer. Purchases through Comite Inter-allie des Bois de Guerre: Lumber and ties Mf 'd fuel wood Lumber and ties through Wood Section (General Purchasing Board) A ir Service Medical Corps : Gen. stores and supplies Hospital trains and mobile hospitals Signal Corps , Chemical War/are Service Motor Transport Corps Total Ship Tonnage on Purchases Locomotives leased from Belgian State Railways Grand Total Ship Tonnage Total 810,717 1,438,27s 132,284 1,401,592 1,546,038 10,279 20,000 5,359,185 514,260 1,729,172 792,469 974,202 213,480 3,709,323 253,503 231,80s 40,250 272,055 30,76s 13.050 11,994 10,164,13s 28,786 10,192,921 French Govern- ment 162,143 1,085,776 618,415 1,866,334 275,361 241,124 316,988 389,681 39,860 987,653 190,000 30,947 8,750 39,697 16, 995 1,697 3,770 3,381,507 England Govern- ment and Commercial 211,750 1,438,27s 98,866 168,240 1,463 1,918,594 167,329 396,000 396,000 18,500 28,978 28,500 57,478 995 4,872 844 2,564,612 Commer- cial other than in England 436,824 33,418 147.576 927.623 8,816 20,000 1.574.257 71.570 1,092,048 475.481 584.521 173,620 2,325,670 4S.003 171,880 3.000 174,880 12,775 6.481 7.380 4,218,016 34 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR time of his appointment to office, that the G.P.A. carried his heaviest burden. Estimate of trans-Atlantic Tonnage saved. From the very- first the office of the G.P.A. thought largely in terms of tonnage to be saved. From the beginning, in constant cooper- ation with the chiefs of the services, it gave every attention to making estimates of tonnage purchased on this side as accurate as possible. The G.PA. believes that the estimates of ton- STATEMENT OF TRANS-ATLANTIC CARGO UNLOADED IN FRANCE AND TRANS- ATLANTIC TONNAGE SAVED BY PURCHASES IN EUROPE TO DECEMBER 31, 191 8 (SHIP TONS) 1917 June July August . . . . September . October. . . November. December . 1918 January. . . February . . March. . . . April May June July August . . . September . October . . . November . December . Trans-Atlantic cargo unloaded in France from first arrival to Dec. 31, 1918 34.578 33,529 39.980 47.732 97,091 129,904 101,737 192,184 189,861 327.020 424,437 538,186 643,139 661,664 740,660 794.037 897,115 901,919 880,637 Trans- A tlantic tonnage saved by A.E.F. pur- chases in Europe to Dec. 31, 1918 7.675,410 273.430 181,427 319.713 294,969 1,041,020 139,338 460,777 346,012 450,129 476,422 985,684 1,575,070 973,787 1,129,094 855,379 690,670 Grand monthly totals 10,192,921 34.578 33,529 39.980 321,162 278,518 449,617 396,706 1,233,204 329,199 787,797 770,449 988,315 1,119,561 1,647,348 2,315,730 1,767,824 2,026,209 1.757,298 1.571,307 17,868,331 CQ 00 On o 2 w u w Q Oh O O oi W CO U X H W ^ U O Oi < o Q W x: 5 ^2 .00 —•OO Co M ^? SI'S :^ Co M §• q «^ N o" O 00 Ok r^ o « a N O fO i^ o u^ O ^0 ^ M t^ -^ O^ r^t^ Q i-^ r* 00 "^ O M o r^ o o 00 o O ^O V? « « •^ Ci ^ lO CO M a r^ OX ^. HjO d o" ^ » SI "^ rn »o M O o ^0 CO « tH Or^ •H to Tt fO M CO ■* f^ 1- "^ lo 11 *^ « -' W M* H O It ooo lO ■^ et ? o . o, o ■ • ■* 1^ rO ■ r^ 't r^ O* 00 M^O r* "^ rO O 6 O w ooo O w 00 ^ li^ VO Tt l-^O 00 1^ O OO" O O "•t OOO M N O'O 00 O t; O H f*7 f*^ vd *d rO M M fO CO -n o o «0 M fO d d^ N »o O (O M MM NO -t II O M w q ^ lo d t^ lO 0» vD -t- d 00 « o W O M oo" O i^ m" d 8 >o oo r^ O i^ o o o CO t^ o ■* O . Oi q 00 d ■ M CO , t30 o o 00 o q q o> f^ o 00 00 O rrt S 6 o o « w O M CO vO O fO fD o *o TfiD 00 rOsO .00 V3 00 CO sO T ^ O O f*^00 ^ o t^ W M r^CO o 88 *o *o lo >o M M 00 r* ^ ■* CO 28 oo lO 00 «^ f*-.00 •* o . •* o oo 1- 00 o o . o 3 P-, la u ••J3 . JO M t, Ox:g > ./, •^ ^ s <« 5 S 3_0 3 J3 w 3 O g.s .Si -I « ^ 3 " O 3 a 3.c^ o 3 u 3 J3 U3 .s.~o G 5^ = .S 3 " ^rn ■ :o :« •^ '■0 -■§•-■?-' U 3 ^^ O >" In 3 [«J3_ L.3Q 3 to -5 :? = ■"-2 ■g S'3. a to ■3 2 .e 1 'i to O ;^ "^ o H _>. M C o 36 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR nage purchased in Europe, as given in the report of Captain Newman attached hereto, are very conservative. In regard to purchases in England, while purchases were consummated by agencies of the British Government for the purpose of securing coordination and protection against excessive prices, the purchasing agents of the independent services, under the supervision of the purchasing agent in England, were very active in searching out supplies which at their instance were secured for the A.E.F. by the British Government. Special acknowledgment is due the British Government for its in- valuable service to the A.E.F. in this connection. The figure used in the introduction to this Report of approximately 10,000,000 ship tons of material procured in Europe up to November 11, 1918, is fixed at that sum based upon the fol- lowing report of tonnage saved up to December 31, 1918. In the period between November 1 1 , the date of the armistice, and December 31, 1918, there were practically no orders placed, the principal activities of the services being directed toward the cancellation of previous orders. Allowance in the estimate of tonnage has been made for cancellations since the armistice. In the judgment of the experts of the G.P.A.'s ofifice, headed by Captain J. J. Newman, the figure of 10,- 000,000 ship tons up to November 11 fairly represents the net tonnage procured. French Cooperation. The splendid cooperation of the French Government in the supply procurement effort of the A.E.F. in France, and the evolution of the machinery for the co- ordination of purchases with the French, demand extended comment. The very statement that the system of coordi- nation was an evolution having its origin in emergency and being without precedent, is only another form of a statement that its processes were at first incomplete and that many unsatisfactory conditions were never wholly removed. The importance of this subject and the magnificent cooperation of the French Government in our supply efforts may as well be emphasized here by the statement that approximately B: REPORT TO C.G., S.O.S. 37 one half of the entire material and supplies used by the A.E.F. from the beginning to the date of the armistice, to wit, about seven million tons, were secured in France. An examination of the history of the French machinery of coordination at- tached to this Report, prepared by Commandant Varaigne, Chairman of the French Mission, will indicate, when read, the difficulties with which the French Government and army had to contend in connection with our requirements, as well as our own difficulties. It will also indicate, when read in connection with this Report, that the system of coordination and cooperation, which was evolved through mutual nego- tiation and effort, was one based upon experience and neces- sity, and not upon theory. From its inception the demands of the A.E.F. for material in France were tremendous and insistent. In the early stages it was necessary for our army to secure an immense amount of material to form the base of the great pyramid of construction and supply facilities which was afterw^ards erected upon it. With the French, as with ourselves, the evolution of the system was not allowed to interfere with every possible effort to expedite the current satisfaction of our needs both from the French Government and in the open market. Considering the pressure of emer- gency under which all acted, the system of protection against exorbitant prices and against loose business methods had a very rapid and steady evolution. It reached a high degree of effectiveness as far back as December, 191 7, when the ma- chinery, on the French side, was provided by the "Office Central des Relations Franco-Americaines." This new office, headed by M. Maurice Ganne, and attached to the Presidency of the Council, had been instituted especially for that pur- pose, and continued its work until May, 1918. During the first sixty days of the operations of the G.P.A. and the G.P.B. the method of securing a greater measure of coordination between our own purchases and the purchases of all our allies both in France and in neutral and other Allied countries were the subject of much consideration by the C.-in-C. and 38 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR the G.PA. in conference. Numerous conferences were had by the G.PA. also with the French and English authorities. The general method for protection against exorbitant prices in France resulted from an early conference between the C.-in-C, General Ragueneau, Chief of the French Mission at G.H.Q., and the G.P.A. Attached to this report are copies of correspondence out- lining the general principles and on very general lines the plan which was agreed upon in this connection. There is at- tached also an extract from a memorandum of a conference between the C.-in-C. and the G.P.A. as further indicating the general situation in a letter which the C.-in-C. forwarded to the chiefs of all the services of the A.E.F. The plan evolved from these conferences and put into practical effect is best stated in its detail in the attached report of its operations prepared by Commandant Varaigne, of the Mission, headed first by M. Ganne, Director of the Office Central, till the end of May, 1918, and then by M. Andre Tardieu, Commissaire General des Affaires de Guerre Franco-Americaines. The acute supply situation in France which resulted in an over- whelming demand for an insufficient supply made the inter- vention of French governmental authority absolutely essen- tial to protection from extortion and grossly exorbitant prices. Upon our purchasing officers rested always a powerful and insistent pressure from the heads of their services charged with the execution of most essential military construction and supply. To the chiefs of the independent services burdened with a well-nigh impossible task, having a direct military purpose, the question of price was properly secondary in their minds. The problem was to prevent the emergency from creating an indifference to price which would result in submission to exorbitant demands unnecessary to accom- plish purchases. It is impossible to estimate the enormous saving and protection afforded by the French Government, due to the Commission headed successively by M. Maurice Ganne and M. Andre Tardieu. The bureau of the Chef de la B: REPORT TO C.G., S.O.S. 39 Mission du Commissariat G^n^ral des Affaires de Guerre Franco-Americaine, attached in liaison to the headquarters of the G.P.A., was composed of men selected because of their excellent qualifications both as to character, energy, and ability. Not only did they assist in every way in the protec- tion of the entire purchasing processes of the A.E.F. from exorbitant prices, but they were invaluable in their efforts to expedite the furnishing of supplies from the French Gov- ernment and to uncover new sources of supply in the open market. The American army and the American nation owe a great debt to the men of this organization and those responsible for its formation. Considering the lack of ship- ping from the United States and the stripped supply con- ditions of France, it was only by the most unusual effort and the greatest devotion to the cause that they accomplished their task. The activities of M. Andre Tardieu, Commissaire General des Affaires de Guerre Franco-Americaines, in the furtherance of practical cooperation as well as of good understanding be- tween the French and American Governments, have been so important and varied that they covered many other fields than the one in which he came into relation with the office of the G.P.A. Immediately upon his return to France from the United States in the spring of 1918, the stimulus of his energetic and able intervention in behalf of the A.E.F. in the supply situa- tion of our army was evidenced in a most practical way. Outside of the rear of the French army, which was controlled by G.H.Q. in the Zone of the Advance, the French Zone of the Rear was controlled by civil authority working along military lines, and was represented by the Ministers of the different departments of the Government. It was at first extremely difficult for the G.P.A. to secure immediate decision of vital supply questions where it involved consultation and agree- ment among several French civilian points of authority. To have a man of the commanding ability of M. Tardieu, in- 40 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR tensely devoted to the common interest of both France and the United States, concerned in the task of coordinating French authority to match the centraHzed military authority of the G.P.A. was of inestimable advantage in the avoidance of delay and misunderstanding. The thanks of our nation are due to M. Andre Tardieu and his earnest advocacy before French civil authority at all times of our supply needs. The G.P.A. cannot leave this subject without referring also to the invaluable service to the French and American Governments of M. Ganne, Delegue General du Commissaire General des Affaires de Guerre Franco-Americaines, a man of indefatiga- ble energy, intense patriotism, and devotion to the common cause. He had upon his shoulders a continual burden of most important tasks. With ceaseless labor and tireless energy he was engaged in the difficult task of assisting the A.E.F. in its supply requirements with a due consideration of the extremely difficult supply situation in which the French Government and army found itself. Like his noble and able assistant. Com- mandant Varaigne, he gave immediate response to every call for help from the American army. It is not too much to say that without the efforts of M. Andre Tardieu, M. Ganne, and Commandant Varaigne, the supply procurement of the A.E.F. could not have been accomplished. When the American army entered France the exigencies of war, accelerating the operation of the rule of the survival of the fittest, had put these men in an influential position in French administration. To them and to their associates, whose names the G.P.A. has not space to mention here, the thanks of the army and nation are due. Whether in the early days we were seeking metal and timber for primary construction, or whether, in the later days in the St. Mihiel and the Argonne-Meuse battles, we were crying for horses to take our artillery into action, for ammunition to fire from our guns, or for camions to transport our troops into action, these men and their associates, with an energy and devotion which knew no limit, found in some way the means to assist us and to enable us to surmount acute crises. B: REPORT TO C.G., S.O.S. 41 The French Mission who secured the governmental approval necessary before we could make any purchases occupied a position of great responsibility not only to the American army, but to the burdened French civilian population and the heroic French army. Our demands were insistent, over- whelming, and critical. Much of what was necessary to put our troops effectively into action had to come from France. France itself was largely stripped of military supplies. Al- most every cession to the American army meant a curtail- ment acutely felt by some portion of the French people and their brave army. The efforts of the French Mission remind us that it was not upon the battle-field alone that Frenchmen and Americans were as brothers in a common effort. British Cooperation. Under the provisions of a General Order the G.P.A. was named as the sole agent for the negotia- tion of supply matters of the A.E.F. with Allied Governments. His activities in this connection began as soon as he was ap- pointed to his position and continued throughout the w^ar. Transportation and aircraft negotiations with the Allied Governments were conducted by other departments and cer- tain other negotiations were conducted by departments in- dependently of the G.P.A. While not, therefore, the sole agent in the negotiation of supply arrangements, he has been the chief agent therein, the majority of all such matters having passed through his hands. As representing the A.E.F. with our allies in these important negotiations, his unique ex- perience fits him to testify to the splendid cooperation of the British Government in the work of the A.E.F. without which its supply efforts might have failed. The G.P.A., therefore, desires to express his appreciation of the cooperation of the military and civil authorities of our great sister nation, Great Britain. The closeness of understanding, the immediate re- sponse to our needs, the thoughtful, constant, and often un- solicited consideration of our necessities on the part of our British allies deserve our national gratitude. In this statement the G.P.A. has not in mind that supreme act of self-sacrifice 42 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR in the common good when the British nation sacrificed its domestic trade in the transport of so large a part of the Ameri- can army to France, which made common victory possible. He is referring to what the British Government and the offi- cials of the British army did in relation to the supply needs of the A.E.F. in France. During the first week of his duties he was called upon by Colonel Harry Maud and his assist- ant, Lieutenant-Colonel G. Davidson, representing General Carter, the Director-General of Forage and Supply of the B.E.F. From that interview — which itself resulted in our securing from English sources over 6(X),0C)0 railroad ties from Portugal, with the saving of tonnage from America in- cident thereto — to the end of the war, there came such ad- dition to the material supplies of our army as justifies the statement that without them our task would have been well-nigh impossible of accomplishment. Over two million tons of material absolutely requisite to the success of Ameri- can effort in France were received by cross-channel shipping, and in the supplying of this our English cousins at the time cut deeply into their own insufficient stocks. During the Argonne-Meuse Battle the G.P.A. was suddenly made di- rectly responsible by the C.-in-C. for our animal supply at the front. Notwithstanding the G.P.A. knew at the time that the British Government was practically at the limit of its resources in artillery horses, it was with no doubt of re- sponse that he sounded the "call of the blood" during those critical days. Marshal Haig, General Sir John Cowans, and General Travers-Clarke all immediately acted. The advice, the services, the materials supplied, and the sympathy and generosity with which the British Government and army endeavored to cooperate with the American army through the office of the G.P.A., were such that it is impossible to at- tempt enumeration, but only, in a report of this kind, to make this wholly inadequate but heartfelt acknowledgment of them. Cooperation of the War Trade Board. It early became evi- COLONEL HARRY MAUD, B.E.F. B: REPORT TO C.G., S.O.S. 43 dent that the possession of raw material by the United States, and the dependence thereon of neutral and Allied countries for their domestic supply, constituted a powerful leverage if properly used by the United States to assist the A.E.F. in securing supplies in Europe. Great difficulty was experienced by the G.P.A. from the first in securing export permits in neutral countries for the shipment of supplies to the American army in France. An early effort was made to secure informa- tion as to what supplies in neutral countries would be of assist- ance to our army and to our allies, the securing of which would be expedited by the cooperation of the State Depart- ment in connection with embargo pressure upon the shipment of raw materials to these countries from the United States. It may be stated generally that while every effort was made from the first by the diplomatic service of the United States to cooperate with the army, the delays incident to action through ordinary diplomatic channels were so great as to be a serious embarrassment. Our diplomatic offices abroad were not organized for the quick transaction of the entirely new business created by the war. The demands of the A.E.F. were imperative, and for a time it seemed as though the army would lose the great assistance in connection with its supply system inherent in the possible use of an exportable American surplus of raw material and food supplies needed by neutral countries. The G.P.A. desires to state here, however, that the above remarks do not apply to the very efficient and always active cooperation of the Honorable William G. Sharp, American Ambassador to France, through whose office, because of his personal juxtaposition to it, the G.P.A. could always secure quick service. A statement was made by the G.P.A., and transmitted by the C.-in-C. to the Allied Governments, looking toward a coordination of effort in the securing of sup- plies from neutral countries, in which it was suggested that the powers of the United States over raw materials were not only valuable when used for the benefit of the American army, .44 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR but could be used in expediting the shipment of supplies to the other AUied countries and armies. Progress, however, was slow until the visit to France of Mr. Vance McCormick, the able Chairman of the War Trade Board, which enabled him to realize the pressing situation and to devise the remedy therefor. Convinced that the demands of the A.E.F. in neutral countries must be met immediately and that the powers of the State Department, if they were to be effective, must be exercised quickly in every instance in order to effect that result, he sent to France, as the representative of the War Trade Board, Mr. George McFadden, who arrived in Febru- ary, 191 8. The work done by the War Trade Board at Wash- ington in conjunction with its representative, Mr. McFadden, in Paris deserves special recognition and remark. The ability, far-sightedness, energy, and courage of Mr. McFadden, thor- oughly supported by the War Trade Board in America, resulted in the creation of a situation by which the State Department could inaugurate immediate economic pressure upon neutral countries where there was a reluctance to permit exportation of supplies to the A.E.F. From the date of Mr. McFadden's arrival the G.P.A. threw open to him the supply requirements of the American army, and he was in constant touch with his office. Early familiarizing himself in detail with our necessities, he showed an initiative and intelligence in cooperation in our purposes which brought about a sur- prising change in the attitude of neutral Governments toward our requests for export permits. During the progress of the Argonne-Meuse Battle, as an instance of the quick action of the State Department through the War Trade Board and Mr. McFadden, arrangements for export permits for animals from Spain needed to take our artillery into action were effected in a few days where formerly weeks would have been consumed. The coordination of the diplomatic service w^hich the War Trade Board and its representative, Mr. McFadden, secured and the practical results of his contact and coopera- tion with the A.E.F., will, in the judgment of the G.P.A. , B: REPORT TO C.G., S.O.S. 45 constitute hereafter one of the brilliant chapters in the history of American business diplomacy. His work in connection with our supply requirements from Switzerland was especially note- worthy. Grateful acknowledgment is made by the G.P.A. of the immense assistance to his office of the War Trade Board at Washington and Mr. McFadden, its representati\'e, in France. Coordination of French, English, and American Purchases in Neutral Countries. Under the direction of the C.-in-C. the G.P.A. took the initiative in endeavoring to establish closer coordination of the French, English, and American purchasing officers in neutral countries. While the form of the arrange- ments for coordination betu^een the three allies which were afterward made in the neutral countries varied, the general principles outlined in the attached letter of the G.P.A. on this subject, dated October 19, 1917, to which reference is made, were carried out: Paris, October 31, 19 17 From: The Commander-in-Chief. To: General Ragueneau, Chairman of French Mission with the American army. I. The attached suggestions as to plan and general princi- ples which should govern the Allies in consummating an arrangement for the centralization and coordination of Con- tinental purchases for all commodities have been drawn by the General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F., in conference with me. The plan suggested has my approval as a tentative proposi- tion to be discussed between the representatives of the French and English Governments and of the American Expeditionary Forces. JoHx\ J. Pershing General Paris, October 19, 1917 Suggestions as to plan and general principles which should govern the Allies in consummating the arrangement for the centralization of Continental purchases for all commodities. This paper represents in general the attitude of the American 46 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR Expeditionary Force and is submitted for the purpose of comment by the French and British authorities. I. It is suggested that in Spain, Italy, and Switzerland all purchases for the Allied forces in France, England, and the United States be made by a single board in each country upon which are representatives of the three armies, each speaking for all the branches of his respective service. Pend- ing the procuring of authority, necessary under their system of administration, for one individual each to represent the French and English armies, as has been provided in the case of the American army, these purchasing boards may consist of a larger number with due regard for equal representation and authority for the three armies. Provision for the Italian rep- resentation is to be made as soon as the Italian authorities can be consulted. II. An inter-Allied board consisting of a representative of the French, English, and American armies at Paris should determine the question of the distribution of purchases made on joint account for the three armies. III. No agreement need be entered into for the permanent existence of these boards, so that any Government by with- drawing can restore the status quo. The great advantages, however, of coordination and the relief from an intolerable condition of competition afforded by them will result practi- cally in their continuous existence. This consideration should remove any possible hesitation in connection with their im- mediate formation. IV. The American Expeditionary Force recognizes that in Continental purchases the needs of the French army and population should have first consideration. The Continental countries adjoining France are naturally tributary to the French army and French population. The undue diversion of supplies from those countries to the British and American Expeditionary Forces might involve France in domestic and civil embarrassments resulting in a serious lessening of mili- tary' effectiveness and injury to the common cause. V. The United States, by reason of its control of certain sources of supply, notably cotton, is in a position through negotiations as to embargo to increase the available sources of general supply for the Allies from Spain and Switzerland. These boards should be in existence now as a means of aiding with information the American Ambassadors to France, Spain, and Switzerland in making representations to the B: REPORT TO C.G., S.O.S. 47 State Department as to the position they deem advisable for the United States to take in connection with embargo con- cessions. The commanding position of England in connection with ocean tonnage, coal, and other important supplies for the French and American Expeditionary Force makes spe- cially important to her the common information which will be derived through the operation of such boards and which will be of value as bearing upon questions which are arising and will continue to increasingly arise in connection with the use of inter-Allied tonnage. Charles G. Dawes Lieutenant- Colonel, Engineers General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. Origin of Finance Office of the A.E.F. To enable it to make arrangements for funds in Europe to provide for the payment of the expenses and supplies of the A.E.F., the representatives of the Treasury Department from time to time submitted requests for an estimate of the future financial requirements of our army. The system of army accounts by separate serv- ices, with their inevitable differences in methods, the lack of a central financial organization of the army with an authority and machinery necessary to make such statements, and the constantly changing situation in the requirements of the army made it extremely difficult to give the Treasury Department accurate information. These requests of the Treasury De- partment upon the army were referred to the office of the G.P.A., and it endeavored without machinery and without authority, relying upon the general desire of cooperation upon the part of the chiefs of the different services, to render what assistance in this connection was possible under the cir- cumstances. Lieutenant-Colonel Cutcheon was very active in this work, and he and Lieutenant-Colonel Jay were leaders in devising the methods for bettering the system. It was the lack of such an organization properly organized and with sufficient personnel to handle the situation which led Edward R. Stettinius, Special Representative of the Secretary of War, who gave invaluable cooperation in this connection, and the 48 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR G.P.A. to recommend the formation of a Financial Section of the General Stafif which would coordinate and collect the financial requirements of the army, coordinate and simplify the methods of accounting in the separate services, and pro- vide a central agency for their proper presentation to the Treasury Department. In this connection and as part of the demobilization of his office as the war ended the G.PA. recommended the transfer of the Board of Contracts and Adjustments and the Bureau of Accounts, both of which had been built up in his office, to the jurisdiction of the Chief Finance Officer provided for by the order establishing the Finance Section of the army. The difficulties, however, under any circumstances during our military activities, of making' an accurate forecast of financial requirements extending over any period of time are self-evident. The large organization of the G.P.A. and G.P.B. was constantly in search of supplies in Europe, on account of insufficient tonnage from America. Sources of supply which could not be foreseen were constantly discovered, which could not have formed the basis for an estimate of future financial necessities. Additions to, and curtailments of, programmes, due to the military changes at the front and the general situation in the Allied armies, the changing degree of availability for our use of the sur- plus stocks of other armies and Governments, all combined to make any system of estimate either of forward material or of financial requirements difficult. However crude the system as devised a considerable advance was made in this connection. Principles of Army Supply and Purchase. The experience of the A.E.F. should here be cited as bearing upon various propositions which have been made for the abolition of the system of army supply acquirement through separate serv- ices. The G.P.A. desires to state that he believes that a central control of the situation, through a system providing for purchase by category and interchange of stocks between the services, can be made effective so as to secure the benefits of centralization without interfering unduly with that inde- B: REPORT TO C.G., S.O.S. 49 pendent and continuous functioning of the separate supply services of the army absolutely essential in time of war to securing the maximum results. It must be remembered, how- ever, that this is simply a statement of principle. It must not be inferred from it that the present laws governing army pur- chase and supply do not need extensive change if proper prin- ciples of army supply are carried out. There should be a re- moval by legislation to some extent of the barriers between the different services in the matter of common stocks, so that the army may think in terms of one army and not in the terms of eight watertight compartments. The central authority must determine, for instance, whether a dearth of certain material in the Ordnance Department and a surplus of the same material in the Engineer Department makes advisable the transfer of a portion of Engineer stock to Ordnance stock. Again the power of purchase by category should be made more definite. Under the present law the independence of the separate ser\'ices Is too rigidly established and only the great emergency of war and the cooperation of a strong C.-in-C. and CO., S.O.S. , with the G.P.A. could have produced in the A.E.F. any degree of central coordination and control. The G.P.A. will not seek to outline the changes of legisla- tion desirable so to modify the present system as best to carry out the proper principles of army purchase and supply, but because of the great importance of the subject desires to incorporate here a memorandum which he prepared with much care and sent to you when you were Chief of Staff. You placed this upon the War Diary of the A.E.F. as being in agreement with your own views. Principles of Army Purchase and Supply as suggested by Ex- perience of American Expeditionary Force in France (Dictated Feb. 23, 1918, and carefully revised March 6, 1918. For insertion in War Diary of American Expeditionary Force.) War is the oldest occupation of mankind, and the system of organization for war has been the result of evolution for the longest period of any collective human activity. Therefore, 50 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR what seems to be in military organization an anachronism must always be considered as to whether our regarding it in that light is due to the different functioning of an army organ- ization in times of peace as compared with a time of war. The current criticism of army organization is based largely upon the assumption that it ignores certain fundamental principles of normal business organization, which should be applied to the business system of an army notwithstanding the ultimate purpose of an army's existence is military, as distinguished from business, success. The conventional view of the army purchase and supply system, held by the non-militai-y business man, is that the system of independent departmental pur- chase is a failure, because, while it is susceptible to an out- side coordinating control, this control is not accomplished, as in normal business organization, by a complete centraliza- tion of purchase and supply through one agency acting for the army as a whole. The argument of the business man is that if ail purchasing and supply activities were centralized in one distinct army department, created to supply all other branches of the service, there would be obviated competi- tion among the various departments, piecemeal and wasteful purchases, loose methods, insufficient estimation of forward collective needs, and many other objections now incident to some extent to the present system. It is contended that the needs of an army and their satisfaction will be better ascer- tained and accomplished by a central body, having always the bird's-eye view of the situation, and that equally satisfactory results will not be incident to any method of central control reached through a coordination of independent agencies. It was with this belief that I took up my duties as General Pur- chasing Agent of the American Expeditionary Force, under a new system of central control devised personally by General Pershing against the advice of a reporting army board to whom the subject had been first referred. This report attached hereto, with the comments of General Pershing thereon, in- dicates clearly the legal limitations under which he acted, his entire perception of the business and military principles in- volved, and the final plan he placed in operation as the best solution possible, in his judgment, under existing law, of the problem of reconciling the existing army and supply system with the fundamental principles of normal business organiza- tion without jeopardizing its efficiency from the military standpoint in time of actual war. B: REPORT TO C.G., S.O.S. 51 I wish I could claim a share in the conception of this plan, but the General had worked it out fully before I arrived at his Headquarters and only selected me to put it into effect, and as General Purchasing Agent, American Expeditionary Force, and Chairman, to assemble the General Purchasing Board and direct its operations. My idea, as that of many other business men, had been that the laws of the United States which so jealously guarded the independent right of purchase and supply in departments of the service, was on our statute books as a result of a lack of business knowledge and foresight on the part of legislators, instead of its being, as it is, the logical, legitimate, and necessary evolution of thou- sands of years of actual military experience. Now, after six months in time of war, in a peculiar position relative to army purchase and supply activities such as does not exist in the British, French, or other army, so far as I know, I am pre- pared to say that any change in legislation or War Depart- ment regulation designed to bring the organization of army purchase and supply more nearly into accord with the prin- ciples of modern business organization, should provide an agency of supervising coordination, which, while it will per- mit the application of rigid business principles under normal conditions, will not take away from independent depart- ments the right of purchase and supply especially during the time of actual military activity, the preservation of such independent powers being absolutely essential at times to military success, which, of course, is the ultimate object of the whole system. The statement is frequently made that the business or- ganization of an army is the same in its purposes as the busi- ness organization of any great corporation. This is misleading The chief purpose of the organization of successful businesy is the creation of wealth ; the chief purpose of the organization of any army is the destruction of enemy life and wealth. The prime consideration in the establishment in normal business organization of central control of purchase is the surrounding of purchasing activity with checks and balances compelling due consideration of every purchase from the standpoint of its relation to a prospective profit — in other words, to com- pel the deliberate application to every transaction of the test as to whether, if consummated, financial profit or some- thing related to it will, immediately or ultimately, be the re- sult. The first purpose of the army business organization in 52 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR time of war is the securing of necessary military supplies ir- respective of any question of financial profit, yet as cheaply and expeditiously as possible without prejudice to military effectiveness. If the application of all the principles of normal business organization would mean the failure of supply in military emergency, business principles, in the last analysis, must yield, wherever necessary, to military emergency. The principles, however, of normal business as affecting army busi- ness organization can be made to apply through a coordi- nating system as we have done in the American Expeditionary Force, where these principles are applied to any army pur- chase or supply transaction not involving a preponderating military necessity. I cannot emphasize too strongly that for the preservation of a requisite system of supply for any army in action, the feeling of responsibility on the part of a supply procuring agent must be first to the ofhcers needing the sup- ply. From my experience with the field system of army sup- ply and purchase in this war, the only reason I can imagine why anybody suggests the contrary' is because a large portion of the supplies of our army is being collected by the War De- partment in a country of large resources which, when col- lected, are shipped from America to the army in France. Business principles for obvious reasons can be given a wider application by the War Department in the United States than it is possible to give to the purchase and supply organiza- tion of any army in the field. In the business organization of an army in the field, nothing must prevent the immediate application of the greatest possible pressure, directly from the point of military and emergency need, upon an agent of purchase and supply directly responsible to it. Therefore, the central business control of purchase and supply activities of an army in the field, while operating in all normal cases, must not interfere with a perfect device for the operation of a collateral independent system controlled by military necessity. Only in this way can all the needs of an army in time of action be properly met. Let us assume for purpose of illustration that the Ameri- can Expeditionary Force in France, at a time when military operations are under way, had an existing central purchase and supply organization for all departments of the army without there being in existence machinery for independent collection of supplies. To that central organization would come a series of demands which we might epitomize as follows: LIEUTENANT-COLONEL G. DAVIDSON, B.E.F. B: REPORT TO C.G., S.O.S. 53 From "A" on the line, two thousand blankets by night-time which if not supplied meant that soldiers would perish by ex- posure; from "B," one thousand shells for an expected attack the next day; from "C," one thousand cots for wounded soldiers lying on the floors of hospitals; from "D," certain medicines and surgical apparatus with available supplies en- tirely inadequate and wounded still coming in; from "E," food for men who had been without it for two days. The central organization, in transmitting to its purchasing and collecting agents these demands, would use an emphatic tone of voice, but that tone of voice would not be the same, nor in- terpreted by the agent in the same way, as the voice of each officer responsible for the situation at each point of necessity speaking to a man directly responsible to him, and located at a point of possible supply. If a demand came for timber to build a bridge necessary to carry 100,000 troops across a stream for reinforcement of a sorely pressed army corps, questions of the price to be paid, or the manner in which it was to be secured, would not, advantageously, be first referred to a central agency for consideration of the business bearings of the transaction. It is no reply, in such a situation, to maintain that an emergency supply and purchase organiza- tion can be created for use in times of war which can function when and where it would be impossible for the central organi- zation to do so. A purchase and supply machine, to function well, must function continuously. In this war the use of troops in restricted localities, the transportation to masses of stationary troops of large shipments of supplies, the fact that the different units of the army, as a rule, are not separated by long distances or isolated by lack of railroad or other means of communication, all make more plausible the demand for the abolition of the great army system of independent depart- mental supply and purchase. But if any other system is put in its place which does not recognize that the first responsi- bility of the supply and purchase agent must be directly to the responsible officer nearest the point of necessity, the system in time of military emergency will fail ; and the whole object of the military system is not to fail in time of war. In order to give our army organization in France the benefit as iar as possible of all the admirable safeguards and advantages of normal business organization, and yet not destroy that which is above all things important, the system, which, ir- respective of business considerations, supplies most quickly 54 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR articles at the point of use during military operations, Gen- eral Pershing originated the idea of the General Purchasing Board, American Expeditionary Force, which, while operating under some disadvantages, has applied to the purchase of army supplies in France the safeguards of normal business. It has insured collective purchasing, prevention of competition, and coordination of effort without interfering with a principle firmly established in legislation and military procedure as a result of thousands of years of evolution. If nothing is added to the foregoing, it may seem to over- emphasize the relative importance of independent agencies of a controlling central system, which must function with it. In the American Expeditionary Force certain large conceded and evolved powers of central control, arising out of the ex- igencies of war and confirmed by the Commander-in-Chief, are being exercised by the General Purchasing Agent, which powers are in effect direct and not negative. It is these direct powers, not used to impede, but to regulate, expedite, and widen the action of collateral agencies, which are largely re- sponsible for what results have been accomplished through the organization of the General Purchasing Board. That the lessons in army supply and purchase taught by this war will find their future legislative interpretation and expression, there is little question. It will be difficult legisla- tion to frame; for unfortunately it cannot be assumed that in the administration of the system in time of peace, it will be characterized by the high degree of cooperation and disposi- tion to subordinate individual interest, which exists among the officers of a military force in active operation, welded to- gether by the powerful pressure of military emergency, by strong leadership, and the sacredness of the cause of their common effort. But even though it may not as yet be possible to frame a law recognizing the principles upheld herein, with- out creating some field for bureaucratic dissensions in time of peace, yet such a law in time of war will afford the competent leadership, which always develops on such an occasion, its proper engine of highest effectiveness. Charles G. Dawes Colonel, Engineers, N.A. Chairman, G.P.B., G.P.A., A.E.F. Conclusion. The activities of the G.P.B. and the G.P.A. not only in the line of coordination, but because of the B: REPORT TO C.G., S.O.S. 55 machinery created to supplement the activities of the inde- pendent services in searching out and accumulating supplies in Europe, became such an indispensable element in the accom- plishments of the American army that the documents cover- ing General Pershing's original conception, including his comments on the same, are attached hereto as an indispensa- ble part of this Report. It will be noted from these documents that the board of officers convened to consider General Per- shing's suggestions recommended against their adoption and that the General then set aside the report of these officers and pointed out their misconception of his idea in the following words : Paris, August 4, 1917 Memorandum for the A djutant-General : With reference to the proceedings of the board of officers convened to establish a purchasing bureau, the board ac- cepted too literally the wording of the order. The idea in mind was to create a central board consisting of an officer representing each Staff Department which pur- chases material and that this board would have a head and be able to coordinate purchases, which would actually be made by an officer of the Staff Department itself. It was not the intention to create a purchasing board in London or Paris, such as we had in New York for the Panama Canal. In other words, it may be said that this committee would be simply a coordinating board. There are many purchases being made by the Red Cross and the Y.M.C.A. in France, in some instances probably in competition with our Staff Departments and with each other. They should also be brought under some sort of control. The board in question need not be composed of officers exclusively on that duty, but could meet occasionally for mutual dis- cussion. To A.G. for file. J. J. P. The G.O. 23, Hq., A.E.F., 1917, establishing the Board was issued by General Pershing on August 20, 191 7. On August 29, 191 7, I arrived in Paris from St. Nazaire where I had been stationed with my regiment, and after a conference, the C.-in-C. appointed the personnel of the G.P.B. on August 30, 56 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR making me the Chairman and also the G.P.A. of the A.E.F. The G.P.B. and the position of the G.P.A. accordingly have been peculiarly the conception of the C.-in-C, designed by him to meet what he recognized as an overwhelming necessity in the matter of supply procurement as well as the coordina- tion of purchases. From that time until the end of the war, he gave it unre- mitting personal attention and support. The relation of ton- nage to success was ever uppermost in his mind. Without the great power constantly exercised by the C.-in-C. in assisting the G.P.A. in his work of coordinating independent mihtary authority in our army, as well as in the relation of our army to the other armies and Governments, the accomplishments of the Board and the G.P.A. would have been impossible. The C.-in-C. did not regard it as beyond his dignity to come many times from Chaumont and elsewhere to Paris to assist the G.P.A. in supply negotiations with our allies and the difficult task of coordinating our own separate services. When con- tinuing battle occupied him at the front he still maintained his touch with our activities, and the G.P.A, would meet him there. The quick perception upon his part of the exigencies of the supply situation, the origination of the plan to deal with it, and his constant powerful intervention in carrying it out must stand in history as the chief cause of the substantial results obtained. In the beginning of the operations of the G.P.A. and the G.P.B. you [Major-General James G. Har- bord] were the Chief of Staff and so continued from the be- ginning in June, 1917, to May, 1918. While this Report is made to you as C.G., S.O.S., under whose command from July 29, 1918, the G.P.B. and G.P.A. have functioned, the G.P.A. desires to acknowledge the debt which his organiza- tion and himself owes to your constant cooperation and far- sightedness, not only when acting as C.G., S.O.S., but as the former Chief of Staff. What is said here of the attitude of the C.-in-C. toward this organization applies also to yourself, not only when Chief of Staff, but when, after your brilliant B: REPORT TO C.G., S.O.S. 57 service in command of the Marine Brigade at Belleau Wood and the Second Division in the Soissons offensive, you came into your present place of heavy responsibility and therefore directly responsible to the C.-in-C. for the activities of this organization. No written words are necessary to impress upon your mind the debt of gratitude which the G.P.A. feels to- ward you, but he cannot refrain from referring to the firm friendship which has sprung up between us during many try- ing experiences. When the S.O.S. was organized in March, 1918, and the Administrative Staff of the C.-in-C, of which I was a member, was placed under the direction of Major- General Kernan, the first C.G., S.O.S., he gave to me the same confidence and cooperation which had existed in my relations to the C.-in-C. and to yourself as Chief of Staff. Without the unlimited support of higher authority this emergency organization, superimposed upon the regular army organization, could not even have existed, much less have succeeded. The chiefs of the services were bending under the load of a terrible task. They were charged in duty and by order with the accomplishment of it. Their work and the fulfillment of duty at times must be checked and the success of their individual task placed even in jeopardy, by the au- thority of this central agency charged with the duty of com- pelling subordination of the needs of a unit to the greater necessity of the entire army of which the unit was a part. Had the attitude of General Kernan been different from that of yourself and the C.-in-C. in any regard, the wide coordi- nating power created in the G.P.A. could not have survived. So far from being lessened, these powers, under the same wise and helpful attitude which characterized his successful ad- ministration of the entire S.O.S., were, if anything, increased by General Kernan. As my former commanding officer I desire to express the gratitude and admiration which my organization and myself feel toward him. The fact that there existed this continued confidence of higher authority in the G.P.A. and the G.P.B., which higher authority was known by 58 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR the chiefs of the independent services to be in a position to realize the needs of the common situation, made it easier for them to accept in good spirit the orders for coordination necessitated by a common purpose which were often at the great expense of programmes originally authorized and im- posed upon them. The almost entire absence of friction experienced by the G.PA. in his relation with the chiefs of the services is not alone attributable to the patriotism and intelligence of these strong men, but as well because at all times they felt that the G.PA. was not only expressing in his orders your authority and that of the C.-in-C, but what was in effect your best judgment in a position where you could determine the relative importance of the execution of the different programmes of requirements. It would have been too much to expect that there were not radical differences of opinion at times in connection with the satisfaction of rela- tive needs, and as to the necessity for sacrifice by the sepa- rate services made necessary by the policy of coordination. While in the military organization it is not necessary to argue with lesser authority in case speedy action is necessary, it was the policy of the G.P.A., as it has been the policy of yourself and the C.-in-C, to explain in detail wherever possi- ble the reason for the exercise of arbitrary authority. As a result a mutual confidence sprang up between the chiefs of the services and the G.P.A. and a spirit of cooperation under the great emergency in which all were placed, which, while it had its beginning in arbitrary authority, had its ending in a condition in w^hich it might almost be said that mutual con- sent predominated over authority. In proportion to the time officers of the A.E.F. remained in France, the appreciation of the fact increased that the war was essentially an inter-Allied war and not the war of any one army by itself. The immediate perception of the C.-in C. of this fact, and the inauguration by him of a policy based upon it on the day he entered France, is largely responsible for the success of the A.E.F. in all its supply and miUtary operations. B: REPORT TO C.G., S.O.S, 59 At the first meeting of the G.P.B., the G.P.A., its Chair- man, made the statement that it was not, except as he might determine, a deliberative body — that its organization was military and that it would act as ordered, and not as it might decide. The reasons for this were obvious and were stated. The independent services were overtaxed, handicapped by insufficient personnel and confronted by continuous and insistent demands for immediate supplies to enable the construction and other work of the American army to pro- ceed. In the work of coordination as a rule only two or three of the eight separate departments of the A.E.F. would be con- cerned in one transaction. To consume the time of the whole Board in the discussion of those questions which affected but two or three departments of it would have been imprac- ticable. Again, under the military organization, "town- meeting" discussions of necessities and plans have not been found practicable or effective. At a later date, in purchases under category' and in the settlement of any other question in which each department had an interest, the Board was used for deliberative purposes. In ending, the G.P.A. desires to express his appreciation of a number of his co-workers. It was under the leadership of Lieutenant-Colonel N. D. Jay, Q.M.C., who was for so long the Assistant G.P.A. of the A.E.F., that the system of purchases by category was worked out. To his able hands was also entrusted the general super- vision of the purchasing agents of the G.P.x'\.'s organization in Allied and neutral countries. His services were invaluable. His tact and amiability, combined with firmness, resulted in his representing the G.P.A. as principal in many important negotiations. As the direct representative of the G.P.A. his constructive and useful authority found expression in a con- stantly improving state of efficiency on the part of all bureaus and departments of this organization. Throughout the most difficult periods of the war the G.P.A. found in Lieutenant-Colonel F. E. Drake, Engineers, a con- 6o JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR stant source of constructive suggestion, untiring energy, and successful administration. Possessed both of imagination and practical business ability, with a wide range of knowledge of business conditions in Europe, his career with the G.P.A. was a most creditable and useful one, for which the G.P.A. desires to make special acknowledgment. To Lieutenant-Colonel J. C. Roop, Engineers, the present Assistant G.PA., who was a former comrade of the G.P.A. 's as a First Lieutenant in the 17th Engineers (Railway), and whose invaluable services and high abilities have won him his successive promotions, the G.P.A. desires to. express his ap- preciation and gratitude. No one in the whole organization has had a better grasp of its principles or has been more useful in putting them into practical effect. His great competency led the G.P.A. for a time to use him on his Staff when the G.P.A. became the member of the M.B.A.S. representing the American army. From the beginning to the present. Colonel Roop has been a main dependence of the G.P.A. Major George S. Ballard, Q.M.C., the Adjutant of the office, rendered most valuable service throughout almost the entire period of its existence. Associated with the office for the first few months as his first assistant. Captain T. E. Grafton rendered to the G.P.A. invaluable service. The G.P.A. benefited greatly by his con- structive suggestions, and much of the firm foundation plan of his office was built by Captain Grafton. His fine abilities and service in this connection demand this special recognition. The G.P.A. desires to commend the unusual work done by Captain R. H. Cabell. Captain Cabell's wide business ex- perience in Europe, his executive capacity, and great energy were brought more and more into requisition by the G.P.A. as the business of his office grew. Working in close liaison with Lieutenant-Colonel Jay many very important matters and negotiations were conducted by him. The work of Captain C. E. Carpenter, Q.M.C., as head of the Metal Control Bureau, as well as his work in connection B: REPORT TO C.G., S.O.S. 6i with the general affairs of the office, deserves also special notice and commendation. The long business experience of Captain Carpenter, his acquaintance in France, and his thorough knowledge of the metal situation especially quali- fied him for his very important work, the success of which de- pended so largely upon amicable cooperation with the repre- sentatives of the French Government. The Chief Disbursing Officer, A.E.F., Colonel C. E. Stanton, Q.M.C., came to France with General Pershing, and from that time to November i, 191 7, was the only Quartermaster Dis- bursing Officer to make actual disbursements in France. Dur- ing that time he paid all troops and all Quartermaster bills, amounting to about $13,500,000 and negotiated the first official rate of exchange of francs 5.70 per $1.00, which re- mained in effect from January, 1917, to September i, igi8. The tables of distances upon which mileage is paid for travel in France were also prepared in his office. Colonel Stanton, while not a purchasing ofiicer, was nevertheless a member of the General Purchasing Board and gave most valuable as- sistance to the Board in determining what could be done in the way of financial arrangements in connection with the pro- curement of supplies. In many cases where urgent require- ments were not specifically covered by appropriations. Colonel Stanton made transfers of money on memorandum receipts, on some of which there were many months of negotiation before he could clear such accounts. The service of Colonel Stanton on the G.P.B. was from the beginning to the end. Without a man of his courage and sound business judgment in his most important office of Chief Disbursing Officer, A.E.F., it would have been practically impossible for many depart- ments of the army to have secured the means with which to function. A man of narrow mind or one fearful of the official consequences of honest error made in the common effort, would have created a block upon activities vital to success. The G.P.A. cannot over-emphasize the importance of the work of Colonel Stanton in the matter of courageous and quick 62 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR decision where emergency payments of money were required. While as a member of the G.P.B. he was not directly concerned with the tonnage-saving effort, nevertheless his presence upon the Board gave him full information as to the acute situations constantly confronting the purchasing officers. He thus gained such a conception of the supply emergency resting upon the A.E.F. as enabled him to render a degree of cooperation otherwise impossible. The G.P.A. de- sires here to state that the functioning of several of his bureaus, notably the Labor Bureau, could not have success- fully proceeded had not a man of the high ability and courage of Colonel Stanton occupied the position of Chief Disbursing Officer of the A.E.F. During the first six months of the organization of the G.P.B., Colonel James A. Logan, Jr., was Assistant Chief of Staff, G-i, General Headquarters, which Staff section was concerned in the matter of tonnage and shipment priorities from the United States. Being thus in first contact with the shortage of shipping, the mind of Colonel Logan turned naturally to efforts to create and expedite all methods by which the A.E.F. could be supplied in France and tonnage saved across the Atlantic. The G.P.A. was frequently in re- ceipt of suggestions from this able and resourceful officer, and in many cases Colonel Logan himself originated and fol- lowed up plans which resulted in the saving of heavy tonnage. Particularly was this true in connection with the horse supply of the A.E.F. During the time that Colonel Logan was As- sistant Chief of Staff, G-i, his great ability, his kindliness of spirit, and consideration shown this organization make this inadequate recognition of them in this Report a matter of first duty. Brigadier-General Harry E. Wilkins, Chief Purchasing Officer, Q.M.C., was one of the charter members of the G.P.B. with whom the G.P.A. was closely associated in the early and trying days of the formation of the Board. His great energy and ability in supply procurement and kindness t COLONEL JAMES A. LOGAN Assistant Chief of Staff, G-i, General Headquarters B: REPORT TO C.G., S.O.S. 63 and consideration in the treatment of his colleagues will ever be remembered. Brigadier-General C. R. Krauthoff, Q.M.C., is an officer whose cooperation, constructive suggestions, and sympathy with the efforts of the G.P.A. to establish the general coordi- nating and business system in the A.E.F., demand acknowl- edgment. The long, successful, and honorable career of this officer in the army had given him an experience which made his advice and guidance invaluable. Colonel T. H. Jackson, Chief Purchasing Officer, Engineer Corps, was one of the charter members of the G.P.B. The wonderful energy, ability, and success of Colonel Jackson in the procurement of immense amounts of engineer material at a period when the construction requirements of the A.E.F. were at their most acute crisis entitle him to the gratitude of every American. Colonel E. D. Bricker, Chief Purchasing Officer, Ordnance, was recommended by the G.P.A. as his probable successor at a time when the duties of the G.P.A. as a member of the Military Board of Allied Supply seemed likely to demand his entire time. The business ability, energy, and talent for or- ganization of Colonel E. D. Bricker demand special mention. Colonel C. McD. Townsend, Chief Purchasing Officer, Engineer Corps, an officer of great experience and high pro- fessional and military standing, succeeded Colonel Jackson as a member of the G.P.B. The breadth of view and sound judgment of Colonel Townsend in this important place made him an invaluable cooperator with the G.P.A., who conducted the important activities of the Labor Bureau largely through the financial machinery of Colonel Townsend's office with his cooperation. Among those deserving special mention are the purchasing agents in other Allied and neutral countries as follows: Purchasing Agent for Great Britain: Captain, Major J. E. Dunning; succeeded by Lieutenant-Colonel H. M. Byllesby; succeeded by 64 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR Brigadier-General C. R. Krauthoff; succeeded by Captain W. D. Cramp ton. Purchasing Agent for Spain : Captain E. L. Sanborn ; succeeded by Captain Aug. de Zavala. Purchasing Agent for Switzerland : Mr. Harold F. McCormick; succeeded by Captain D. F. McPherson; succeeded by Captain J. C. Sims. Purchasing Agent for Italy: Captain J. C. Mechem; succeeded by Captain E. S. Cook. Purchasing Agent for Portugal: Captain W. W. Dyar. Major Philip M, Lydig was the American liaison officer between the G.P.A. and the G.P.B. of the A.E.F. and Con- troleur Peria of the French Treasury. In this connection I quote from a letter from General Alembert of the French army. On this occasion I desire to call your attention to the more and more important role taken by the liaison officers of the American army in their collaboration with our services. I am happy to express to you in particular to what degree I appreciate the useful help of Major Philip M. Lydig given for the Service Franco-Americain of the Direction du Controle. To any one coming in contact with his office from its be- ginning to its end and meeting Lieutenant Francis J. Kil- kenny, Q.M.C., and Lieutenant Dalton H. Mulloney, En- gineers, words of appreciation for their energy, tact, kindness, and efficiency would be superfluous. They have served the G.P.A. in many responsible capacities with untiring faith- fulness and efficiency and in this appreciation of them he speaks for his entire organization. Charles G. Dawes Brigadier-General, Engineers APPENDIX C DAILY REPORTS OF THE GENERAL PURCHASING AGENT TO COMMANDING GENERAL, SERVICE OF SUPPLY AMERICAN EXPEDITIONARY FORCES March-December, 191 8 APPENDIX C Headquarters, Service of the Rear March 9, 1918 From : C. of S. To: G.P.A. Subject : Report of operations. I. The C.G. would like to have you submit to these Head- quarters daily a short statement of your principal operations of the preceding day. The purpose of this is to keep these Headquarters in better touch with your work. 2. In order to get the matter started, however, your first statement should be somewhat longer than the subsequent ones and should include a description of the main topics which you now have under consideration and their present state of accomplishment. Subsequently a single page or a couple of pages of letter-sized paper should be sufficient to include the character of the report desired. Johnson Hagood March 11, 1918 From: The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. To: Colonel Johnson Hagood, Chief of Staff, S.O.R. Answering your letter of March q, asking for a short state- ment of the principal operations of the preceding day, I am assuming this order means what it says and that it refers to the activities of the General Purchasing Agent. It would be manifestly difficult to take up the operations of the different bureaus operating under the General Purchasing Agent in detail and I will assume that what the Commanding General desires is a bird's-eye view of our operations. The way I have attempted to do this in the past, and shall continue to do, is on important matters to send correspondence to the Com- 70 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR and the consideration of the expediting of shipments of Span- ish and Swiss supphes and the securing of export permits for the same. Charles G. Dawes Colonel, Engineers, N.A. March 13, 1918 From: The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. To: The Commanding General, Service of Supply. The following is a report of my activities on March 12: 1. Conference with General Langfitt. 2. Discussion with all officers now in Paris connected with the Labor Bureau as to method of procedure. 3. Conference with representative of War Trade Board relative to export permits from Switzerland and cooperation of War Trade Board in securing supplies. 4. Conference with Commander-in-Chief on matter of securing an allotment of labor from the B.E.F. I have now four points of pressure in this situation: (a) Northcliffe Mis- sion, which is taking matter up with British Government, which in turn is taking matter up with French Government, reinforced by letter from Commander-in-Chief to North- cliffe ; (b) negotiations through Brigadier-General Carter and Colonel Maud with General Forbes and General Clarke directly in charge of civilian labor for B.E.F. ; (c) negotiations with Sir Charles Ellis, British Minister of Munitions at Ver- sailles, who has taken the matter up with Versailles Council and promises cooperation; (d) agreement of Commander-in- Chief that when on his present tour of inspection with Secretary of War he will after ascertaining the situation from General Forbes at G.H.Q., B.E.F., make personal request of General Haig for British labor. Am making request for allot- ment five to ten thousand civilian labor at present employed by British. 5. Conference with the Commander-in-Chief and Major Perkins, head of the Red Cross, resulting in orders asked by C: DAILY REPORTS 71 wire detailing Captain F. W. M. Cutcheon to present request for thirty thousand militarized laborers for A.E.F. to Italian Government. 6. Started investigation of merits of powdered milk, a sub- stitute for milk, which can be obtained in Switzerland. 7. Another boatload of ties shipped from Spain. Charles G. Dawes Colonel, Engineers, N.A. March 14, 19 18 From: The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. To: The Commanding General, Service of Supply. The following is a report of my activities on March 13: I. In conference with Mr. George McFadden, representa- tive of the War Trade Board, in connection with expediting shipments from Switzerland and considering the method of cooperation between the several representatives of the civil branches of the Government stationed here and the A.E.F. This matter had been the subject of a previous conference between the Commander-in-Chief and myself, as I had sub- mitted to the Commander-in-Chief a letter jointly prepared by Secretary Crosby and Mr. McFadden asking his views on a consolidation and coordination of their activities. After this conference with the Commander-in-Chief I told McFadden that it was my impression that he looked in a general way with favor upon their proposal to further consolidate their methods of cooperation and communication with the A.E.F., but he did not look with favor on such a participation therein with the A.E.F. as would tend to interfere with its present methods of functioning as an entirely independent organization. This referred to suggestions that the G.P.A. become a member of their organization as representing the A.E.F. I told McFad- den that the A.E.F. would welcome and expedite in every way their efforts to bring to its assistance the powerful aid of the civil branches of the Government, but that the method of communicating their information as to supplies and other 72 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR suggestions would be to submit them to this office for action to be taken by our army organization in the usual manner; that so far as the organization of the War Trade Board in other countries was concerned, the method of cooperation between their organization and ours would be through con- sultation of McFadden and myself, subject to the super- vision of the C.G., S.O.S., and after my determination of the policy to be pursued instructions would be given by McFadden to his representatives outlining the method of cooperation advised by us. This is a general statement, but sufficient to give you the position taken, with which McFad- den agreed. 2. Various actions and conferences in connection with labor matters with Colonel Maud, of the B.E.F. : Captain Cutcheon's trip to Italy; the carrying out of instructions received from Headquarters in connection with the expediting of delivery of steel at St. Nazaire; purchasing of cars at La Pallice; requisitioning of Elysee Palace Hotel, etc. 3. Conference held with Commander Conger, of the navy, resulting in telegram being sent to you for General Patrick which is self-explanatory. I opened up the subject with him of securing labor from the navy for the army. I do not believe we can furnish lumber to keep all the four thousand laborers referred to in my telegram busy, and under these circum- stances the navy might assign a portion of this labor tem- porarily to the army, coordination being the order of the day. Ihave wired you in reference to this. Charles G. Dawes Colonel, Engineers, N.A. March 14, 1918 From: The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. To: The Commanding General, Service of Supply. The following is a report of my activities on March 14: I. Conference on wood situation in France and Switzerland ; preparation and transmission of letter relative to same to BRIGADIER-GENER.\L HARRY WILKINS C: DAILY REPORTS 73 French Mission. Consideration of collective needs of army service during the next six months. In connection with the latter, request has been received from General Headquarters for an estimate of the amount of tonnage to be purchased in Europe during the next six months for consideration by War Department in connection with allocation of shipping. This is a difificult task. 2. Conference with Transportation Department in con- nection with expediting business. Colonel Bunting, of Trans- portation Department, calls each day at this office in this connection. 3. Conference on paper supply, resulting in transmission to General Headquarters of letter relative to pressure of situa- tion and necessity for limitation of any unconsidered de- mands, copy of which has been forwarded to you. 4. Routine matters of administration connected with English Purchasing Branch; arrangements for institution of separate purchasing agency in Italy. 5. Consideration of question of forest replacement con- cerning which copies of letters mailed to you to-day. Con- ference with French Mission regarding additional special al- lotment of lumber in connection with request of navy for two million feet for hangars necessary to their plans for seaplane protection of incoming American tonnage at French ports. Charles G. Dawes Colonel, Engineers, N.A, March 15, 1918 From: The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. To: The Commanding General, Service of Supply. The following is a report of my activities on March 15: I. At final conference with McFadden, of War Trade Board, Drelsel, representative in Switzerland of War Trade Board, and McCormIck, coordinator of purchases, A.E.F. , in Switzerland, agreement was made as to relations of purchas- ing agency of A.E.F. with American Embassy and War 74 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR Trade Board. Under the method outlined by State Depart- ment our negotiations for export permits will hereafter be with Dreisel, who will take the matter up as representing the State Department and the A.E.F. with the Swiss Govern- ment. 2. Agreement with the Inter-Allied Committee on Wood Purchases that in the matter of railroad ties from Portugal the division shall be forty per cent to A.E.F., forty per cent to French, and twenty per cent to British. We also secured agreement that if the French do not have transportation for their portion of the ties, such ties, in addition to the forty per cent, as could be transported by our boats, should go to the A.E.F. 3. Matter of hangars for navy seaplanes, account protec- tion incoming American tonnage, again taken up in pur- suance of telegram from C.G., S.O.S. 4. Conference on labor situation. Conference with Colonel Maud in connection with letter from Sir Charles Ellis, British Minister of Munitions at Versailles, resulting in letter to Chief of Staff, A.E.F., copy of which is hereto attached for information of C.G., S.O.S. 5. Various routine matters connected with current admin- istration of ofhce. Charles G. Dawes Colonel, Engineers, N.A. March 17, 1918 From: The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. To: The Commanding General, Service of Supply. The following is a report of my activities on March 16: I. Considered arrangements relative to rate of pay for best class of Spanish labor. French informally approve rate re- quested which they had heretofore declined. Consideration of the method of payment which provides for a portion of the wages to be paid to the families of laborers taken up. This method will be submitted for approval to the Chief of Engi- C: DAILY REPORTS 75 neers. We shall to-morrow submit plan to Colonel Townsend and he will refer it to Chief Engineer Officer. I call attention to this, as it is absolutely necessary to have the matter ex- pedited in every way so that we can start to import Spanish labor. We shall make careful study of the method of pay- ment before submitting same for approval. Conferences had to expedite lumber supplies, also of labor. 2. Conference with navy official relative to lumber, in which were considered suggestions of CO., S.O.S., and Colonel Connor, those of the latter being contained in telegram No. 276, copy of which is attached hereto. 3. Various routine duties of office. Charles G. Dawes Colonel, Engineers, N.A. March 18, 191 8 From: The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. To: The Commanding General, Services of Supply. The following is a report of my activities on March 17 and 18: 1. Conference with French authorities on questions of rate of wages to be paid civilian labor; also as to the advisability of making request upon French Government for assignment of fifty thousand non-combatant troops to the A.E.F. for labor purposes, which resulted in telegram to Commander-in- Chief repeated for your information. 2. Day chiefly given to consideration of labor matters and preparation of correspondence and papers to be transmitted to the S.O.S., which therefore makes further detail in this re- port unnecessary. Attention of C.G., S.O.S., called by tele- gram to the arrangements closed as to method of payment of Spanish labor. Charles G. Dawes Colonel, E?igineers, N.A. 76 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR March 19, 1918 From: The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. To: The Commanding General, Services of Supply. The following is a report of my activities on March 19: 1. Commander-in-Chief, in the course of a telephone mes- sage to the General Purchasing Agent reassuring the appre- hensions aroused in the breast of the latter by a cable request from a civil branch of the Government for his services in America, impressed upon the G.PA. the great necessity of se- curing labor. The G.P.A. informed the Commander-in-Chief that if there was any failure in the securing of a supply of labor, which in his judgment there would not be, it would be the fault of the G.PA., as every possible assistance and coop- eration was being given his organization and him by every- body. The G.P.A. requests approval by General Patrick of the method of payment for Spanish labor referred to in the memorandum prepared for Colonel Townsend and mailed to you yesterday and earliest possible notification of his deci- sion. 2. Conferences with the French Government on very im- portant telegram from Captain Cutcheon in Rome, relative to mission of himself and Secretary Crosby, transmitted through the American Ambassador to Rome. This cablegram, to- gether with copy of reply still to be formulated, will be transmitted to-morrow. It is well to state here to the C.G., S.O.S., that Captain Cutcheon and Secretary Crosby, in ac- cordance with his instructions, are working in conference with and under the direction of the American Ambassador to Italy. 3. Conference on wages to be paid by contractors on American army work for labor in Spain, which resulted in telegraphic request for orders from C.G., S.O.S. 4. Conference with representativ^es of French Government in connection with a final settlement of the method of han- dling wood supply of France. Additional conferences on the C: DAILY REPORTS 77 same subject will be had with General Chevalier at my office to-morrow. Charles G. Dawes Colonel, Engineers, N.A. March 20, 19 18 From: The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. To: The Commanding General, Services of Supply. The following is a report of my activities on March 20: I. Important conference held at office of General Pur- chasing Agent this morning, at which were present General Chevalier, in charge of the wood situation in France, Com- mandant Herbillion and others of his Staff, Commandant Varaigne, of the French Mission attached to the General Purchasing Board, and Captain Didion of the same. Captain Moore, Captain Jay, and myself, which resulted as wired you in an agreement on part of the French to give us such of their present stock in lumber as they are unable to transport by railroad and we are able to transport by motor. What addi- tion this will mean to our supply must be determined by con- ference with the Motor Supply Department, which I have asked for. I also arranged to put General Chevalier and the French officials in contact with Mr. McFadden, of the War Trade Board, in the hope that through the State Department economic pressure may be exerted to end the present im- passe in connection with the furnishing of lumber by the Swiss Government to the Inter-Allied Wood Committee. The French desire to close the frontier and stop shipments of Swiss lumber until the Swiss diminish their demand as to prices. The General Purchasing Agent is, of course, very anxious to avoid such a situation. He has stated to General Chevalier that he must receive orders from the C.G., S.O.S., before consenting on the part of the A.E.F, to a closing of the bor- der. He is in hopes, however, that the cooperation of the State Department of the United States through Mr. Mc- Fadden may be of some assistance at this juncture. He has 78 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR already solicited the intervention of the War Trade Board in connection with securing export permits from the Swiss Gov- ernment for the refrigerator cars recently purchased there, and the wood situation becomes naturally a part of the eco- nomic negotiations now in progress between the War Trade Board and the Swiss Government in cooperation with the A.E.F. 2. At a conference with General Patrick, who called at his office, the General Purchasing Agent was notified that the present rate at which he is supplying labor is sufficient for the needs of the A.E.F. As the flow of labor in prospect will very greatly increase, General Patrick will give the situation his usual energetic and competent attention. Conferences were had with the French authorities and with the Assistant Comptroller of the Treasury Department with reference to method of payment of labor, results of which will be com- municated to you. 3. The General Purchasing Agent feels much encouraged relative to the spirit of cooperation manifested by the officials of the French Government representing wood control. He notes the extremely efficient participation of Commandant Varaigne, of the French Mission, at these offices, in the con- ference. Charles G. Dawes Colonel, Engineers, N.A. March 21, 1918 From: The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. To: The Commanding General, Services of Supply. The following is a report of my activities on March 21 : I. At conference with Commander Conger, of the navy, informed him of the lumber concession which we had the day before secured from the French by which we can furnish the navy with the lumber for the hangars necessary to the es- tablishment of a sea aeroplane patrol for the protection of tonnage without depleting our army supply, as we were pre- C: DAILY REPORTS 79 paring to do. Commander Conger stated, as wired, that the navy has the motors to transport the lumber. I put him into communication with General Chevalier through Captain Moore. Conger will send a navy officer to inspect lumber and start operations. 2. Secured approval of Assistant Comptroller Ginn as to method of payment of Spanish labor, concerning which I made request for orders by wire. Much of day spent in connection with consideration of labor situation concerning which I sent the various telegrams to you and the General Staff which are self-explanatory. Strongly feel, as I have no doubt you do, that the solution of labor situation lies in the increase of facilities for handling labor rather than in de- creasing our efforts to secure it. It was to emphasize this view that I asked Captain Estes to inform General Patrick of the situation as to quarters to be rented which he found on his various trips relative to labor. Strongly urge the necessity for immediate detail to us of one commissioned officer and fifteen non-commissioned officers and privates for every two hundred and fifty laborers which we collect. 3. Routine of administration of office, if anything in this business can be called routine. Charles G. Dawes Colonel, Engineers, N.A. March 23, 191 8 From: The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. To: The Commanding General, Services of Supply. The following is a report of my activities on March 22 : 1. Important conference in wood matter with Commander Conger, of the navy, over arrangement for securing hangar requirements from French stock. 2. Conference with McFadden, War Trade Board, Chad- bourne, from Madrid, and Harrell, from Barcelona, attached to War Trade Board, in connection with the handling of our Spanish business. Agreed on form of instructions to our pur- 8o JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR chasing organization in connection with securing of export permits from Spain. 3. Two important conferences with the Commander-in- Chief in connection with the ItaHan labor situation. We decided, after consideration of the letters of Captain Cutcheon and Ambassador Page, copies of which were sent you, that I had better prepare a cable to Secretary McAdoo suggesting consultation between the State and Treasury Departments and the issue of instructions to Ambassador Page and Crosby not to make the Government loan of thirty million dollars to Italy unless they agreed to furnish at least fifteen thousand militarized laborers under the same terms as they have fur- nished o\'er one hundred thousand militarized laborers to France. The Commander-in-Chief then prepared a cable en- dorsing this recommendation and will transmit the two from General Headquarters to-day. In the meantime, fearing that Crosby might close his negotiations and thus lose our trading asset, I wired him with approval of Commander-in- Chief suggesting that he hold negotiations in statu quo. 4. Intermittent bombardment all day on labor situation to which we are endeavoring to give energetic treatment and of which we keep your Staff fully informed by wire. Charles G. Daw-es Colonel, Engineers, N.A. March 24, 1918 From : The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. To: The Commanding General, Services of Supply. The following is a report of my activities on March 23: 1. Conference with Colonel Winter, of Motor Transport Service. Arranged for conference between him and General Chevalier. 2. In consultation regarding matters of Labor Bureau to which chief work of the day was devoted. Charles G. Dawes Colonel, Engineers, N.A, LIEUTENANT-COLONEL NELSON D. JAY Assistant General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. C: DAILY REPORTS 8i March 25, 19 18 From: The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. To: The Commanding General, Services of Supply. The following is a report of my activities on March 24 : Day given to conferences and organization work of Labor Bureau; also question of expediting requisition system on French. In this latter connection have written you enclosing correspondence for consideration of the Staff in connection with suggested instructions to heads of bureaus. Considera- tion of Spanish supply situation and requisition methods in England; also machine tool situation in England, and matter of shipment of tin plate from Switzerland to be used for trans- porting condensed milk for the A.E.F. Charles G. Dawes Colonel, Engineers, N.A. March 25, 19 18 From: The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. To: The Commanding General, Services of Supply. The following is a report of my activities on March 25 : 1. Conference with Major Hamilton, General Staff, in connection with letter of George McFadden, representative War Trade Board, suggesting consolidation in representation of United States civil departments of the Government in France. Commander-in-Chief has referred this letter to the Administrative Section of the General Staff whose conclusions coincide with those expressed to me by the Commander-in- Chief at the time. 2. Conference with Chadbourne, representative in Spain for War Trade Board, in connection with Spanish situation. 3. Conference with Commandant Varaigne and Captain Moore on lumber situation, resulting in telegram to you on this matter. 4. Conferences with labor organization, to which work major part of the day was devoted. We are endeavoring to 82 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR speed up preparations for flow of labor which need stimula- tion in order to keep up with our collecting activities. 5. Conference with Colonel H. F. Rethers, of the London Purchasing Organization, as to requisition system upon the British and the securing of supplies for the A.E.F. in England including matter of deliveries. Charles G. Dawes Colonel, Engineers, N.A. March 26, 19 18 From: The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. To: The Commanding General, Services of Supply. The following is a report of my activities on March 26 : 1. In the evening, after submitting report of activities on March 25, I received notice from the French Government relative to the forty thousand militarized laborers concerning which I wired you and this morning telephoned Colonel Hagood, Whether we get this labor or not depends upon the outcome on the Western Front. The preparations made for its reception, if received, can be utilized later by labor se- cured in the ordinary course if this emergency supply is not received. The French desire this matter kept very confidential because of the inferences which may be drawn. If we receive it, it means the loss by bombardment of a very important section of French territory. 2 . Spent the day largely in connection with devising methods of meeting labor emergency, as per wires to your Headquar- ters, etc. 3. Forw^arded to you new General Order No. 5 to take place of old General Order No. 5, if approved by you. This relates to the lumber situation. Called attention by wire to fact that General Patrick, responsible for matters of lumber, has not received very important telegrams relating to en- tire lumber supply of France which have been sent by me to C.G., S.O.S., during last few days and to which General Order No. 5 relates. This information came from Major C: DAILY REPORTS 83 Greeley and led to my telegram to Colonel Hagood on the subject. 4. Conference with Commandant Varaigne, of French Mission, regarding labor situation. After the time of sending my yesterday's report of activities to you I took up with Chief Statistician consideration of estimate of amount of material which we can secure during next six months in Europe to be forwarded to General Staff as per Colonel Logan's request in connection with their determination of tonnage requisition problems. 5. Conference with Engineer Department at which final arrangement arrived at for payment of laborers from Spain. Disbursing ofificer leaves for Spain to-night. Our labor repre- sentative is already there. 6. Shall have conference this evening with Loree, represent- ative of Crosby, in connection with our demand upon the Italian Government for labor. I attach to this report con- fidential copy of the cablegram sent by General Pershing and myself to the War Department, for transmission to State and Treasury Departments, making certain strong recommenda- tions. Charles G. Dawes Colonel, Engineers, N.A. March 28, 1918 From: The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. To: The Commanding General, Services of Supply. The following is a report of my activities on March 27: I. Day spent chiefly in connection with details and plans of labor organization. Important conference held with the French Minister of Mines at War Office, at which general un- derstanding was reached as to the method of handling mili- tarized labor if as a result of battle now in progress on front they should be released. Have notified French that we are prepared immediately to care for forty thousand such laborers. Notes of conference will be sent you as soon as re- duced to writing by the French. 84 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR 2, Conference with Colonel Monnell, of the Air Service, in connection with securing night bombing airplanes from Italy to supplement English supply, and conference with our pur- chasing officer in this connection. 3. Conference with French at which rates of wages, dis- tribution of officers and labor foremen, housing, discipline, etc., were considered. Charles G. Dawes Colonel, Engineers, N.A. March 28, 1918 From: The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. To: The Commanding General, Services of Supply. The following is a report of my activities on March 28: 1. Conference between Colonel Monnell, Major Allen, of Air Service, together with representative of the General Pur- chasing Board in Italy, in connection with securing night bombing aeroplanes. Considered also matter of possible sup- ply of raw material for aeroplane parts to be fabricated in Italy. 2. Conference with Labor Organization in connection with handling current arrivals of labor and also preparations for reception of any increase in flow caused by emergency on Western Front. 3. Conference with Paul D. Cravath relative to system of army purchase which led to preparation of telegram to Com- mander-in-Chief a copy of which I forw^arded to you. Charles G. Dawes Colonel, Engineers, N.A. March 30, 191 8 From: The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. To: The Commanding General, Services of Supply. The following is a report of my activities on March 29: I. After making out the report for March 28 a cable was received from the American Ambassador to Italy announcing C: DAILY REPORTS 85 that Italy would furnish us twelve thousand militarized laborers, and the matter of their proper handling was taken up at a conference with the Labor Organization, as a result of which the telegrams were sent you in connection with the handling and disposition of this labor. 2. Consideration of telegram from General Headquarters, forwarded through C.G., S.O.S., asking for statement of re- placement agreements in England and other information bearing upon the tonnage situation. The preparation of these difficult estimates is having our best attention. The many sources from which information must be drawn and the general supply situation in Europe is such that at best our estimates must be very rough. I am much in hope that I can wire some sort of an estimate within the next two days. 3. Conference with the Engineer Department on forecast. 4. Consideration of official report of meeting held on March 27 between the French and Major Jackson and myself re- garding French militarized labor, concerning which I shall write you. 5. Conference with Colonel H. F. Rethers relative to English supply situation. 6. Conference with various members of Staff relative to procurement of supplies and method of handling them. 7. Conference with Crosby relative to probable cash re- quirements of A.E.F. for purchases, payment of troops, etc., which should be provided and available during the next sixt>' days ($176,527,000). He expressed his opinion that the A.E.F. should accede to the Italian request, conveyed in Ambassador Page's cable, for a certain number of American troops to go to the Italian line because of its effect on the Italian morale — this opinion to be transmitted to the Com- mander-in-Chief. Charles G. Dawes Colonel, Engineers, N.A. 86 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR March 31, 1918 From: The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. To: The Commanding General, Services of Supply. The following is a report of my activities on March 30: 1. Conference with French Mission relative to situation on Western Front as related to possibility of our receiving the French miners, which resulted in telegrams to you. 2. Conference with Labor Organization relative to han- dling Italian labor and current supplies of labor coming from our own agencies. 3. Conference with the Commander-in-Chief, who called over the telephone, regarding labor situation and proposition of Crosby in connection with alterations in the method of our purchases, which alterations the Commander-in-Chief dis- approves; also on Italian labor matter. Charles G. Dawes Colonel, Engineers, N.A. March 31, 1918 From: The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. To: The Commanding General, Services of Supply. The following is a report of my activities on March 31 : 1. Morning spent in conference with Labor Organization regarding method of handling Italian and other labor, having under consideration cables received from Italy and other general information. 2. Conferred with Crosby in connection with offer received from London of camp and munition equipment for 500,000 infantry, concerning which I wired you and the Commander- in-Chief as requested from London. Crosby has no knowledge of this matter. 3. Balance of day spent in disposing of general routine of office. Charles G. Dawes Colonel, Engineers, N.A. C: DAILY REPORTS 87 April 2, 19 1 8 From: The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. To: The Commanding General, Services of Supply. The following is a report of my activities on April i : 1. Conference in the morning with Commandant Varaigne, Chief of the French Mission, and Captain Didion, of the French Mission, relative to the question of French labor and the general labor situation, including question of arrange- ments with the French Government for transportation of the Italian labor. The use of the troop trains for bringing Eng- lish and French troops from Italy to the Western Front, necessitating the postponement of the moving of our labor troops, suggested the plan, concerning which I wired you, of the mobilization of the Italian labor near the French border. The Italian Government notifies us that they expect an ofTensive to start on April 8, and that if after this offensive starts this Italian militarized labor is shipped to France it may be misconstrued by the Italian people. As a matter of fact the Italian militarized labor which we shall receive has not been found trustworthy at the front and the matter is one of morale simply. The Italian Government also suggest that the matter of the maintenance of the proper discipline among the labor troops have our careful attention. This matter will be the subject of continued negotiations. Advice of Captain Cutcheon was had in matters of this conference, because of his knowledge of the Italian situation. 2. I am sending Captain Cutcheon to General Headquar- ters to-morrow, as I feel he should make a personal statement to the Commander-in-Chief of the reasons for which the Italian Government is urging the sending of at least a small portion of our American troops to Italy. The matter is one of first importance from the standpoint of the Italians in the matter of maintenance of general morale. 3. Conference with McFadden, War Trade Board, with reference to plan of securing cotton goods from Switzerland 88 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR by importation of raw cotton located in Italy formerly be- longing to German and Austrian owners which is to be req- uisitioned by the Italian Government and probably shipped to Switzerland. 4. Routine matters connected with technical service, Paris Headquarters, English Supplies, etc. Charles G. Dawes Colonel, Engineers, N.A. April 2, 1918 From : The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. To: The Commanding General, Services of Supply. The following is a report of my activities on April 2 : 1 . Matter of telegram from General Headquarters relative to English replacement agreements under consideration. Major Drake is communicating with our representatives in London by telephone. 2. Conference on labor situation resulting in telegrams for- warded for consideration of General Patrick as to rearrange- ment of some of our present labor units. Also conference with French as to handling Italian militarized labor which they think they can transport for us after April 8, as wired you. 3. Conference on wood situation. 4. Ordinary duties of office. Charles G. Dawes Colonel, Engmeers, N.A. April 3, 1918 From : The General Purchasing Agent. To: The Commanding General, Service of Supply. The following is a report of my activities on April 3: I. Practically whole day given to business of Labor Organ- ization — transportation, conference with the French, prepa- ration of plans of organization, consideration of personnel, etc. Many dispatches sent you in this connection to-day, and give the best indication of the nature of decisions arrived at. CIVILIAN LABOR RECEPTION DEPOT, ST. DENIS, NOVEMBER l6, I918 ITALIAN TROOPS AT WORK ON THE SERMOISE END OF THE NEVERS RAILROAD CUT-OFF, NOVEMBER 20, IQlS C: DAILY REPORTS 89 2. Consideration of supply and purchase questions; also matter of replacement agreements in England still under consideration. 3. Special attention is asked to the matter of detail of officers to assist in handling labor. As we shall soon secure up to 50,cxx) civilian laborers, the extremely large number of officers whom it will be necessary to assign to us is requiring the careful attention of your Staff. If we secure labor faster than we have the facilities for proper handling, I feel sure you will excuse a few inevitable troubles. However, as we receive the big detail of officers necessary they will be straightened out. Your knowledge of the emergency which we confront will enable you to make proper allowances for any apparent deficiencies temporarily in our service if they occur. Charles G. Dawes Colonel, Efigineers, N.A. April 5, 1918 From: The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. To: The Commanding General, Services of Supply. The following is a report of my activities on April 4: *. I . Day given chiefly to Labor Organization ; reports of field officers ; Spanish labor situation ; shipment of Chinese labor and various other matters which have been the subject of telegrams. 2. Final disposition of matter of replacement agreements in England so far as it affects this office, details of which have been sent you. 3. Consideration of supply situation chiefly concerning im- portations from Switzerland and Spain. 4. Also conference on French wood supply. 5. Conference with the French relative to German prisoner labor from Western Front in connection with which I sent you copy of letter from the Director of the Central Office of Franco-American Relations. Charles G. Dawes Colonel, Engineers, N.A. 90 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR April 6, 1918 From : The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. To: The Commanding General, Services of Supply. The following is a report of my activities on April 5: 1. Having received letter from McFadden, of the War Trade Board, stating that the War Trade Board is interested in the supply of wolfram on account of its importance in the manufacture of high-speed steel, and of emery on account of its use in the preparation of optical glasses and lenses, and is therefore greatly interested in the activities of the Inter- Allied Metal Committee concerning itself with the produc- tion, control of price, and distribution of wolfram, zinc, tin, aluminum, antimony, calcium silicate, copper, cryolite, chrome, graphite, and emery, I had a conference with him. He stated that large shipments of emery are much needed in the United States and are now held up at Marseilles. It seemed wise that McFadden should be appointed a member of the Inter-Allied Metal Committee, as he is on the ground in Paris and in touch with the American situation through the War Trade Board, since the latter issues licenses and is con- cerned with the control of price of metals in various foreign markets. As General Williams was the American representa- tive on the Committee, I called him by telephone at Tours, and he stated that he strongly advised the appointment of McFadden on this Committee. Accordingly I called General Headquarters by telephone and through Colonel McCoy arranged McFadden's appointment by General Pershing on the Inter-Allied Committee. General Pershing had before appointed General Williams on this Committee. McCoy stated that, inasmuch as General Williams is about to take a trip to the United States, this matter was opportunely pre- sented. McFadden will now take steps to expedite shipments of emery from Marseilles. 2. Discussed with our labor representative in Spain and Chief of Labor Bureau contract for payment of Spanish labor. C: DAILY REPORTS 91 3. Took up matter with McFadden of appointing Dr. Field, now connected with our Purchasing Department in Switzerland, as an additional representative of War Trade Board there to act with present representative of War Trade Board, Dreisel. McFadden acquiesced in this suggestion. 4. Discussed with Captain Cutcheon the Italian labor matter in view of telegram received by me from the American Ambassador in which it is announced that Italy has recon- sidered its willingness to cede us twelve thousand militarized laborers. Copy of this telegram, and also of telegram sent by Captain Cutcheon to Ambassador Page in Rome, has been wired to you as well as to the Commander-in-Chief. 5. Routine matters — forecasts for ensuing three months, estimates of probable disbursements on account of supplies, etc. Charles G. Dawes Colonel, Engineers, N.A. April 7, 1918 From: The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. To: The Commanding General, Services of Supply. The following is a report of my activities on April 6: 1. Conference with officers of Labor Organization relative to administration of civilian labor troops. Telegrams re- ceiv^ed this morning from Colonel Bash relative to the central labor depot and detail of officers adjust matter to our entire satisfaction. 2. Consideration of proposal of Oscar T. Crosby relative to Inter-Allied Committee for investigation of status of Allied military supplies, concerning which I shall write you. 3. Conference with General Atterbury relative to arrange- ment for car building by Belgians and other supply matters. Charles G. Dawes Colonel, Engineers, N.A. 92 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR April 7, 1918 From: The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. To: The Commanding General, Services of Supply. The following is a report of my activities on April 7: 1. Conference on distribution of quarters in Elysee Palace Hotel to which we expect to move the General Purchasing Board about May i. Called in the members of the Board to discuss the fair principles which should govern distribution with a view to the facilitation of business. The Board was asked to inspect the quarters to-day and then renew dis- cussion with the General Purchasing Agent as to assignment. 2. Conference with officers of Labor Organization and dis- cussion of plans in connection with handling labor which will be submitted to you. 3. Routine of office. Charles G. Dawt:s Colonel, Engineers, N.A. April 9, 1918 From: The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. To: The Commanding General, Services of Supply. The following is a report of my activities on April 8 : 1. Conference with yourself with reference to general form of labor organization. In accordance with your sugges- tion expect to go to Tours for further consideration of matter with your Staff. 2. Conference with Commander-in-Chief in connection with situation in regard to Italian labor. After consideration of the matter General Pershing prepared and sent the tele- gram to the American Ambassador to Italy copy of which I have wired you to-day. Secretary Baker having left the decision as to whether American troops will be sent to the Italian front to the General, my assumption is that prompt compliance by the Italians with the General's request for labor may lead him to act upon the intimation conveyed in C: DAILY REPORTS 93 the last sentence of his telegram. Shall keep you promptly advised of any answer received to this telegram. 3. Consideration of tonnage reports from different services. As I am not satisfied that all the services have reported amount of tonnage purchased, have asked for additional in- formation in this connection. 4. Consideration with Labor Organization of situation at La Courtine, resulting in my forwarding telegrams relative to detail of officers there. 5. Conference with McFadden, of War Trade Board, and General Rogers relative to matter of importations to Switzer- land of cotton now in Italy to be manufactured into garments for American troops. 6. Routine duties of office. Charles G. Dawes Colonel, Engineers, N.A. April 9, 1918 From: The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. To: The Commanding General, Services of Supply. The following is a report of my activities on April 9: 1. Conference with Labor Organization relative to organi- zation and discipline of central depots. Reports from officers in the field, preparation of provisions making slight changes in general plans of Labor Organization which I shall submit to you at Tours to-morrow for your consideration. 2. Conference with Commander-in-Chief on Italian labor and general European supply situation. Commander-in- Chief left for Chaumont this afternoon. 3. Received report from Captain Cutcheon showing marked progress in work of Board of Contracts and Adjustments. He has been in consultation during the last two days with General Golligher, of the British army, to determine the form, method, and amount of British settlements. 4. Conference on general wood situation in France, Captain Moore having returned from Tours where he had conference 94 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR with General Patrick who has approved our general method of procedure. Arranged for conference with General Chevalier to report General Patrick's conclusions. 5. Consideration of Spanish export permit situation; also matter of importation of Swiss refrigerator cars and Swiss lumber. Consideration of some alterations of method of negotiating with Swiss in relation to our lumber requirements, necessitating consideration of the matter with the French. I do not feel that the French representative in Switzerland, Captain Minost, urges with sufficient insistence the claims of the French and ourselves for lumber. The War Trade Board, through Mr. McFadden, is very intelligently and actively cooperating to bring pressure upon Switzerland in connection with the situation. 6. Preparation of letter containing my views on the Allied Commission for Coordinating Military Purchases, for sub- mission to the C.G., S.O.S., General Staff, and Paul D. Cra- vath, same being in answer to letter from Mr. Cravath, Counsel, Inter- Ally Council on War Purchases and Finance. Copy of this letter has been fon;v'arded to you. 7. Routine administration of office. Charles G. Dawes Colonel, Engineers, N.A, April 10, 1918 From: The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. To: The Commanding General, Services of Supply. The following is a report of my activities on April 10: 1. Consideration of replacement situation in England. Captain Cabell just returned from there. Attached is copj of letter from Major J. E. Dunning, dated April 6, on this matter. 2. Conference with Commandant Varaigne, Chief of the French Mission, relative to the location of families of coal miners in case we receive the French miners. He stated that the French understood the situation at the meeting of March C: DAILY REPORTS 95 27, to wit, that the laborers would not all be employed at the points of* assembly. In view of the letter received, however, from Headquarters, S.O.S., the matter is again being taken up with the French so as to prevent any possible misunder- standing. 3. Matters of labor organization. 4. Leaving at 2.35 p.m. for Tours in order to consult you jrelative to plans and methods of labor organization. Charles G. Dawes Colonel, Engineers, N.A, April 12, 1918 From: The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. To: The Commanding General, Services of Supply. The following is a report of my activities on April 10, con- tinued, and on April 11, April 12: 1. Arrived at Tours evening of April 10 with Major Jackson, Captains Estes, and Dyar, of my organization. Went into conference with Colonel Smither relative to for- mation of Labor Corps and upon the matter of general or- ganization of labor. Arrived at satisfactory conclusions on all points, the details of which it is not necessary to go into here, as they will be reported by Colonel Smither direct after perhaps one additional consultation between himself and myself here. 2. Proceeded to St. Nazaire, where I spent April 11 in examination of conditions surrounding labor and in consulta- tion with officers there, revisiting my old regiment stationed there. 3. On April 12 conference on barrack situation in Switzer- land. 4. Conference with Chairman, Board of Contracts and Adjustments. Forwarded report of Chairman for the last quarter. 5. Conference with Mr. E. E. Sawyer, representative of British Minister of Munitions in Switzerland, relative to motor cars available in Switzerland. 96 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR 6. Consideration of Italian labor situation concerning which I wired yourself and the Commander-in-Chief. 7. Conference on labor organization matters with members of Labor Bureau. 8. Also considered matter of recommendation of appoint- ment of a commission to determine whether or not there is now available vacant warehousing space in France and be- longing to the French and English which could be availed of by the A.E.F. in a way which will make possible material lessen- ing of warehouse construction. Suggestions in this connection will be submitted later. Expect to discuss general principles of this matter with General Harbord, Chief of Staff, who is in Paris this evening. Charles G. Dawes Colonel, Engineers, N.A. April 14, 1918 From : The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. To: The Commanding General, Services of Supply. The following is a report of my activities on April 13: 1. Conference with Captain Moore and Captain Jay in connection with wood from Switzerland and upon the matter of the approaching meeting with the Swiss on the part of the Inter-Allied Wood Committee, at which prices and quantities of wood from Switzerland for the Allies will be agreed upon. 2. Conference with Paymaster Hatch, of the navy, in connection with the coordination of purchases for the navy. Discussed plan of having purchases made entirely by our organization. Reached understanding as to method for the present. 3. Conference with Labor Organization and officer selected to have charge of the internal business department of the office. 4. Consideration of the estimate of the amount of tonnage which can be purchased in Europe during the next six months in response to request from General Headquarters. A dispatch in this connection will be sent you. J. '■iyt =i * ^S^ a 2" i\'X* • t-i '•.-yr>; ' s : V ■ f ^ ' * \ '•■ ■',' ;v; 5 ^ > 1' '■ '' V o u- 1 . ■ H w 1/ ■*-' . ' li >* s 1 k ' U -2 1 V > ' i ' S i3 ■'! --fc .^ (A S, '•,:# M O 1 = * ' *■ /^ H -C V* - ' b. 01 [<^ ■'.'■: < s L-' *^ z < t < o „- Ca « V ■ - ' H J- B' ' -' ,-■ -^ f ■ • «^ r2i A' OS Z L o - •1 fc >. r , u ^ 3 '^ ' " m M 1 s > K S U 6 , , J Q > V- / Z C: DAILY REPORTS 97 5. Conference in connection with the oat situation and request of the French for assistance, concerning which tele- grams have gone forward. 6. Conference on method of securing supplies from Algiers and tonnage for the same. Took up the matter with Colonel Maud, of the English army, in connection with joint action with England in this connection. 7. Conference with Chairman of the Board of Contracts and Adjustments in connection with the question of lumber replacements with the French, the important papers in con- nection with which have been forwarded to you. Charles G. Dawes Colonel, E7igineers, NA. April 17, 1918 From: The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. To: The Commanding General, Services of Supply. THEfollowingisareportof my activities on April 14, 15, and 16: 1. Conference relative to labor depot at La Corneau. Assignment of officers and men to place camp in order, etc. 2. Conference on Spanish export situation with McFadden, of War Trade Board, and Colonel Maud, of the English army. The information derived from this conference McFadden is transmitting to the State Department at Washington. I expressed to McFadden our hearty agreement with views ex- pressed by representative of War Trade Board in Spain, that all export permits from the United States to Spain should be immediately stopped until export permits are granted by Spain on certain materials already purchased there for the A.E.F. 3. Consideration of matters of labor organization and con- sideration of proper steps to secure a larger displacement of soldiers at base points by the use of French female labor. 4. Conference on organization of A.E.F. purchases in Switzerland, with Captain Miller, Engineer purchasing officer heretofore stationed there. 98 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR 5. Conference on Ordnance bills. 6. April 16: By order of the Commander-in-Chief accom- panied him on April 16 to Headquarters of First Division, then to General Foch's Headquarters, arriving in Paris the same evening. Discussed with the Commander-in-Chief the matter of military unification of entire Allied Service of Supply. This matter also discussed with General Harbord, Chief of Staff. The General Purchasing Agent is strongly of the opinion that to match the present unification of military command on the front there must be a similar military central control of the entire Allied supply and transportation system. For instance, the supply and transportation situation of the Allies is changing so rapidly that in connection with the steady emptying of French warehouse capacity the time has come for immediate determination of the relation of this situation to the warehousing, supply, and transportation programme of the A.E.F. This and other equally important situations can- not be controlled, in the judgment of the General Purchasing Agent, by Allied Boards or by the Supreme War Council. Immediate militar>' coordination of the Allied Services of the Rear should be made under a plan similar to that devised by the Commander-in-Chief for the coordination of certain ac- tivities of his own services — in other words, there must be a military authority which considers and then acts without further discussion. In the judgment of the General Purchas- ing Agent any considerable further advance of the Germans will necessitate the immediate adoption of such a plan, but he feels that a plan, absolutely necessary for relief of conditions after a reverse, had best be used to prevent one. For every argument as to the necessity of single military command at the front there is one for creating a similar situation at the rear, the rear in this case being not only all French territory, but England and the United States as well. The Commander-in- Chief has already devised a plan in connection with his own services which can be adopted without injurious interference with the activities of the separate Allied organizations of the C: DAILY RErORTS 99 rear now existing, but coordinating immediately their activi- ties in such a way as to provide for immediate betterment of conditions and an intelHgent unity of action impossible under present circumstances to be accomplished through the Su- preme War Council, common consent, or town-meeting methods. This represents some of the points covered in the discussion with the Commander-in-Chief. Charles G. Dawes Colonel, Engineers, N.A. April 18, 1918 From: The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. To: The Commanding General, Services of Supply. The following is a report of my activities on April 17: 1. Conference with Captain C. R. Armstrong in connection with Portuguese labor and supply situation. Owing to the fact that he has been ordered to a hospital I am selecting another ofificer for this duty. 2. Conference on Swiss wood situation. 3. Consideration of forward requirements of the army for next quarter. 4. Conference on labor depot organization and other labor matters. 5. Spent evening in conference with the Commander-in- Chief. Charles G. Dawes Colonel, Engineers, N.A. April 18, 19 1 8 From: The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. To: The Commanding General, Services of Supply. The following is a report of my activities on April 17 and 18: I. Continuing April 17, spent evening in conference with Commander-in-Chief principally on subject of possible mili- tary unification of Allied Service of Supply. Attitude of Com- mander-in-Chief in connection with this matter will be in- fluenced by his determination of the actual emergency after loo JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR personal inspection of battle area, for which he will probably start to-morrow. 2. April i8: Consideration of matter of agreement of A.E.F. to furnish foresters to the French and possible ad- justment of that situation by increasing wood allowance to the French from our foresters at present at work in lieu of fur- nishing additional foresters to work directly for the French. Letter sent to the French in this connection. 3. Conference on labor situation. 4. Conference with Colonel Moulton-Barrett, English liaison officer, who left for Tours this afternoon to consult with you. Had additional conference with Commander-in- Chief this noon and secured his signature to letter to British War Office accepting Colonel Moulton-Barrett's designation for duty with us, which letter, in accordance with Colonel Moulton-Barrett's request, has been mailed to the British War Office, London. 5. Additional conference with Commander-in-Chief on subject of Allied Service of Supply. Charles G. Dawes Colonel, Engineers, N.A. April 19, 1918 From : The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. To: The Commanding General, Services of Supply. The following is a report of my activities on April 18, con- tinued, and on April 19: I. Was called by the Commander-in-Chief to his house last night, where he announced to me his decision to demand military unification of the entire Allied Service of Supply. During the afternoon he visited M. Clemenceau and secured his acquiescence in the principle and also an agreement for cooperation between the French and Americans, even if difficulty should be encountered in securing the English agreement for cooperation. At Clemenceau's request he is preparing a letter to the French. He is also communicating C: DAILY REPORTS loi his intentions by cable, for approval by the President, to the War Department. He will leave for England for the purpose of securing agreement for Allied supply militarization and other purposes connected with our American troops there, after conference with Haig to-day. He is fully convinced that unified military control of this situation can, upon the initiative of the United States, at last be secured, and is pro- ceeding energetically for its accomplishment. In my own mind his action marks the beginning of the upward curve of inter-Allied effort which will culminate in a final and com- plete success of the common cause. The Supreme War Council has been a supreme failure, but the transfer of its authority, the necessity for the existence of which is universally recog- nized, to French military authority, marks the beginning of the solution of a great problem. 2. April 19: Consideration of plans of Board of Contracts and Adjustments. 3. Conference with officers of Labor Organization. 4. Conference with Chief Liaison Officer. 5. Consideration of method of gathering information to be used in connection with the plan for centralization of activi- ties of the rear of the Allies, if the Commander-in-Chief is successful in securing its adoption. Whatever information of this sort is collected will be submitted to you, and upon re- turn of the Commander-in-Chief from England it will prob- ably be best for me to come to Tours for a conference with you. The adoption of the plan will involve immediate study of the relation of the American projects for docks, ware- houses, transportation, supplies, and use of tonnage in its re- lation at least to the French situation if not the English. The pressure of the situation is as great upon the English as upon the French and the Americans, and it is hoped that the re- luctance and delay with which the English have parted with independent powers in the past may not characterize to the same degree the present negotiations. It is to be hoped that they will realize that their steadfastness in purpose and in 102 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR battle which has made victory possible should not now be allowed to interfere with it. 6. I am closing this report at noon in order to send it to you personally by Sergeant Kilkenny of my office. The informa- tion contained is, of course, absolutely secret and intended for yourself alone. The Chief of Staff will accompany the Commander-in-Chief to England. Charles G. Dawes Colonel, Engineers, N.A. April 21, 1918 From : The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. To: The Commanding General, Services of Supply. The following is a report of my activities on April 20 and 21 : 1. Conference with Colonel Barber, of your Staff. 2. Conference with Colonel Logan, of General Head- quarters Staff. 3. Conference on labor matters. 4. Conference on matters of Board of Contracts and Ad- justments. 5. Conference in connection with trip of McFadden, representative of War Trade Board, and Colonel Maud, of the English army, to Switzerland to take up with our representa- tives there and the Swiss Government certain matters of supply, notably cotton and milk. Charles G. Dawes Colonel, Engineers, N.A. April 22, 1918 From: The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. To : The Commanding General, Services of Supply. The following is a report of my activities on April 22: I. Consideration of suggestions in Cravath's letter regard- ing Allied Commission for Coordinating Military Purchases. This letter has been the subject of prior correspondence from me to yourself. C. DAILY REPORTS 103 2. Conference on labor situation. Correspondence to Colonel Hennessy in this connection forwarded to you. 3. Consideration of wood situation including matter of prices to be charged A.E.F. 4. Consideration of matters of Technical Board. Ap pointed Major Drake as Chairman, authorizing him to recom- mend five additional members. 5. Consideration of Spanish freight-car matter. We shall receive 750 freight cars from this source under arrangement with French Government and French railroads for supplying of metal parts. Arranged for conference with French in this connection. 6. Conference with Colonel Spalding relative to aircraft supply service. Charles G. Dawes Colonel, Engineers, N.A. April 23, 1918 From: The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. To : The Commanding General, Services of Supply. The following is a report of my activities on April 23: 1. Consideration of requisition of cargo of lumber on schooner Anna Maria Abundo at Algeciras, Spain. The cable which I sent to the American Ambassador to Secretary Lansing in this connection was forwarded to you yesterday and it explains the situation. 2. Conference with Colonel Logan and members of the Staff of my office on the method of procuring and handling with the French and English the forecasts of army supplies. This matter will be discussed by Major Roop, Chief Statisti- cian of this office, who will go to Tours in this connection on Friday afternoon in accordance with telegram of Colonel Barber's received to-day. 3. Conference with Labor Organization. Authorized trip to England in connection with the recruiting of female clerk labor to take the place of soldiers now thus employed. I04 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR 4. Conference with Commandant Varaigne, Chief of the French Mission, relative to nature and form of the army supply forecasts to be considered by the French, Charles G. Dawes Colonel, Engineers, N.A. April 24, 1918 From : The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. To: The Commanding General, Services of Supply. The following is a report of my activities on April 24: 1 . Consideration of matter of request by Belgian Govern- ment for option on eight thousand freight cars to be exercised after the war. In view of importance of Belgian cooperation received and to be received in the matter of locomotives, labor, etc., I requested Harjes to inquire of the French Gov- ernment what would be their attitude in this connection if the A.E.F. should consider the giving of such an option. When report is received from him, shall make recommendations in this connection, submitting the report to you for your con- sideration and decision. 2. Conference with Major Jackson and Captain Sanborn as to method of securing Spanish labor. We are experiencing much difficulty in the attitude of the Spanish Government in this connection, but are commencing to move laborers. 3. Consideration of matter of freight cars in Spain, Min- ister Claveille having notified me of the acquiescence of the Government in our arrangement with the French railways by which we secure these cars. 4. Consideration of matter of form for presenting joint re- quirements of different services of A.E.F. for army material, which we have discussed with Colonel Logan, of General Headquarters, and which Major Roop will bring with him to your Headquarters on Friday to discuss with the chiefs of the services in connection with the general plan of presentation of this matter to be adopted. 5. Conference with representative of B.E.F. in connection C: DAILY REPORTS 105 with potato supply in Spain. These potatoes are desired by the Quartermaster Department. Made arrangement for joint purchase on behalf of B.E.F. and A.E.F. through Major Davidson, of English army, which was confirmed by Colonel Wilkins, Q.M.C., this morning. Charles G. Dawes Colonel, Engineers, N.A. April 26, 19 1 8 From: The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. To: The Commanding General, Services of Supply. The following is a report of my activities on April 25 and 26: 1. April 25: Conference with Chief of Division of Female Labor Department relative to French female labor. Wrote informing you that we are prepared to furnish this labor on requisitions from the different services. 2. Conference with Colonel Logan, of General StafT, on forecast statement and on the matter of general cutting-down of tonnage requisitions on the United States. 3. April 26: Conference with General Rogers and members of Board of Contracts and Adjustments relative to payment of bills rendered by French Government to Quartermaster Department. General Rogers has this matter in hand. 4. Consideration of Spanish export permit matter and closer cooperation between purchasing representative of A.E.F. and representative of War Trade Board located in Spain. 5. Consideration of matter of replacements from the United States in tonnage of certain material furnished by the British to us. The British realize that in the present situation there is an impossibility of replacement and notify us informally that replacement of supplies that we have already drawn will not be called for except in case of certain limited specialties — one of these being five thousand tons of pig iron required for trench mortar construction. An effort will be made to cancel some of the contracts now with the British contractors which io6 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR involve the replacement of steel. This matter will be taken up energetically by us. Charles G. Dawes Colonel, Engineers, N.A. April 27, 1918 From: The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. To: The Commanding General, Services of Supply. The following is a report of my activities on April 27 : 1. Conference with members of United States Shipping Board, Messrs. Sherman and Morrow, relative to trans- Atlantic tonnage. 2. Conference with Captain Cutcheon relative to business of Board of Contracts and Adjustments. 3. Conference with Major Jackson relative to labor situa- tion. 4. Conference with Major Drake relative to Technical Board matters. 5. Conference with staf! of my office relative to general chart of our organization in connection with the submission to you of certain recommendations involving inter-stafT rank and promotion to accord therewith in order to attain greatest efficiency of effort. Charles G. Dawes Colonel, Engineers, N.A. April 29, 1918 From: The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. To: The Commanding General, Services of Supply. The following is a report of my activities on April 28 and 29: I. April 28: Conference with the Commander-in-Chief in connection with his plan for pooling of supplies with French and effort toward the military unification of the Allied Serv- ice of Supply. The letter addressed by the Commander-in- Chief to Clemenceau on this subject, in which he suggested that French officers be appointed to have a preliminary con- C: DAILY REPORTS 107 ference with the General Purchasing Agent on the subject, the results of which were to be submitted to the Commander- in-Chief, was received by M. Clemenceau. The latter sent M. Loucheur to the Commander-in-Chief with the statement that Clemenceau would formally reply to the letter, naming Loucheur to represent the French in the preliminary confer- ence. The Commander-in-Chief, together with the General Purchasing Agent, had a conference with Crosby, and, upon discovering that the financial arrangements by the United States for the benefit of Italy had not yet been completed, again forcibly presented the request that these negotiations be used in connection with the securing of militarized labor from Italy. As a result of this conference Crosby last night notified me that he had wired the Treasury Department asking it to name Captain F. W. M. Cutcheon, of this office, as its repre- sentative to go to Italy for the purpose of completing the transaction concurrently with his representation of the A.E.F. in the matter of the labor request. Orders will be asked for Captain Cutcheon to go to Italy as soon as reply from the Treasury Department is received. The attempt will then again be made which you have advocated to have the principle of "give and take" applied in these international transactions. 2. At a second conference with the Commander-in-Chief and General Crozier, the latter stated very clearly the reasons which impressed him upon his recent trip to Italy favoring the sending of American troops there. While the Commander- in-Chief is reserving his decision until conference with the French, he is inclined to send a regiment there on account of its effect on Italian morale and in obedience to their insistent suggestions. If this decision is made it would still further ad- vance our claim for recognition in the shape of militarized labor, although the other questions are so important in the matter of sending troops to Italy that the labor question does not enter the mind of the Commander-in-Chief as a determin- ing element. If, however, the decision is to be favorable the To8 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR announcement of it will be most opportune for us in connection with procuring labor. 3. April 29: Called, together with M. Ganne, Comman- dant Varaigne, and Major Jackson, upon M. Jeanneney, President of the French Council of Ministers, and urged again the necessity of additional supply of labor to be re- ceived by the A.E.F. from the French. M. Jeanneney stated that he would take the matter up with the Council of Minis- ters and request a definite allotment of the percentage of the German prisoners of war to the A.E.F. and certain other labor. While the laborers at the coal mines are temporarily idle owing to the bombardment of the area, the great bulk of them are being used in connection with fortification and en- trenchment of the Allied positions and they are not available for us in any large number. It is possible, however, we shall receive some labor from this source. 4. Conference with Colonel Logan and Dwight Morrow, of the United States Shipping Board, in connection with the proposition to locate a headquarters of the United States Shipping Board at General Headquarters in order more closely to coordinate its operations with the necessities of the A.E.F. This suggestion originated with Colonel Logan, and I understand from the Commander-in-Chief that he has ap- proved it. 5. Consideration of labor matters concerning which tele- grams have been sent to you for attention of General Patrick and Colonel Smither. Major Jackson will come to Head- quarters, S.O.S., in connection with the discussion of the form of organization of labor companies. 6. Discussion with Captain Cutcheon and Captain Jay of a suggestion from Crosby that they become attached to the United States Treasury in connection with its financial settle- ments and negotiations in European neutral countries. While the General Purchasing Agent must yield to the pres- sure of more important situations if they seem to be so, he is somewhat concerned over the possibility of losing the serv- LIEUTENANT-COLONEL F. W. M. CUTCHEON Chief Board of Contracts and Adjustments, A.E.F. C: DAILY REPORTS 109 Ices of Captain Cutcheon, and before the matter reaches the point of decision will desire to present to you the entire situation for your decision. 7. Conference with Captain Moore, McFadden, of War Trade Board, on their return from Switzerland. The very marked accomplishments of their visit will be sent you in the form of a report from Captain Moore. It relates to barracks and wood, also to the refrigerator car matter. I feel that General Patrick will be pleased with the result of the visit of these officers. Charles G. Dawes Colonel, Engineers, N.A. April 30, 1918 From: The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. To: The Commanding General, Services of Supply. The following is a report of my activities on April 30: 1. Conference with H. H. Raymond, of the Shipping Con- trol Committee, and Stephens, Sherman, and Morrow, of the Inter-Allied Shipping Board, on general shipping situation as related to Allied coordination. Raymond, Sherman, and Morrow are reporting to you to-day. 2. Conference over form of contemplated change in pur- chasing organization in Switzerland. Report of Captain Moore as to the success had by our representatives there in connection with our wood supply is in process of preparation and will be forwarded to-morrow. For the gratifying results obtained we feel largely indebted to Mr. McFadden, repre- sentative of the War Trade Board, whose cooperation was very effective. 3. Conference with Major Jackson, of Labor Bureau, who leaves for Tours this afternoon to consult with you in reform of labor organization. 4. Conference with Captain Cutcheon relative to procedure in case of certain contracts involving suspicious circumstances. The Chairman of the Board of Contracts and Adjustments no JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR was instructed to turn over all information bearing upon the matter to the officers of our Intelligence Department for the strictest investigation and report. The particular matter in- volves contracts in connection with construction of a build- ing. 5. Conference with McFadden, of War Trade Board. Charles G. Dawes Colonel, Engineers, N.A. May I, 1918 From: The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. To: The Commanding General, Services of Supply. The following is a report of my activities on May i, 191 8: 1. Conference with Chief Statistician relative to form of reports of material on hand from different departments. 2. Conference with Chairman of Board of Contracts and Adjustments relative to current status of Bureau of Accounts. For your information I am enclosing a memorandum of this status, giving a summary of its important functions both ac- tive and proposed. 3. Conference with McFadden, of the War Trade Board, who, during his recent visit in Switzerland, represented the United States Treasury in arrangements for a credit which will save the loss of exchange on purchases by the A.E.F. Also discussed with him the desirability of having a representative of the War Trade Board nominated for Italy in order to ob- tain the same useful cooperation in that country, which, through the medium of the War Trade Board, we are receiving in Switzerland and Spain. In this connection the General Purchasing Agent is seeking information as to the present status of A.E.F. contracts in Italy upon which there is delay owing to the refusal of the Government to give export per- mits. Also discussed with McFadden possibility of securing use of two ships in connection with the fulfillment of certain commercial agreements of the United States with Switzerland. 4. Conference with Captain Moore relative to the Swiss C: DAILY REPORTS in lumber situation, his report on which I am mailing to you to-day. Charles G. Dawes Colonel, Engineers, N.A. May 2, 1918 From: The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. To: The Commanding General, Serv^ices of Supply. The following is a report of my activities on May 2 : I. Conference with Staff of General Purchasing Agent as to method to be pursued in the allocation among the different services of material reported to us by the French Govern- ment as available. This matter involves many elements which are having our consideration. Existing orders make it the duty of the General Purchasing Agent to make those al- lotments. The General Purchasing Agent, while he desires to consider the matter a little longer pending the procuring of certain information, is inclined to think that the duty of al- location should be performed at General Headquarters or at Headquarters, S.O.S., since more immediate contact is had at those points with the respective needs of the different services and a more intelligent allotment of an insufhcient supply, with due regard to the relative importance of these needs, can be had there. The General Purchasing Agent might report to General Headquarters or to Headquarters, S.O.S., the total supply of any particular material available for our army from the French, and after the percentages of allotment are determined by General Headquarters or Head- quarters, S.O.S., the General Purchasing Agent could be charged with the responsibility of holding the services to their respective allotments, since the requisitions would pass through his office and in consequence he would have the nec- essary information therefor. The General Purchasing Agent upon order of the Commander-in-Chief is to meet M. Lou- cheur, French Minister of Armament, this afternoon for a con- ference on the methods of military unification of the Allied Services of Supply. This discussion will be preliminary, but the 112 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR consummation of the plan of the Commander-in-Chief, what- ever be the method by which it is reached, will unquestion- ably have an important bearing upon such a question as this. 2. Consideration with McFadden of means necessary to enable the United States to keep its agreement with the Swiss Government relative to wheat shipments, as the possi- ble failure of our Government to do this may involve serious political consequences in Switzerland favorable to the Ger- mans. Also consideration of matter of Swiss refrigerator cars on which I am submitting a report to you. 3. Conference with Staff of General Purchasing Agent relative to promotions in the office. Was notified by General Harbord, by telephone, that recommendation for promotion of Captain F. W. M. Cutcheon to Lieutenant-Colonel, as en- dorsed by the Commanding General, S.O.S., has been cabled to Washington. Considering the importance of their duties and the greater facilitation of their work, the General Pur- chasing Agent feels that Major J. P. Jackson, of the Labor Bureau, Major F, E. Drake, of the Control Bureau, and Cap- tain N. D. Jay, Assistant General Purchasing Agent, should all be made Lieutenant-Colonels. He hopes that upon presen- tation of the situation in regard to these officers, which he ex- pects soon to make to the Commanding General, S.O.S., the latter will make a recommendation for their promotion. 4. Consideration of certain matters of transport supply in connection with telegrams from the Purchasing Agent in England and request of the French for information. Charles G. Dawes Colonel, Engineers, N.A. May 3, 1918 From: The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. To: The Commanding General, Services of Supply. The following is a report of my activities on May 3: I. Yesterday afternoon, as representing General Pershing, discussed with M.Loucheur, representing M.^Clemenceau, the C: DAILY REPORTS 113 matter of General Pershing's proposition for military unifica- tion of the Allied Services of Supply. General Pershing re- turned from Abbeville late last night. I have been in con- ference with him this morning. He had discussed, with Lloyd George at Abbeville as well as with M. Clemenceau, the proposition. Referring to my suggestion that I send you report of my conference with Loucheur, the General re- quested me not to do so until the matter assumed a more definite form. He stated that he felt you would be pleased with any efforts to secure further coordination with our allies. 2. The French and English have expressed approval at Abbeville of General Pershing's plan to send some American troops to Italy and he expects to do so by degrees, having ultimately in view a division. 3. Major Jackson, whom I had sent at your request to your Headquarters to discuss form of labor organization, submitted suggestions from your Stafif officers. These I wish to discuss with Colonel Smither, who arrives to-morrow. I feel that the suggestion made by your Staff officers that the Organization Division of the Labor Bureau be moved to Tours is some- thing which should not be decided under any circumstances until I have had a conference with you. I have such confi- dence, however, in the judgment of Colonel Smither that I am withholding my own until I have heard from him in person the reasons underlying the suggestion. 4. Conference with McFadden, of War Trade Board, with reference to the Swiss situation on lumber, wheat, cotton, and refrigerator cars, all of which matters are having attention. Charles G. Dawes Colo7iel, Engineers, N.A. May 4, 1918 From: The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. To: The Commanding General, Services of Supplies. The following is a report of my activities on May 4: I. Consideration of memorandum relative to labor organi- 114 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR zation submitted by members of Staff of C.G., S.O.S., through Major Jackson. 2. Conference with the Commander-in-Chief, who was about to leave the city for a few days, preliminary to con- ference to be held at ofifice of M. Clemenceau at which I am to represent the Commander-in-Chief. The thought which the Commander-in-Chief has is to have applied to the services of the Allied rear the general principles involved in the creation of the position of General Purchasing Agent and the General Purchasing Board of the A.E.F., to wit, the creation of a military committee from the three armies which shall collect and coordinate information as to the supply, warehousing, construction, and transportation of the three armies for the purpose of their more intelligent coordination upon the basis of their use by the unified army as distinguished from three separate armies. The proposition is one of coordination. 3. Conference with McFadden, of War Trade Board, rela- tive to Spanish situation and cooperation of the War Trade Board with the A.E.F. in this connection. 4. Consideration of certain matters of Board of Contracts and Adjustments and consultation with Captain Cutcheon relative to his proposed trip to Italy, where he will go as the representative not only of the A.E.F. , but as the repre- sentative of the Treasury Department. Now that the Com- mander in-Chief has decided to send troops to Italy, Captain Cutcheon thus equipped should accomplish our purposes in connection with securing militarized labor. If we do get this labor I feel that we have certainly earned it considering the difficulties we have encountered. I shall ask for orders foi Captain Cutcheon to go to Italy in a short time. Charles G. Dawes Colonel, Engineers, N.A. The necessity of military unification of the Allied Services of Supply and Transportation, to correspond with the mili- tary unification now existing at the front, being recognized, C: DAILY REPORTS 115 the following are suggestions as to the machinery through which it should be reached. The principles involved in these suggestions are those established by General Pershing in the creation of the position of General Purchasing Agent and the establishment of the General Purchasing Board of the A.E.F., which has unified the American army system of purchase and supply through cession of certain independent authorities to a central control: (i) Board of "Military Control, Allied Service of Supply," consisting of one representative each from the French, British, and American armies. The Chairman of this Board, while his decisions should be made in consulta- tion with the other two members of the Board, should have complete military authority to determine its action. His decisions would be authoritatively con- veyed for compliance therewith by the three armies through the three members of the Board in the ordinary military channels. (2) The three members of the Board would each select from their respective army services a small staff to collect and coordinate information jointly as to the present status and requirements of the supplies, warehousing, construction, and transportation of the three armies in order to enable the Board to determine their intelligent coordination upon the basis of their use by the unified army as distinguished from three separate armies. The institution of this system should involve no sudden shock to, or unnecessary interference with, the present sepa- rate activities of the Services of Supply of the three armies. If apprehension is felt that this central military authority might in certain matters interfere unwisely and without sufficient regard for the preservation of the internal discipline and esprit de corps of the respective armies, it might be agreed that this authority would not concern itself with cer- tain matters — for instance, such as uniforming and ration- ing — except in an advisory way. In most matters, however, ii6 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR the activities of this Board quietly, conservatively, but firmly commenced, would probably soon effect most impor- tant results tending to the eventual unification of the Military Supply and Transportation Services of the Allied rear, in- cluding the more eff'ective use of that portion of international shipping allocated to military purposes. May 6, 1918 From: The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. To: The Commanding General, Services of Supply. The following is a report of my activities on May 5: 1. Conference on labor matters. 2. Conference with A. Van de Vyvere, Minister of Finance for Belgium, relative to coordination of Belgian Army system of supply with Allies. 3. Consideration of suggestions of General Pershing to be presented at meeting arranged by General Pershing at office of Minister of Armament Monday afternoon with English and French representatives. Charles G. Dawes Colonel, Engineers, N.A. May 7, 1918 From: The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. To: The Commanding General, Services of Supply. The following is a report of my activities on May 6: I. At three o'clock met in conference President of the French Council of Ministers and representative of French Staff, representing the French, and General Cowans, General Atkins, General Cannot, Sir Andrew Weir, and Sir J. W. Curry, representing the English, in a discussion of the ques- tion of the military unification of the Allied Services of Supply presented by General Pershing to the Prime Ministers of England and France and accepted by them in principle. I regret to state that chiefly because of the attitude of the English this conference developed largely a discussion of the C: DAILY REPORTS 117 difficulties connected with the adoption of a principle ac- cepted as correct by all rather than of a plan to carry it into effect. The English desired to consult their Government further in connection with the matter and an adjournment was had of the meeting until later in the week. The G.P.A. is endeavoring to carry out as best he can the instructions of the Commander-in-Chief, with whom he is in touch by tele- phone and through correspondence. In brief, as indicated in general outline before given you, the General's plan is for a Military Committee of Control upon which will be represent- atives of the three armies with authority to carry into effect those measures of coordination which seem advisable. While General Pershing's idea is that there should be one man in supreme control of the Allied Services of Supply to match the unified command of the front, the situation is complex and involves such considerations on the part of the three Governments involved that the tendency is to overlook the more simple steps now possible to be taken without involving any readjustment of the internal administrative machinery of the respective Governments. So far as the first conference is concerned it became enshrouded so in the fog of Eng- lish objection that it will take an additional meeting to dis- sipate it and get back to the starting-point for proper nego- tiations. 2. Consideration of labor matters. 3. Consideration of matters of Board of Contracts and Adjustments, particularly in reference to method of settle- ment for Russian material being apportioned between the Allies. 4. Consideration of the general questions of amount of ton- nage purchased by the A.E.F. in Europe not subject to re- placement upon which we shall soon be able to make you an additional report. Charles G. Dawes Colonel, Engineers, N.A. ii8 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR May 8, 1918 From: The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. To: The Commanding General, Services of Supply. The following is a report of my activities on May 7 and 8: 1. Conference on labor organization. 2. Conference with Captain Cutcheon, Board of Contracts and Adjustments, relative to his proposed trip to Italy as representing the Treasury Department and the A.E.F. 3. Conference with Chief Statistician in connection with method of classifying information, for more intelligent con- sideration, in connection with coordination with our allies. 4. The bulk of yesterday and to-day has been given by the General Purchasing Agent to the consideration of the best method of presentation to the Allied Conference of the plan of the Commander-in-Chief for military unification of the Allied Services of Supply. He has prepared a statement to M. Jeanneney, President of the French Council of Ministers and Chairman of the Inter-Allied Conference, which he to-day sent to the Commander-in-Chief for revision, alteration, and suggestion. Upon its return, after making any alterations suggested by the Commander-in-Chief, he will forward copy to the C.G., S.O.S. Charles G. Dawes Colonel, Engineers, N.A, May II, 1918 From: The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. To: The Commanding General, Services of Supply. The following is a report of my activities on May 9, 10, and 1 1 : 1. Completion of letter to M. Jeanneney, relative to machinery for effecting military unification of the Allied Services of Supply, which letter was revised and modified by the Commander-in-Chief and copy sent you yesterday. 2. The time of the General Purchasing Agent has been given C: DAILY REPORTS 119 the last few days chiefly to these negotiations. This morn- ing, May II, attended a conference at the office of M. Lou- cheur, which was attended by M. Loucheur, M. Clementel, French Minister of Commerce, and Mr. Paul D. Cravath, at which was discussed the relation of General Pershing's plan, if adopted, to the functions of certain inter-Allied civil and semi-military boards. The General Purchasing Agent stated that General Pershing's plan, while suggesting the desirability of the extension of the principle over civil activities, was expected to be confined in its first application to the activities now conducted under complete military authority in the rear of the armies. Since any other extension of the plan would involve authority from the civil Govern- ments concerned, nothing was in immediate contemplation which would lessen useful activities of these boards along their present lines in liaison with military authority. On the con- trary, the more intelligent delineation of the necessities of the united armies in France could be given them in organizing their assisting activities. Charles G. Dawes Colonel, Engineers, N.A. May 14, 1918 From: The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. To: The Commanding General, Services of Supply. The following is a report of my activities on May 12, 13, and 14: 1 . Conference on Italian labor situation and general labor matters. 2. More complete centralization of English purchases and requisitions through the Office of the General Purchasing Agent and his representative in London. 3. Matters of Board of Contracts and Adjustments. 4. Conference with Colonel Maud and Captain Williams, of the English army, relative to diplomatic and supply situa- tion in Spain, and discussion of plan for unification of Allied activities in Spain. 120 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR 5. Conference with Colonel Smither and Major McAdam, of your Staff, relative to labor organization and other matters of general administration, covering most of the afternoon of the 13th. 6. Conference on labor matters continued with Colonel Smither and Labor Organization. 7. Preparation for presentation of General Pershing's plan at Inter-Allied Conference which will be held at three o'clock this afternoon at the office of the President of the Council. Report to you on the proceedings at this meeting will be made in due course. It is hoped by the General Purchasing Agent that some progress may be effected. Charles G. Dawes Colonel, Engineers, N.A. May 16, 1918 From: The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. To: The Commanding General, Services of Supply. The following is a report of my activities on May 15; 1. Conference with General Rogers. 2. Conference with Labor Organization. 3. Conference with Board of Contracts and Adjustments. 4. Conference with Major Drake, Chairman of Technical Board. 5. Conference with Colonel de Grailly, representing M. Loucheur, Minister of Armament, relative to method of dis- tributing American munitions along the front, in relation to French supplies and method of handling. Wired Colonel Moseley, of General Staff, to come to Paris for conference on Thursday afternoon with M. Loucheur, French officers from the front, and the General Purchasing Agent, to be held at four o'clock. This action was taken because of telegram from Colonel Moseley asking for advice in connection with the method of handling American munitions in conjunction with the French. 6. Consideration of matter of general military coordination LIEUTENANT-COLONEL FRANCIS E. DRAKE Chief of Control Bureau, Office of General Purchasing Agent C: DAILY REPORTS 121 with the French preparatory to discussing same with the Commander-in-Chief on Friday. Charles G. Dawes Colonel, Engineers, N.A. May 19, 1918 From: The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. To: The Commanding General, Services of Supply. The following is a report of my activities on May 16, 17, 18, and 19: 1. My time for the most part during these days has been given to the furtherance of General Pershing's plan for general supply coordination. In this connection I have had a number of meetings and conferences with M. Loucheur, French ofificers from the front, Controleur General de I'Administra- tion de TArmee, Colonel Moseley, of the General Staff, Gen- eral Langfitt, and the Commander-in-Chief. The results of these conferences are summed up in my report to the Com- mander-in-Chief, enclosed herewith, at the conclusion of which you will find epitomized the plan agreed upon. This report to the Commander-in-Chief was passed upon and ap- proved by M. Loucheur and is being submitted by him to M. Clemenceau. It is still barely possible that as a result of the conference between Loucheur and Clemenceau some minor alterations may be made. The report to the Commander-in- Chief was also submitted to him informally before its com- pletion and the statements therein checked and revised. 2. The Commander-in-Chief tells me that he will appoint me as the representative of the army on the Inter-Allied Board according to the plan given in the enclosed report, relieving me as General Purchasing Agent and making me a member of the coordination section of the General Staff to act as an Assistant Chief of Staff. The sphere of my activities will be in the line of coordination with the French army and the Eng- lish army, if the latter Government joins in the plan. As I told General Langfitt, I shall come to Tours in order to dis- 122 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR cuss the general plan of the organization which must be built up in conjunction with the French to study jointly the prob- lems of cooperation, thus affording the proper foundation for intelligent action as soon as General Pershing issues the orders putting the plan into effect. The Commanding General, S.O.S., realizes from the papers sent him, which outline fully the purposes contemplated by this organization, that my relation to the independent organization of the American Services of Supply is analogous to my relation as General Purchasing Agent to the independent activities and authority of the purchasing organizations of the army; in other words, that I am concerned only in the coordination of our supply activities with the supply activities of the other two armies. From the French, and some time in the future I hope from the English army, I shall authoritatively secure that informa- tion which, matched with our own, will enable the activities of the Allied rear to be conducted with a common purpose behind a united front. It is needless to say that, while for the purpose of securing joint action of the Allied armies in connec- tion with coordination, orders will have to be issued to the respective armies through me as a member of the Committee in agreement with the other members, in reality I hold myself to be simply the agent for carrying out the plans which we all think wise when we are in possession of this joint information. It would be a source of regret to me, in leaving this organiza- tion to start building a more important one, if I felt that it tended in any way to separate me from common purpose and activity with you. As I have felt in the past the strength of your strong arm in protection and cooperation, so I know I shall feel it in the future. It shall be my purpose to keep you in the same full touch with all situations in the future that I have when directly reporting to you in the past. 3. I desire earnestly to recommend to you, as mj' successor as General Purchasing Agent, Colonel E. D. Bricker. Of this I spoke to the Commander-in-Chief yesterday and in the idea he agrees. The success of the office of the General Purchas- C: DAILY REPORTS 123 ing Agent and the General Purchasing Board depends much upon certain qualities in its head, which from long contact with Colonel Bricker I believe he possesses in a marked degree. While it will be necessary for me to take with me certain men out of this organization, as essential to the success of the new organization because of knowledge acquired in this office, I shall make my recommendations in this connection with a view of not lessening the efficiency of the organization which I shall hand over to my successor. The various agencies of this office which we have established in Spain and Switzer- land, among other places, require in their administration from here the closest contact wMth the diplomatic agents of the United States. It is here that grave and embarrassing mis- takes may easily be made. In fact, in all the relations of this office with foreign Governments care and tact as well as decision are essential. I shall suggest, therefore, that for the present the Assistant General Purchasing Agent, Captain N. D, Jay, formerly Vice-President of the Guaranty Trust Company of New York, be retained in his present position, although I shall greatly need him in my new work. It is in this particular work of our relations with the English, French, Italian, Swiss, Spanish, and Portuguese Governments that Captain Jay will render my successor valuable assistance. 4. I shall endeavor, as I leave this position, to make a re- port on the present status of the office in as condensed form as is possible. Charles G. Dawes Colonel, Engineers, N.A. May 24, 191 8 From: The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. To: The Commanding General, Services of Supply. The following is a report of my activities on May 20, 21, 22, and 23: I . The General Purchasing Agent has been engaged in an ef- fort to have simplified the report of what was actually agreed 124 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR upon at the Inter-Allied Conference regarding military unifi- cation of the Allied Services of Supply, so that when it was sent to the English the adoption of the principle would not be endangered by an attempt at the preliminary settlement of the details through which it would be put into operation. The French Government submitted to the General Purchasing Agent two reports, one by M. Loucheur, Minister of Arma- ment, and one by M. de Lavit, Controleur General. Both of these reports seemed open to the above objection. The Com- mander-in-Chief at this critical time intervened with his usual good judgment, force, and success and obtained from M. Clemenceau his signature to a simple restatement of the plan which the Commander-in-Chief also signed. The following is a copy of the statement: Secret May 22, 191 8 It is hereby agreed among the Allied Governments sub- scribing hereto: 1. That the principle of unification of military supplies and utilities for the use of the Allied armies is adopted. 2. That in order to apply this principle and as far as possi- ble coordinate the use of utilities and the distribution of sup- plies among the Allied armies, a Board consisting of repre- sentatives of each of the Allied armies is to be constituted at once. 3. That the unanimous decision of the Board regarding the allotment of material and supplies shall have the force of orders and be carried out by the respective supply agencies. 4. That further details of the organization by which the above plan is to be carried out shall be left to the Board, sub- ject to such approval by the respective Governments as may at any time seem advisable. We agree to the above and wish it to be submitted to the British and Italian Governments. (Signed) G. Clemenceau John J. Pershing 2. The Commander-in-Chief to-day telephoned the Gen- eral Purchasing Agent that he would notify M. Clemenceau of C: DAILY REPORTS 125 his appointment of the General Purchasing Agent as a member of the Board provided by the plan. The General Purchasing Agent as early as possible will confer with the French as to the means of joint procedure, of which he will notify you. 3. Through reliable sources the General Purchasing Agent is informed that such opposition as seems to exist on the part of the English to joining in the arrangement centers in Lieu- tenant-General Cowans, British Quartermaster-General. How such opposition on his part can continue with the provision that the Committee cannot act except by unanimous consent is difficult to understand. The wisdom and desirability of the plan seem to be urged by the principal English authorities with few exceptions. 4. The Commander-in-Chief informed the General Pur- chasing Agent by telephone that he would transmit the plan as agreed upon by M. Clemenceau and himself to Lloyd George. The representative of Lord Northcliflfe serving on his mission here called upon the General Purchasing Agent with the statement that Lord Northcliffe would do everything in his power to aid in having the plan adopted by the English. Charles G. Dawes Colonel, Engineers, N.A. May 25, 1918 From: The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. To: The Commanding General, Services of Supply. The following is a report of my activities on May 24 and 25: I received a telephone message yesterday evening from General McAndrew, Chief of Staff, stating that General Pershing desired me to go to England in response to sugges- tions from there that my presence might facilitate English cooperation in plan for coordination of the Allied Services of Supply. Accordingly I wired for telegraphic orders to that effect to-day and am preparing to leave to-morrow. I am enclosing copy of a letter which I have written to Colonel Moseley, who sent me a copy of his letter to you relative to 126 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR the Transportation Department and the matter of decentrali' zation. The matter was brought to my attention simply as ar. expression of certain principles by Colonel Moseley, but since my comments are somewhat personal to yourself I thought you would be interested in seeing them. Charles G. Dawes Colonel, Engineers, N.A. June 4, 1918 From: The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. To: The Commanding General, Services of Supply. The following is a report of my activities during the period May 26 to June 4, inclusive: 1. My absence in England, where I was sent by General Pershing in connection with the securing of the acquiescence of that Government in his plan for coordination of the Allied Ser\'ices of Supply, and conferences in which I have been en- gaged since my return, have interfered with my daily report of activities. The explanation I was able to give to the Eng- lish Prime Minister and Lieutenant-General Cowans, British Quartermaster-General, as well as to Lord Milner, of the British War Office, of the purpose and scope of General Pershing's plan, led to the acceptance of it by that Govern- ment. Yesterday at Versailles the War Council officially ap- proved the plan. The participation of the Italians and Bel- gians will also be asked. 2. At a conference with the French Minister of Armament yesterday, the necessity having developed for the transfer of munitions from certain French points of storage endan- gered by the German advance, I obtained the situation and wired the same upon order of the Commander-in-Chief to you for attention of General Wheeler. The latter arrived at Paris last night and conferred with the French at my office this morning, placing at their disposal such storage space in the American rear as will materially relieve their situation. 3. Various conferences with the Bureau Chiefs of this C: DAILY REPORTS 127 office'relative to current activities. I have to report in this connection that we shall soon receive three thousand mili- tarized labor troops from Italy as a final result of our long negotiations in this connection. They will arrive here next week. 4 . My time is entirely given to consideration of the methods of procedure in connection with the new Military Board on which the Commander-in-Chief has named me as the member representing him. As soon as the French have named their representative it will be possible to consider these plans more in detail, and as soon as they take form I shall come to Tours with your permission for consultation with you. Charles G. Dawes Colonel, Engineers, N.A. June 6, 1918 From: The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. To: The Commanding General, Services of Supply. The following is a report of my activities on June 5 and 6: 1. Conference with General Wheeler, Chief of Ordnance. Attended conference held by him with French officials of Ministere de I'Armement, relative to coordination with the French of programme of establishment of munition depots. 2. Conference with English officers relative to method of organization of Inter-Allied Board for general supply coordi- nation. 3. Conference with Colonel de Grailly, representative of M. Loucheur, Minister of Armament, on plan of organization for supply coordination. 4. Conference with Labor Organization with reference to reception and care of Italian militarized labor, the Italian of- ficer in charge of same being present. 5. Conference with Board of Contracts and Adjustments relative to payments to French Government, increase of available cash balances in France for American army, and general expediting of contract settlements. 128 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR 6. Conference in regard to Spanish supply situation. We have reorganized upon a more efficient basis our supply-gather- ing organization in this country as well as in Switzerland. 7. Consideration of telegram, referred to this department by Colonel Logan, from War Department giving outline of reorganization of supply and purchase system of War De- partment and asking for information as to our system here. Charles G. Dawes Colonel, Engineers, N.A. June 8, 1918 From: The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. To: The Commanding General, Services of Supply. The following is a report of my activities on June 7: 1. Attended conference between Colonel Logan and Gen- eral Lerond, Deputy Chief of Staff to General Foch, relative to the imperative need of horses in order to put American artil- lery into action. Colonel Logan was notified that the French would furnish eighty thousand horses as rapidly as possible. 2. Matters connected with Technical Board. Appointed members thereof and assigned duties as recommended by Major Drake. 3. Conference with Labor Organization and consideration of various matters — rationing, discipline, care, and trans- portation. 4. Conference with Morrow, of United States Shipping Board, and McFadden, of War Trade Board. Charles G. Dawes Colonel, Engineers, N.A. June 9, 19 18 From: The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. To: The Commanding General, Services of Supply. The following is a report of my activities on June 8: Day devoted to conferences and plans for labor organiza- tion and Board of Contracts and Adjustments; consideration C: DAILY REPORTS 129 of statement of purchase organization of the A.E.F. for trans- mittal to the War Department, copy of which I am sending you, and matter of financial requirements of the A.E.F. to December 31. Charles G. Dawes Colonel, Engineers, N.A. June II, 1918 From: The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. To: The Commanding General, Services of Supply. The following is a report of my activities on June 9 and 10 : 1. Conference with General Hagood, Chief of Staff to C.G., S.O.S. 2. Conference with Chief Statistician, General Purchasing Board. 3. Conference with Labor Organization. Arrangements made for meeting with M. Tardieu and M. Ganne in connec- tion with request upon French for additional assignment of five thousand laborers. 4. Conference with the Commander-in-Chief relative to plan for coordination of Allied Supply. Commander-in-Chief has been notified of the appointment on the Board of Colonel Beadon to represent the English army. 5. Conference with McFadden, of War Trade Board, relative to situation in Spain regarding shipment of sup- plies. 6. Conference with Colonel Godson, Military Attache at Berne, relative to supply situation in Switzerland and pur- chasing organization there. 7. Conference with Major Griscom, who was on his way to represent the Commander-in-Chief in England, relative to English cooperation in the plan for Allied coordination of Services of Supply. 8. In conference with the Commander-in-Chief the matter of relation of the member of the Board on Allied Supply coordination to army organization was discussed. I expressed 130 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR the view that, inasmuch as the relation of the Committee to changes of poHcy must be determined in practical efTect jointly by the opinion of the independent authorities in first contact with the situation in the respective armies, and since the conclusion of the Board must be based upon the conclusion of such independent authorities in contact, it would be unwise to make any attempt at a formal statement of official rela- tions until after the formation of the Board and the considera- tion by it of methods of its own procedure. So far as I per- sonally am concerned, my relations with the heads of the present army organization are such that no formal increase in my present authority seems necessary for the accomplish- ment of my work and there will be a tendency to much freer cooperation on the part of the heads of the independent services of the respective armies if our Board is regarded by them in efifect as an agency to put into operation the plan for coordination which those in first contact with conditions are best qualified to formulate. The issuing of formal orders especially at this time prescribing an official status might create apprehensions that an exercise of arbitrary authority was in contemplation, which is not the case, and which might lessen the complete spirit of cooperation involving full and free discussion of what is wise without reservation and with- out apprehension that interference with internal administra- tion is at stake. The Commander-in-Chief stated that he would reserve any decision upon this matter until after the formal organization of the Board when the proper course of procedure would be more evident. It was agreed that I should remain at the head of this organization as Chairman of the General Purchasing Board and General Purchasing Agent until such time, if it should come, that the work of the new place would interfere with my proper attention to the policies and business of this department of the administrative Staff. My idea is that the new Board should refrain from the consideration of details as much as possible, since participa- tion in the machinery involving the method of effecting the C: DAILY REPORTS 131 principles of inter-Allied army coordination would lessen rather than increase its efficiency, such machinery as is adapted for the purpose being already in existence under its proper head, who must not feel that his independent au- thority is lessened, but only made more intelligently effective through the increased knowledge of the general situation which his contact with the Board will give him. Charles G. Dawes Colonel, Engineers, N.A. June 12, 1918 From: The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. To: The Commanding General, Services of Supply. The following is a report of my activities on June 1 1 and 12 : 1. Conference with the Commanding General, S.O.S. 2. Conference with Labor Organization. 3. Conference on horse situation with Colonel Williams and the members of the office. Wired suggestion to General Rogers relative to additional detail of officers in Spain in this connection. 4. Conference with M. Tardieu and M. Ganne, of French Government, relative to assignment by the French of addi- tional laborers to the A.E.F. Presented full statement to them of our present labor situation. Made request for addi- tional cession of five thousand laborers. Also discussed with them nomination of French member of Allied Supply Board. In addition made request for immediate French representa- tion at conference to discuss warehouse situation. 5. Conference with Stanley Field, of the Red Cross, rela- tive to Red Cross supplies in Paris. As a result Red Cross offered immediate cession of twenty thousand bags of flour which matter was turned over to Colonel Krauthoff for his action. 6. Conference relative to removal of records and docu- ments, personnel, etc., of General Purchasing Board in case of continued German advance, the French having requested 132 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR that arrangements be made for the same to provide for all possible contingencies. 7. Conference with General Patrick relative to aircraft situation. 8. Conference with Hurst, American Consul-General at Barcelona, relative to Spanish supply situation. 9. Conference with Major Cabot Ward and his assistant on intelligence matters and proper protection of records in this building. 10. Conference with Colonel Maud, of the English army, relative to supply coordination. Charles G. Dawes Colo?iel, Engineers, N.A. June 14, 1918 From: The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. To: The Commanding General, Services of Supply, The following is a report of my activities on June 13 and 14: 1. Held conference with Ministers Villagran and De Lavit, Commissioner Tardleu, M. Ganne, and Colonel Payot relative to the nomination by the French of their member on the Board of Allied Supply. Conference lasted throughout the morning and ended in agreement by the French officials present to unanimously recommend to M. Clemenceau the appointment of Colonel Payot as representing the French army on the Board. 2. Conference with Minister Villagran on the matter of hay for American horses and also conference with Colonel Krauthoff on the same subject. 3. Conference as to the situation on animal supply In Spain in connection with telegrams received from Colonel Logan, G.H.Q., requesting cooperation of the General Purchasing Agent. 4. Conference with M. Kreglinger, Directeur General, Ministre Intendance Belglque, and Commandant Dupont, of the Cabinet du Ministre de la Guerre de Belgique, in con- MAJOR-GENERAL H. L. ROGERS Quartermaster-General A.E.F. C: DAILY REPORTS 133 nection with representation on the Board of Allied Supply. The Belgian Government expressed acquiescence in the plan proposed by General Pershing and will nominate a repre- sentative. 5. Conference with McFadden, Colonel KrauthofT, and Captain Jay relative to closer liaison between the Quarter- master Department, A.E.F., and the French service of food •supply. Colonel Krauthoflf will make report on the matters involved to the Chief Quartermaster, A.E.F. 6. Conference with the Labor Organization. The first contingent of Italian militarized labor has arrived in France. 7. Conference with Colonel Maud, of the English army, on the Spanish supply situation. Charles G. Dawes Colonel, Engineers, N.A. June 15, 1918 From: The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. To: The Commanding General, Services of Supply. The following is a report of my activities on June 14, con- tinued, and June 15: 1. Conference with Colonel Moseley, General Staff, with reference to inter-Allied plan for general coordination muni- tion programme, 2. Conference with General Langfitt and Colonel Smither. 3. Conference with Labor Organization relative to Italian labor and facilities for housing laborers at different points, to which we are calling attention in another communication. 4. Conference with Colonel Krauthofif and members of our organization here relative to proper centralization of our business with the ofifice of the Chief of the Service for Food- stuffs, other than cereals, at the French Food Ministry. Attention is called to my letter to you of to-day outlining the necessity for greater centralization in the matter of presenting our demands to the French Service for Foodstuffs and the arrangements, which, in conference wnth M. Rabel, we have 134 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR made for the same. The issuance of orders on this important matter I am asking in the letter. 5. Conference with Red Cross officials relative to violation of orders by them in connection with their supply purchases, 6, Conference on the hay question between Colonel Krauthoff and M, Rabel, Chief of the Service for Foodstuffs, other than cereals, at the French Food Ministry, arranged by me at the instance of Colonel Logan, General Staff, has re- sulted in assurance by the French Government that they will furnish the hay necessary for the A,E.F. animals for a period covering one year from August i, 191 8, thus making unneces- sary any additional hay requisitions on the United States. Charles G. Dawes Colonel, Engineers, N.A. June 17, 1918 From: The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. To: The Commanding General, Services of Supply. The following is a report of my activities on June 16 and 17: 1. Conference with Colonel Cutcheon, Board of Contracts and Adjustments, relative to settlement with the English Government of cost of maintenance of American troops stationed with them, and on general matters of financial organization. 2. Conference with Major Bacon, American liaison officer at British Headquarters, relative to matters connected with the new Board on Allied Supply. 3. Conference with Colonel Maud, of the English army, on Allied Supply matter. 4. The Commander-in-Chief, by telephone, ordered me to leave for General Headquarters this noon and to bring Mr. McFadden, of the War Trade Board, with me for conference. Charles G. Dawes Colonel, Engineers, N.A. C: DAILY REPORTS 135 June 21, 1918 From: The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. To: The Commanding General, Services of Supply. The following is a report of my activities on June 17, 18, 19, 20, and 2 1 : 1. At the direction of the Commander-in-Chief left for Chaumont on afternoon of June 17 and attended conference which he held at his office on the morning of June 18, of which you know all the details, having been present. 2. During afternoon of June 18 at conference with the Commander-in-Chief he prepared the order announcing the establishment of the Military Board of Allied Supply and my appointment as a member thereof representing the A.E.F. 3. Left Chaumont on the morning of June 19 and pro- ceeded to French General Headquarters, where I met Colonel Payot, the French representative on the Military Board of Allied Supply, and talked over with him the proposed plan of organization of Board. Arrived at Paris in the evening. 4. On June 20 had conference with Red Cross officials on correction of situation in connection with unauthorized pur- chases, as indicated by attached copy of letter to the Com- mander-in-Chief. Copy of letter to the Commander-in-Chief on Red Cross Supplies also attached. 5. Conference on the matter of purchasing organization in England. General Headquarters having issued orders neces- sitating the reorganization of the office of the purchasing agent for England took the matter up with General Head- quarters and recommended the issuance of orders relieving the present purchasing agent for England and naming Lieu- tenant-Colonel H. M. Byllesby, A.S.S.C., in his place. A telegram was sent to the purchasing agent for England or- dering the suspension of any work in connection with a change in the organization which will proceed under Lieu- tenant-Colonel Byllesby. 6. Conference with Commandant Varaigne, of the French 136 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR Mission. Transmitted through him to M. Tardieu the re- quest of the Commander-in-Chief that representations be made to M. Clemenceau relative to Belgian representation on Military Board of Allied Supply. This arrangement will be made. 7. Consideration of new order to purchasing ofificers of Red Cross to be issued by the head of that organization. 8. Conferences over telephone with Colonel Moseley and Colonel Logan relative to business with their Staff Depart- ments. 9. Conference with General Rogers relative to matter of a different method of appointing officers for the Army Service Corps rather than by commissioning them in Quartermaster Corps. The General Purchasing Agent has wired to you to- day asking orders to report at Tours. The plan suggested by you at Chaumont, and approved by the Commander-in-Chief, that these officers be commissioned direct in the National Army is essential to the highest efficiency of our Labor Organization, and it is in connection with the immediate adop- tion of this plan of procedure that the General Purchasing Agent desires to confer with you at Tours to-morrow. At the present time we need 144 officers and 1050 enlisted men to properly man the labor already recruited. We have available for this purpose only 63 officers and 609 enlisted men. This great need for officers to handle labor companies in the field can be met only by the adoption of your suggestion. 10. Conference with Colonel Townsend. 11. Conference with Colonel Townsend and Colonel Kraut- hoff relative to devising methods of presenting matters in- volving coordination to representatives of the French and English armies in connection with the organization of the Military Board of Allied Supply. 12. Conference with officers of Technical Board relative to matters of power installation in coordination with French. 13. Conference with Chief Statistician, Colonel Byllesby, Major Drake, and Staff relative to relation of orders issued by C: DAILY REPORTS 137 General Biddle to the orders issued by General Headquarters covering the conduct of business of the English branch of the ofifice of the General Purchasing Agent. Charles G. Dawes Colonel, Engineers, N.A. June 25, 1918 From: The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. To: The Commanding General, Services of Supply. The following is a report of my activities on June 22, 23, 24, and 25: 1. Under orders of the Commanding General, Services of Supply, left Paris for Tours, arriving in the afternoon. Had conference with yourself regarding matter of Board of Allied Supply, London purchasing ofifice, etc. 2. Conference with Colonel Smither and Major McAdams, finally culminating in a meeting with the C.G., S.O.S., and his Chief of StafT in the evening, at which time, however, a con- ference was not held. 3. Arrived Paris on Sunday afternoon, June 23. 4. Conference on wood situation with Captain Moore. For purpose of further negotiation with the French on this serious situation, we shall probably ask for the presence of Major Hill here for a few days from the Headquarters, S.O.S. 5. Conference with Lieutenant-Colonel H. M. Byllesby, whom the Commander-in-Chief has appointed purchasing agent for England. Also conference with General Patrick. 6. Conference with Lieutenant-Colonel Cutcheon, Board of Contracts and Adjustments, on matters pertaining to that or- ganization. Conference with Colonel Townsend relative to London purchasing organization; also with Major Drake in this connection. 7. Consideration of methods of economy in use of horses at the front, concerning which I sent memorandum to the Commander-in-Chief prepared by Lieutenant-Colonel R. R. McCormick. 138 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR 8. Conference with Mr. McFadden and Dr. Taylor, of the War Trade Board, relative to consolidation representation of War Trade Board and General Purchasing Agent in Italy. 9. Conference with Labor Organization; also conference with Colonel Carson relative to manner of commissioning ofificers therein. 10. The first meeting of the Military Board of Allied Supply will be held at my office on Friday afternoon, June 26. Charles G. Dawes Colonel, Engineers, N.A. June 27, 1918 From: The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. To: The Commanding General, Services of Supply. The following is a report of my activities on June 26 and 27: 1. Conference with General Winn with reference to space allotment in this building to other services. 2. Conference on wood situation with Captain Moore. 3. Conference with Board of Contracts and Adjustments. 4. Conference with Labor Organization. 5. Conference with Technical Board. Letter goes forward to you to-day in connection with matters discussed. 6. Called together ofificers of Purchasing Board for con^ ference with General Winn on subject of space allotment. 7. Called members of General Purchasing Board together for conference with reference to pooling of local automobiles. 8. Conference with Colonel Payot, representative of French army on Military Board of Allied Supply. The closest understanding exists between Colonel Payot and myself, and I feel that there will be the fullest degree of cooperation between us in our association on the Board, the first meeting of which has been called by the French Government (notice sent by M. Jeanneney, Sous-Secretaire d'Etat, Pr^sidence du Conseil) for 3 P.M. on June 28 at my office. Various measures of possi- ble coordination were discussed by Colonel Payot and myself as preliminary to the meeting of the Board. C: DAILY REPORTS 139 9. Conference with Captain Sanborn, representative of General Purchasing Agent in Spain. 10. Consideration of memorandum to be presented by me at first meeting of Military Board of Allied Supply, requesting preparation of information by the British, French, and Amer- ican armies which will be needed in connection with consider- ation of coordination matters. Charles G. Dawes Colonel, Engineers, N.A. June 29, 1918 From: The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. To: The Commanding General, Services of Supply. The following is a report of my activities on June 28 and 29: 1 . Conference in the morning with Colonel Payot and mem- bers of his Staff relative to matters to be proposed at first meeting of Military Board of Allied Supply to be held in the afternoon. Communicated the substance of Payot's proposals to the Commander-in-Chief by telephone and obtained his approval of the same. The proposals were along the line of the Commander-in-Chief's purposes and plans. Considered with Colonel Payot fully the method to be followed and ac- tions to be proposed at the first meeting. 2. The first meeting of the Military Board of Allied Supply was held at these offices at 3 p.m., June 28, with Colonel Payot representing the French army, Colonel Beadon repre- senting the English army. General Merrone representing the Italian troops in France, and myself, together with interpre- ters and clerk, present. The full report of this meeting is in process of preparation and will be mutually agreed upon to- morrow morning. When finally adopted the report will be sent to you. For your information and to be read in connection with the report I enclose you copy of a letter which I am to- day writing to the Commander-in-Chief. Your careful at- tention is asked to this letter, as in it I discuss the relations of the work of the Board and myself to you as Commanding 140 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR General, Services of Supply. Another meeting of the Board was agreed upon for next Tuesday. The plan of operations, as discussed by Colonel Payot and myself and communicated to the Commander-in-Chief, was adopted. 3. Conference with General Rogers relative to certain rec- ommendations made by the Board of Contracts and Ad- justments. 4. Conference with General Langfitt. 5. Conference with French Colonel in charge of French army personnel in Paris. 6. Conference with Labor Organization in connection with importation of Tunisian labor. Charles G. Dawes Colonel, Engineers, N.A. June 29, 19 1 8 From: The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. To: The Commander-in-Chief, A.E.F. Subject: Military Board of Allied Supply. The first meeting of the Military Board of Allied Supply was held at my office yesterday afternoon. Colonel Payot repre- senting the French army, Colonel Beadon representing the English army. General Merrone representing the Italian troops in France, and myself representing you, were present. We managed to get through the plan, approved by you in the telephonic conversation I had with you in the morning, in the form which the French and ourselves desired. From the min- utes of the proceedings of the meeting, which will be sent you as soon as the proces-verbal is agreed upon at my office to- morrow morning, you will know how extensive is the field proposed for coordination. Colonel Payot, in accordance with your invitation which I extended to him, is coming to Chaumont as soon as you return there, and before the next meeting of the Board on Tuesday if possible. As you pre- dicted, now that the Board is established and its authority properly defined, we are not subject to the interminable delays Ct DAILY REPORTS 141 and endless discussions involved in our former efforts to se- cure the cession of independent authority for use in a common emergency. The proces-verbal will contain so complete a statement of what was accomplished that I shall not en- deavor to recapitulate it here. The English representative, Colonel Bcadon, proves to be exactly what I expected in view of the past hesitation of the English Government regarding this measure of needed cooperation, due not at all to any governmental lack of an earnest desire to cooperate to the last extreme, but to the fear of the British Quartermaster-General that his personal authority and prerogatives might be limited thereby. He exhibits every personal desire to cooperate in the giving of material assistance, but his regard for his own authority, upon which, as you know, there is no intention to encroach, will make the full cooperation of the British Govern- ment, which their best men so earnestly desire, somewhat uncertain until experience has taught the British Quarter- master-General's Department that this Board cannot act in any matters relating to it without its acquiescence. Lord Milner named Colonel Beadon at the suggestion of General Cowans. Beadon offered no constructive suggestions what- ever, and his attitude was constantly one of opposition to matters of detail, but really of sincere cooperation in the larger things. He made an untactful attack upon the idea of a permanent chairman, advocating the principle of rotation, since the members upon the Committee are of equal authority; he also objected at first to the idea of a permanent staff upon which Payot so earnestly insists. When he seemed indisposed to concede that the French and American armies, even in matters of coordination w^hich primarily concerned themselves alone, would have a right to make impro\-ements by mutual agreement without the consent of the British member of the Board, I saw here my opportunity to secure his acquiescence in the permanent staff idea, and stated to him that under these circumstances he certainly should have a staff present to w-atch and keep him informed of any negotiations in progress be- 142 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR tween the French and Americans. He decided to immediately acquiesce in the permanent staff idea. Of course what was in his mind, probably under instructions, was to keep a careful watch on anything which might indicate methods through which there would be exercise of power by the Board. How- ever, he did not manifest the slightest objection to the insti- tution of any efforts to gather information from the armies, which shows that as always the English are sound at heart and are to be depended upon in a real emergency to the last degree. From the above I do not wish to create the impression that I am discouraged with Beadon as a member of the Board. He will very faithfully represent the attitude of General Cowans toward the Board. From what I know of Cowans that attitude will be one of great caution until he sees that his own right to protect his men and to run his Depart- ment as he pleases is not in jeopardy, and then he will give the loyal cooperation which we have come to expect from the English and in particular from General Cowans's own Quarter- master Department in its relation to the American Expedi- tionary Forces. As General Cowans announced that Beadon's appointment was to be considered temporary, I feel that the work of the Board will lead the English ultimately to appoint a man more used to the exercise of authority than Beadon and one possessed of the same general latitude of discretion with which Payot and myself have been entrusted by our respective Commanders-in-Chief. That there is a very wide- spread desire for this among some of the leading English officers directly in contact with the supply of their army is evidenced by their desire to consult with me in this connection. Major Bacon tells me that my presence is desired at British General Headquarters where he has arranged a conference for me with General Travers-Clarke. To sum up, so far as English representation is concerned, I feel more certain of their en- tire cooperation than at any other time. The English are slow to enter into an agreement, but once they are committed we C: DAILY REPORTS 143 all know that they are as steadfast as their own Rock of Gib- raltar. I believe that Beadon himself will develop into a satisfactory member of the Board when the attitude toward the Board of those over him is that of those over Payot and myself. As at the first meeting of the Board everything essen- tial which Payot and I had planned went through, I feel very well satisfied. The method which you inaugurated, to have your own army cooperate with the coordinating plans of the Board, will require some consideration. In connection there- with I hope to see you personally soon. The longer I am in military service and realize the extent of the powers which are in the hands of those in important positions to administer, the more I realize the desirability of refraining whenever possi- ble from the unexplained exercise of arbitrary authority. If, whenever possible, the reasons reinforcing discipline are given, then in time of emergency the body of men thus accustomed to understand that discipline is based upon reason accept, with enthusiasm instead of apathy, the necessary and quick imposition of unexplained arbitrary authority. In this state- ment I am simply putting in the words the spirit of the com- manding officers and General Staff of the regular army of the United States as I have noted it in innumerable instances since my association with them. Existing as I know there does between General Kernan and myself the highest degree of mutual confidence, I do not think Payot's plans, which tend to make more prominent those independent powers of the Board which we had hoped to keep in the background, will result in any lessening of the full effectiveness of the organization. General Kernan fully under- stands my intention to subject to his judgment, and, in points of difference, to his authority, any decision which I should be called upon to make involving his services, and that I am to be properly regarded as his agent as well as your own in this work. Of course the authority of yourself and General Kernan is always in the background as a means of enforcing cooperation in the Board's work of coordination, but from my 144 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR contact in important matters with the personnel of both the Staff" at General Headquarters and at Headquarters, Services of Supply, so far from anticipating any lack of sympathy or help from them I anticipate the most earnest cooperation. To insure this, all it is necessary for me to do in the future is what I have tried to do in the past — keep them fully in- formed of the facts surrounding proposed decisions before making them and consult them freely as to the wisdom of a decision. This letter is long, but the subject is one of great impor- tance, involving the success of the plan which the Govern- ments have adopted upon your initiative and which must not be allowed to become a failure. Charles G. Dawes Colonel, Engineers, N.A, July 5, 1918 From: The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. To: The Commanding General, Services of Supply. The following is a report of my activities on June 29 and 30, and July i, 2, 3, 4, and 5: 1 . Since the most important of my activities have related during the last few days to the Military Board of Allied Supply, all of which 1 have covered in my correspondence with yourself and the Commander-in-Chief, and of which you were fully advised, I have neglected to make a report of my other activities which the daily increasing pressure of a gen- eral situation has made varied. 2. The negotiations with the French Government and the heads of services in connection with supplies have become so frequent and varied that a report on them is difficult to make from recollection. During the past few days, resulting in decisions or actions of one kind or another, have had nego- tiations relative to Belgian passenger cars, steel rod for splints, wood, horses, coal, etc. 3. Took up with French Minister of Armament misunder- LIEUTENANT-COLONEL H. M. BYLLESBY, A.E.F. Purchasing Agent in England t/ C: DAILY REPORTS 145 standing of our cession to them of a depot at Melun which I explained to their satisfaction. 4. In accordance with your orders we are arranging des- tination in case of unexpected instructions from the French Government to vacate Paris. Charles G. Dawes Colonel, Engineers, N.A. July 10, 1918 From: The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. To: The Commanding General, Services of Supply. The following is a report of my activities on July 6, 7, 8, and 9: 1 . The important activities of this office cover such a large range of subjects and the general pressure of the supply situa- tion owing to the steadily increasing number of our troops is such that, unless instructed otherwise, the General Purchas- ing Agent will assume that it is your desire to be kept in touch only with transactions which involve policy or require instructions. 2. The General Purchasing Agent has been concerned during the past four da>s with emergency supply situation in connection with practically all branches of the service. He will refer to three cases especially. (i) Horses: By instruction from the Commander-in- Chief by telegram and telephone I had a conference with M. Tardieu and General Lerond, Deputy Chief of Staff of General Foch, and other French officers and officials. The result of this conference indicates that the French Government will succeed in furnishing the eighty thousand horses needed for the artillery by August I, with a possible delay of one week in the de- livery of some of the animals; that from August i on, so far as horses are concerned, to use an English expres- sion, we must be "on our own." In order to give us the eighty thousand horses the French will increase to a total of three fourths if necessary the share of horses which they are taking under requisition and which are 146 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR to be allotted to the American Expeditionaty Force. This information was transmitted by telegram to the Commander-in-Chief and repeated to you. (2) Labor situation: The General Purchasing Agent being charged with the procurement of labor is redoubling his efforts in the matter of recruiting in neutral and Allied countries since the French have requested that no more recruiting of civilian labor be done in France. They are short in the matter of their own labor require- ments. Our labor agency in Italy gives the best prom- ise of immediate results. Am sending additional officers there, including the Assistant Chief of the Labor Bureau. Am also sending officer to Portugal to endeavor to re- open the labor situation there, which so far has not been productive of results owing to the attitude of the Portuguese Government. Am also sending additional officers to Spain. Am taking steps to make another repre- sentation to the Italian Government as to the necessity of an additional cession of militarized labor. In con- nection with the method under which civilian labor is handled at present, the General Purchasing Agent feels that the method has not yet been adopted by which the maximum of work can be secured from our present force. This matter is now under discussion in our labor or- ganization. I am inclining to the opinion that a more centralized control of labor should be had at Services of Supply. The problem is resolving itself in my own mind into a question of how to secure the benefits of a more central control of the Labor Organization at Services of Supply without lessening the advantage which a location here gives in connection with the general system of procurement. In the broader sense labor is a commodity analogous to any other supply, and the function of gathering it thus far has most ad- vantageously proceeded in connection with our general supply efforts. Unquestionably I had best keep under my supervision and control the procurement of labor, but if some practicable plan can be devised by which efficiency in the handling of labor will be forwarded by the assumption of additional control by the S.O.S. without impairing the collection of labor, it should be done. This matter has been discussed by Colonel Smither, Major McAdam, and myself heretofore. I C: DAILY REPORTS 147 expect to send Major Jackson to Tours to again take up this question with Colonel Smither and Major McAdam. (3) Fuel wood: It was represented to the General Purchas- ing Agent that a crisis existed in the matter of fuel- wood allowance. Accordingly, Major Hill, who has this matter in charge, was summoned here and an ex- amination of the situation made. The General Pur- chasing Agent cannot speak too highly of the efficiency with which Major Hill has handled the fuel-wood and coal situation. He has done his work so well that so far from a crisis existing in the fuel-wood situation, it is estimated by our experts that the supply of fuel-wood on hand, together with that to be received from the forestry operations, is sufficient to supply an army of two million men for a period of one year on the basis of the British figures of fuel-wood consumption. The General Purchasing Agent decided, therefore, that there was no foundation for the claim of a crisis and made no recommendation to the French in this con- nection. Major Hill himself withdrew the suggestion that the matter be brought to the attention of the French Government. This incident illustrates the importance which should attach to the views of the Military Board of Allied Supply which is in a position to secure a view of the entire situation as distinguished from the situa- tion pertaining to a single army. It illustrates also that the tendency of those charged as a matter of military duty with the protection of a particular supply have not the attitude of mind toward a general emergency affecting three armies which justifies their report being adopted conclusively as a basis for inter-army or inter- governmental negotiations. The pressure of the situa- tion under which the French army and French people are struggling must be kept constantly in our minds. As one closely in touch with the higher French offi- cials here and cognizant to some extent of their em- barrassments, I cannot too strongly emphasize the sincerity and generosity of their efforts at coopera- tion in the supplying of our needs. We must show a similar spirit and always make our demands in terms of the minimum necessary instead of the maximum desired. 148 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR 3. In discussion with the Commander-in-Chief over the telephone, relative to the Military Board of Allied Supply, he said that in another order defining my duties as member of the Military Board of Allied Supply he would state that they would be exercised in addition to my duties as General Pur- chasing Agent, which means that the status quo here will be maintained unless the pressure of additional work makes it impossible. I do not, however, anticipate that the latter will be the case, as my duties as a member of the Military Board of Allied Supply should not consume any very large portion of my time. 4. Under direction of the Commander-in-Chief I had a conference with M. Tardieu as to the method of cooperation between his Bureau of Franco-American affairs and the American Expeditionary Force. The Commander-in-Chief is averse to the establishment of a separate organization for this work and asked me to consult with M. Tardieu in connec- tion with the use of existing machinery. M. Tardieu agreed fully in this view, and the General Purchasing Agent will, therefore, endeavor through his organization to keep M. Tardieu in touch with the supply requirements of the Ameri- can Expeditionary Force with the cooperation of General Headquarters and the Services of Supply. As M. Tardieu's plan is to assist in the matter of saving tonnage, I suggested to him that I furnish him forecasts of the army requirements for the next quarter and also secure for him a statement of the requisitions which we make from time to time on the United States for such portion of these supplies as we have assumed must be sent from there. M. Tardieu and M. Villagran, French Minister of Supplies, can then study the requisitions and our requirements with a view to determining whether or not the requisitions cannot be lessened by securing a larger portion of the supplies in France. M. Tardieu's organization should be able to save much tonnage, since it provides an additional and most important agency for the study of the particular question to which the best efforts of the entire C: DAJLY REPORTS 149 Staff of the American Expeditionary Force have been given. The French agency will have the advantage in the study of this question of first access to French information, which, of course, the American Expeditionary Force does not have. 5. The General Purchasing Agent has considered impor- tant matters during the last four days in connection with the Board of Contracts and Adjustments, Technical Board, Bureau of Statistics, refrigerator cars in Switzerland, labor recruiting in England, organization of the Staff of the Mil- itary Board of Allied Supply, horse situation in Italy for American troops there, Red Cross purchases, Y.M.CA. pur- chases, etc. 6. I have written the following to the Commander-in- Chief attaching a copy of the minutes of the second meeting of the Military Board of Allied Supply which I am sending herewith : (i) I enclose herewith the minutes of the second meeting of the Military Board of Allied Supply. The third meeting was held last Sunday, July 7, but the minutes of the same have not been submitted for agreement. There will always be a delay in forwarding the minutes of the meetings, as by agreement they must be approved by each member. (2) At the third meeting a preliminary discussion of the steps to be pursued in the coordination of construction of warehouse and depot plans and situation of the three armies was had and the nature of information desired from each army outlined. On July 17 a meet- ing will be held at which the information will be pre- sented by those in charge of the respective services oi the different armies and discussed by them in connec- tion with the Board. General Jadwin was present at the third meeting and understands fully the nature of the information desired from our own army and the manner in which it is to be presented to match similar informa- tion for the other two armies. Charles G. Dawes Colonel, Engineers, N.A. 150 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR July i6, 191 8 From: The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. To: The Commanding General, Services of Supply. The following is a report of my activities on July 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, and 15: 1. Conference with the Commander-in-Chief on forest situation and other critical questions of supply in relation to French requirements. 2. Conference with the Commander-in-Chief relative to the method of cooperation with the Board established by M. Tardieu designed to assist in the effort to save tonnage. The Commander-in-Chief will appoint an officer to work in close liaison with G.H.Q., S.O.S., and the G.P.B. and M. Tardieu's Board. In general, M. Tardieu and the French Minister of Supplies will study the forward requirements of the army, which I have furnished them, in connection with our requisi- tions to determine whether or not a portion of the latter can- not be supplied from French sources. 3. Conference on methods to be pursued by the Military Board of Allied Supply. 4. Conference on Labor Organization relative to recom- mendation of General Purchasing Agent that the Head- quarters of this organization be removed to Tours in order to be in closer contact with conditions and environment under which labor is employed. 5. Conference with Board of Contracts and Adjustments in relation to amounts due English on account of American troops and other matters. 6. Conference with Colonel Byllesby, Purchasing Agent for England, in regard to the organization of his office and prepa- ration of suggested orders covering method of operation of the agency of the General Purchasing Board in England to take the place of orders recently issued by G.H.Q. Copy of the suggested orders will be forwarded to you. 7. Conference with the French relative to information to C: DAILY REPORTS 151 be submitted on the forestry situation by General Jadwin at next meeting of Military Board of Allied Supply on Wednesday afternoon. 8. Conference with Paul D. Cravath relative to English cooperation with Military Board of Allied Supply. 9. On Saturday, July 13, visited Headquarters of the Military Board of Allied Supply; also French front. 10. Conference upon order of the Commander-in-Chief with Mr. Walter Damrosch relative to reorganization of the army music. Sent Damrosch to Chaumont for consultation with officer of General Staff. 11. Conference with M. Van de Vyvere, Minister of Fi- nance, Belgium, relative to cooperation of Belgian army with Military Board of Allied Supply. 12. Conference with General Merrone, Italian army, re- sulting in the furnishing of officers of American troops in Italy with proper mounts. 13. Conference with representatives of Fourth Bureau, S.O.S., detailed to Military Board of Allied Supply. 14. Various routine matters of supply, contract, and labor involving no important matters of policy and too numerous for detail. Charles G. Dawes Colonel, Engineers, N.A. July 17, 1918 From: The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. To: The Commanding General, Services of Supply. The following is a report of my activities on July 16 and 1/ • I. Conference over telephone with the Commander-in- Chief relative to relation of Tardieu Board to the American Expeditionary Force. It transpires that Tardieu has been communicating as to the needs of the A.E.F. direct with the United States, a course which persisted in would result in extreme confusion. The Commander-in-Chief has taken a strong position with Tardieu that if he persists in endeavor- 152 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR ing to represent the needs of the A.E.F. to Washington authorities, without first submitting his suggestions toG.H.Q., that the A.E.F, will decline to recognize his Board. Tardieu has promised not to make representations as to the needs of the A.E.F. without consultation. For the purpose of insuring the proper cooperation between Tardieu and the A.E.F. the Commander-in-Chief states that he will appoint an officer from G.H.Q. to be charged with responsibility for the same. 2. Conference with Major Harjes on Tardieu matter. 3. Conference with Staff of General Purchasing Agent relative to the form of a suggested order covering method to be pursued in consolidated purchases. Copy of this suggested order has been sent to G.H.Q. and also to General Kutz, S.O.S., concurrently. The G.P.A. asked General Kutz to con- sider this order so that if he has any suggestions to make in connection therewith they can be considered by G.H.Q. con- currently with the letter from the General Purchasing Agent. 4. Conference with Staff of General Purchasing Agent on methods pursued by Engineers in connection with Swiss pur- chases. The General Purchasing Agent is not satisfied with efforts which the Engineers have made to make purchases not subject to proper coordination. This is not the fault of Colonel Townsend, Chief Purchasing Officer of the Engineers, who has taken steps to correct certain errors on the part of his subordinates. 5. Conference on matter of Portuguese labor. 6. Consideration of wood situation. A telegram in this con- nection from the Commander-in-Chief directing a conference between General Jadwin and the General Purchasing Agent on the general subject of lumber and forestry requirements before the meeting of the Military Board of Allied Supply this afternoon, which will be attended by General Jadwin, indicates that a reconsideration must be had of the general construction programme of the A.E.F. in view of the inadequacy of the lumber supply. It is hoped that at this afternoon's meeting, in conference with the French and English, the entire lumber C: DAILY REPORTS 153 and construction situation may be so outlined that an in- telligent conclusion as to the relative necessities of the respec- tive armies and proportions in which lumber supplies may be divided can be ascertained. General Jadwin will no doubt report to you the results of the conference. Charles G. Dawes Colonel, Engineers, N.A, July 23, 1918 From: The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. To: The Commanding General, Services of Supply. The following is a report of my activities on July 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, and 23: 1. Absence from the city interfered with sending of daily report, as in the period above mentioned I visited British General Headquarters at Montreuil, French General Head- quarters at Provins, and Headquarters of the Military Board of Allied Supply at Coubert. My visit to British Head- quarters was at the invitation of General Travers-Clarke, who is in command of the British rear, and resulted in a clear understanding on his part of the functions of the Military Board of Allied Supply. General Travers-Clarke feels that he should be a member of this Board and is now in England where the matter of his appointment to the Board will be taken up with Lord Milner. His membership on the Board would make more close the relation of the Board to the Eng- lish rear. 2. At request of Colonel Payot I visited the French General Headquarters in connection with management of French transportation system. Colonel Payot desires that General Pershing be kept fully informed of the progress of this matter. The General Purchasing Agent conferred with General Pershing in this connection. The point involved is a pro- posed lessening of the power of French military authorities over transportation in the Zone of Advance. In view of the success which has attended the handling of the transportation 154 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR in the Zone of Advance by military authorities, it would be nothing less than a calamity in which the A.E.F. would be vitally interested if the arrangement were changed. As a matter of fact, the French transportation outside of the Zone of Advance should be centralized in the military authority now controlling transportation at the front. This is submitted for your confidential information, and the French military authorities request that the giving of information in relation to it be restricted to yourself and the Commander-in-Chief. 3. Meeting of the Military Board of Allied Supply was held yesterday at Coubert. General Wheeler, General Moseley, Major Hodges were present in addition to the Staff of the American Section. The minutes of the meeting will give a more detailed report of what was done. However, arrange- ment was completed for the pooling of ammunition at the front, the French being authorized to take ammunition now in French depots, but marked for the A.E.F. In turn they are supplying the American troops with ammunition as needed. General Wheeler and General Moseley agree in connection with the action taken. The Board decided to request informa- tion as to motor transports of the three armies. Colonel Payot emphasized the great necessity of a common reserve of motor transports of the three armies in connection with any pro- posed offensive. They must be used for troop transportation to points of attack. The French have moved for some months more troops by motor transports than by railroad. I ob- tained an agreement from Colonel Payot by which orders will be given to the French operating in conjunction with Ameri- can units that a division of the prisoners taken be made with the Americans. It is my belief that heretofore we have not been receiving our proper proportion of the prisoners taken in joint offensives where the French and American troops have been closely mingled. We have, of course, received the prison- ers taken by American divisions where they operated as a unit. 4. The American representatives presented the complete C: DAILY REPORTS 155 situation in the wood matter of the A.E.F. The French are still gathering their information. It will be some time before it is secured. Complete information as to the entire situation is desirable before the policy of the A.E.F. in connection with the wood requirements is determined. 5. Conference with the Commander-in-Chief in connection with the embargo which Spain has put upon shipment of horses and mules to the A.E.F. We are taking this matter up through the representative of the War Trade Board. The object of the Spanish embargo is unquestionably to compel the release of cotton from the United States to Spain. This release of cotton must be made, as it is absolutely essential, in the crisis which confronts us in the horse situation, that we obtain Spanish animals. 6. At the Military Board of Allied Supply meeting the question of standardizing the horse ration for the three armies was discussed and full information presented. General Moseley and Colonel Eltinge, of the General Staff, who were present, stated that after hearing the arguments of Colonel Williams and Captain Halsey, of our Remount Service, as well as the statements of the French, English, and Italian representatives, they would be prepared to submit at the next meeting of the Board on Sunday the ration which the A.E.F. would accept. Discussion of hay transportation and forage supplies was had. I made arrangements for the French Commandant in charge of the French hay supply to meet Colonel Maud, of the English army, with the idea of having introduced into the French army the English system of double compression of hay which would result in a great saving of transportation space. 7. Had various conferences with different branches of my office, including the Labor Bureau, Technical Board, and Board of Contracts and Adjustments. These matters, al- though very important, are nevertheless not related to any operations which are not clearly understood by you and it will not be necessary to recapitulate them. 156 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR 8. Conference with S. M, Felton, Director-Genera! of Transportation, who is about to leave for Tours. In connec- tion with the French and American command, there being an insufficient supply in practically all classes of requirements, the General Purchasing Agent as such, and as a member of the Military Board of Allied Supply, finds himself in all pre- liminary negotiations between what seems an irresistible force and an immovable body. To resolve such situations the information which both sides receive from the Military Board of Allied Supply is essential, and favorable results of the interchange of such information in the attitude of mind of both parties to the situation is already evident. Charles G. Dawes Colo?iel, Engineers, N.A. July 26, 1918 From: The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F, To: The Commanding General, Services of Supply. The following is a report of my activities, July 24, 25, and 26: 1. During the last three days have attended to matters connected with practically all the departments of this office. In connection with the Military Board of Allied Supply, as I have already wired you, action was taken pooling munitions at the front between the French and American armies and providing for a method of withdrawal from depots at the front. Was notified by the Chief of Staff, G.H.Q., that orders corresponding to those issued by the French army have been issued to the American army in this connection as requested. 2. During the last two days have been in conference with the French relative to the method of settling the general wood situation which is at a crisis. Held conference yesterday with representatives of the French Zone of Advance and this morning with M. Tardieu relative to the presentation of the situation in the French Zone of the Rear. It is apparently necessary for the A.E.F. to deal in this particular case with two authorities representing the French front and rear HAROLD F. Mccormick Purchasing Agent in Switzerland C: DAILY REPORTS 157 respectively, as the French do not regard it as practicable to centralize their authority in their representative on the Mili- tary Board of Allied Supply. The Chief of Staff, G.H.Q., tele- phoned the General Purchasing Agent in this connection that when the final conference with the French was held on this subject the General Purchasing Agent could notify the French that the Commander-in-Chief would requisition six thousand foresters to work under French direction in the French forests in order to furnish them wood. He stated in addition that the Commander-in-Chief expected to requisition twenty-four thousand foresters for work on the American construction programme in addition to the six thousand for the French. 3. Conference had between Commandant Lescannes, in charge of the French forage situation. Colonel Maud, of the English army, and myself for discussion of the process now in use by the- English for the double compression of hay, re- sulting in large saving of transportation space on railroads. Commandant Lescannes left yesterday for Toulouse to ac- quaint himself with the English method of handling hay. It is hoped, through the adoption of the English method by the French and Americans, that additional hay can be trans- ported for the horses at the front. 4. Secured through the Military Board of Allied Supply promise of the issuance of an order to the French army through which it is hoped that we shall secure a larger num- ber of German prisoners at the points where French and American troops act in conjunction. Charles G. Dawes Colonel, Engineers, N.A. August 6, 19 18 From: The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. To: The Commanding General, Services of Supply. The following is a report of my activities for the period July 27 to August 6, inclusive: I. Having been notified by you on Sunday, July 28, that 158 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR you were to assume command of the Serv^ice of Supply, I joined you on the 29th at Tours and spent most of the time practically in continuous touch with you. No detailed report of activities for this period, therefore, seems essential, even if I could recall them. 2. The meeting of the Military Board of Allied Supply at Coubert on Friday, August 2, to attend which I left you at St. Nazaire, resulted in the completion of the collection of in- formation on the hay and forage situation in the Allied armies such as to justify me in a recommendation to you relative to reduction of the American forage ration. Regarding it as very important in your determination of whether or not to ap- prove of the recommendation that the American forage ration be reduced to the British forage ration, I am sending you to-day by General Jadwin the report of Commandant Les- cannes, in charge of forage for the French army; British feeding regulations; note on British forage ration, together with certain tables. Examination of these important papers will, I trust, lead you to the approval of the reduction of the American forage ration, coupled with the issuance of orders designed to prevent waste somewhat similar to the British regulations. After my conversation with you in the office the other day I feel that these papers will reinforce the con- clusion which is already in your mind of the necessity of a reduction, and if so I hope very much that you will wire me your conclusion in time for me to report it at the next meet- ing of the Military Board of Allied Supply on Sunday, August II. The reports of the meetings of the Military Board of Allied Supply are read by all French departments, both civil and military, and I am sure that this effort to meet their views in the matter of economy will be appreciated by them and of value to us in connection with concurrent and similar negotiations. 3. Captain Moore has carried to you the report of the Military' Board of Allied Supply on the matter of the mobile automobile reserve which has been discussed with you and the C: DAILY REPORTS 159 Importance of which you have in mind. Since before long you will be asked to make an important decision in this connec- tion, I trust that this report may have your early considera- tion. 4. Have held various conferences in connection with the Italian labor situation; with Mr. McFadden, War Trade Board, in connection with cooperation of the War Trade Board in securing additional supplies from Italy, especially motor transport and labor; with Mr. Herbert C. Hoover relative to cooperation of the A.E.F. in connection with securing from England concessions as to wheat for France; and with various departments of my office on routine matters. 5. Very important conference with Mr. Dwight Morrow, of the Allied Maritime Transportation Council, who has in my judgment a very broad conception of the whole international shipping situation and the necessity for establishing the closest possible touch by the C.G., S.O.S., with this matter. You should know their situation and they should know yours in order to insure the successful completion of the proposed military programme. The situation as outlined by Mr. Mor- row requires immediate attention. Mr. Morrow is required to return to London early next week. He will be glad to come to Tours at any time named by you to give you the situation as he sees it and his ideas in connection therewith. I cannot overstate the importance of this early interview by you with him. I think after you have talked with Morrow you will want to take him from G.H.Q. or Paris and attach him as a civilian to your Staff at Tours. It may be impossible to get Mr. Morrow away from his present assignment, but my own idea is that association with you would not be inconsistent with his retaining his relation with the Maritime Council. Please wire me what time this week you can see Morrow. Charles G. Dawes Colonel, Engineers, N.A. i6o JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR August 7, 1918- From: The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. To: The Commanding General, Services of Supply. The following is a report of my activities on August 6 (con- tinued) and August 7 : I. Attended conference on wood and tie situation. There were present M. Loucheur, M. Tardieu, General Chevalier, Commandant Oppenheim, and other French officers, repre- senting the French, and General Jadwin, Captain Moore, Lieutenant Chandler, and myself, representing the A.E.F. While it was expected to consider only the question of rail- road ties at this meeting, in effect a satisfactory adjustment of the entire wood situation, for the present at least, was reached. The French emphasized the emergency existing in the matter of railroad ties. They stated that they had on hand at this time about i ,200,000 ties as a reserve ; that they were using ties at the rate of 700,000 per month ; and that the French production of ties was only 250,000 per month. Their reserve, therefore, of 1,200,000 ties would be practically ex- tinguished within the next ninety days unless assistance could be had from the Americans. This reserve is a military reserve. In case of an advance at least 900,000 ties must be ready for delivery at the front. The understanding which was reached as a result of this satisfactory meeting was that an officer appointed by General Jadwin would confer with General Chevalier to determine how many additional American forest- ers could be immediately diverted to the work of creating ties — creating a tie reserv^e. The French agreed to furnish the lumber which the men thus diverted to cutting ties would otherwise produce. M. Loucheur made the statement to us that while he had forbidden the cutting of any more lumber in the Landes district, it was because the lumber already cut could not be transported. He stated that it was useless to cut additional lumber under these circumstances in that district. However, he stated that he expected to allocate to the Ameri- C: DAILY REPORTS l6i can army all the forests necessary for their purposes as fast as the foresters and transportation facilities were provided to use them. It did not become necessary for us in connection with these concessions to make a promise to the French of six thousand foresters, but both General Jadwin and I think that in view of the whole situation the request for additional foresters from the United States should be made as heretofore contemplated by the General Staff. The French are keenly alive to the difficulties of our situation, having experienced all of them. The successful adjustment of this matter is very largely due to General Jadwin's admirable presentation of the situation and evident spirit of cooperation and sympathy with the French, which, from my observation, is always met by them with a corresponding spirit. 2. Conference with Mr. Herbert C. Hoover, who had a two hours' conference with General Pershing yesterday. Mr. Hoover stated that his opinion coincided directly with that of the Commander-in-Chief in the matter which has been the subject of confidential conversation among us, relative to the command of the Services of Supply. Mr. Hoover's idea, in which General Pershing expressed to him acquiescence, was that there should be a better coordination of the civil agencies representing our Government in France and that the man who should be sent to effect this coordination was Secretary McAdoo. In Secretary McAdoo there would be combined the ability, prestige, and experience necessary to accomplish this difficult task of coordinating the many lines of independ- ent effort of the different civil departments of our Govern- ment and their subsidiary boards. I know you will fully agree with this. Mr. Hoover will leave the city to-morrow, but his assistant, Mr. Bell, will remain for a time, under instructions to obtain a bird's-eye view of the army necessities in the food line. I told Mr. Bell that I was sure you would afford him every possible facility to acquaint himself with prospective requirements. 3. Interview with Mr. McFadden, War Trade Board, and 1 62 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR his Italian representative, relative to Italian labor and sup- plies, conference with Labor Organization, and various other routine duties of ofi&ce. Charles G. Dawes Colonel, Engineers, N.A. August 9, 19 1 8 From: The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. To: The Commanding General, Services of Supply. The following is a report of my activities on August 8 and 9: 1. Conference with Colonel Cutcheon and Captain Jay relative to more complete organization of financial system of the A.E.F. , in connection with which I expect soon to make you a recommendation. As the business of the A.E.F. grows in magnitude the organization designed to keep its affairs in shape should be expanded and control over the same further centralized. 2. Conference relative to labor matters and with different heads of the departments on routine matters. 3. Spent evening with Mr. Edward R. Stettinius, Assistant Secretary of War, which was devoted to discussion of the general organization methods of the A.E.F., in which Mr. Stettinius expressed himself as satisfied. Discussed with him plan of extension of organization for financial matters which we have in mind to recommend to you. 4. Conference with French officers sent to me by Colonel Payot with reference to the question of consideration by the Military Board of Allied Supply of the distribution of wireless apparatus. M.Tardieu has requested that the French not take up this matter on the Military Board of Allied Supply as for- merly requested by General Foch. Colonel Payot desired to consult me in this connection, sa^'ing that it was his personal wish to comply with M. Tardieu's desire, as he thought General Foch was represented on Tardieu's Mission by one of his Staff. I accordingly wired you suggesting that French desired postponement of consideration of this matter by the C: DAILY REPORTS 163 Board and that it was unnecessary to send officers to next meeting of the Board. In the meantime I shall confer with Tardieu and find out the situation in this connection. It may be necessary for us to consider the matter of coordination of the wireless telegraph through the Tardieu Mission rather than through the Military Board of Allied Supply. In any event General Foch's military authority will be represented. 5. Conference with Mr. Walcott and Mr. Bell, of the Hoover Commission; with Mr. McFadden, of the War Trade Board; and with Mr. Gifford, who is associated with Mr. Stettinius — all on routine matters not involving questions of policy. CiLVRLES G. Dawes Colonel, Enghieers, N.A. August 13, 1918 From: The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. To: The Commanding General, Services of Supply. The following is a report of my activities on August lO, II, 12, and 13: 1. Before leaving for Coubert on Sunday, August 11, for meeting of Military Board of Allied Supply, I had a conference on Saturday afternoon with M. Tardieu relative to the method to be pursued in coordination of wireless apparatus behind the lines — programme, codes, etc. General Lerond, Deputy Chief of Staff to General Foch, being represented at Tardieu's office, it was decided that the matter could be more directly taken up through the Tardieu Mission than through the Military Board of Allied Supply, since programme-making would be outside of military jurisdiction so far as the French are concerned. M. Tardieu's Mission has therefore arranged for a conference of the heads of our services with the French departments concerned and we shall not proceed further with the matter on the Military Board of Allied Supply. 2. Attended meeting of the Military Board of Allied Supply. A copy of the minutes of this meeting when agreed upon will i64 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR cover the proceedings and will be sent to you. In connection with the coordination and centralization of control of light railways behind the lines, associated as they are intimately with the whole transportation question — including automo- bile reserve — I desire very much to have you and General McAndrew listen to the discussion of the experts before the Board first-hand and accordingly wired you suggesting this. General Foch is especially concerned in this matter of the light railways running from the heads of the standard roads to the front. The problems of the transportation of an army on the advance necessitate a common handling of them to se- cure the best results, as you know. The experts of the three armies are studying these questions and they will be discussed at the next meeting. I notified the Military Board of Allied Supply of the decision of the Commander-in-Chief to come to the British forage ration for the American army. The oat ration for the three armies thus becomes standardized at five kilos per day. I ask still that your mind be held open on the hay question until at the next meeting of the Military Board of Allied Supply you can hear first-hand the discussion by our own experts together with those of the French and English armies. 3. Conference with Colonel Cutcheon in connection with the plan of reorganization of the financial system of theA.E.F,, which I am submitting to you and to the Commander-in- Chief to-day. My written argument accompanying the same covers this important subject from my standpoint. Whatever may be the disposition of this organization, whether left nominally under my jurisdiction or not, its authority in my judgment should be created and supported in every possible way by you. 4. The General Purchasing Agent acknowledges with thanks your permission for his vacation for one week, which is the first he will have enjoyed since entering the army. He has so arranged his work that it will go on uninterruptedly in his absence. So far as the Military Board of Allied Supply is C: DAILY_REPORTS 165 concerned, a full week's time was necessary for the proper study by expert committees of questions before the next meeting. 5. Conferences with various departments of my office; McFaddcn, of the War Trade Board; S. M. P'elton, Director- General of Railways; Labor Bureau, etc. •Charles G. Dawes Colonel, Engineers, N.A. September i, 19 18 From: The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. To: The Commanding General, Services of Supply. The following is a report of my activities for the period August 14 to 31, inclusive: I. I have not sent you a report of daily activities since August 13, about the time I left for a week's rest. This has been partly because I have been in such constant personal touch with you and the most important work of the last ten days has been done at your direction. The minutes of the meet- ing of the Military Board of Allied Supply, which are in your possession, will indicate my activities as the American mem- ber at the meeting held on the 21st of August. The next meet- ing of this Board will take place at its Headquarters at Coubert to-morrow. For the purpose in part of making a proper exposition to the chiefs of the services and to the Staffs at G.H.Q. and S.O.S., as well as for the purpose of more clearly defining my relation as member of the Board to the General Staff, I prepared on August 24 a letter to the Com- mander-in-Chief which I discussed with him last Sunday. The Commander-in-Chief has written me that he discussed the question late Sunday afternoon with Marshal Foch of the functioning of the Military Board of Allied Supply. My letter was also sent, with General Pershing's permission, to Colonel Beadon, the representative of the British army on the Board, and to General Travers-Clarke, who is in command of the British rear, with the purpose of bringing about some ar- 1 66 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR rangement by which the command of the British rear would be more directly represented on the Board. As a result, Gen- eral Travers-Clarke is coming from British Headquarters to meet me this afternoon and to attend the meeting of the Board to-morrow. The English are showing evidence of a proper realization of the important work of the Board. Mar- shal Foch made the request, as you know, of the British army as well as of General Pershing for a direct control by Payot of the entire Allied rear. This course might have been desirable under the policy of commingling the troops of the different armies because of insufficient strength in the British and French armies. It is not now deemed desirable, since this policy has been altered in favor of one segregating the armies of different nationalities as far as possible because ex- perience shows that they fight better in this way. This ren- ders it necessary that the final control of the line of communi- cations of the separate armies be in the Commanders-in-Chief of the armies, and therefore has further emphasized the mili- tary importance of the Military Board of Allied Supply as being the only agent through which there can be secured cen- tral control of the tactical and strategic handling of certain transportation and supplies which should function in relation to the three armies considered as one. Through the Military Board of Allied Supply, with the unanimous consent provi- sion in existence, the respective Commanders-in-Chief have the final control of the situation as regards the supply of their respective armies and yet at the same time the machinery exists to put in motion a certain central control in the rear which Foch is very desirous of effecting. From General Pershing's letter to me relative to his interview with Marshal Foch, I judge that there is entire understanding between them on this subject, collateral evidence of which I get in the very earnest cooperation of Payot in the work of the Committee. Now if we can secure from the British the same cooperation with the Board which it has from the French and Amer- ican interests its useful work will be greatly expedited. C: DAILY REPORTS 167 I repeat all this chiefly for the purpose of record as you are familiar with it. 2. In connection with the hay crisis, at your direction I took up the matter with Payot, who kindly came to Paris to see me in connection with the matter. I was glad to hear from you yesterday that the French accordingly commenced to re- deliver hay. I am this morning in receipt of your instructions to secure consent of the French to buy hay locally along the railway lines over which we operate, which will have my im- mediate attention. In connection with this hay question I arranged and attended with our proper officers a conference wuth M. Tardieu, who was accompanied by both the French civil and military authorities, the details of which conference have been fully reported to you already. 3. The General Purchasing Agent presented in your pres- ence and under your direction on Friday to the chiefs of the services, a plan for expediting purchases of the A.E.F. by categories. The General Purchasing Agent desires to express his appreciation of your immediate comprehension and grasp of the plan and of your action in connection with the order. In no conference which he has had, either with the chiefs of the services or any other of the innumerable meetings with our allies, has so important a matter been so quickly, ex- peditiously, and judiciously settled as you settled this one. The General Purchasing Agent realizes that in receiving wide powers from the C.G., S.O.S., the responsibility for carr>'ing them out may involve difficulties which he and his Staff may not fully have foreseen. Some of the consolidated purchases which we have made through a system obtained by common consent heretofore have been of tremendous importance to the A.E.F. .notably the early purchase of machine tools which may almost be said to have saved our mechanical situation. What we have done heretofore at the cost of many negotia- tions, much patience, and considerable perplexity will now be made easier through this express authority, but the G.P A. desires to state that his personnel, though extremely able, is i68 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR small and doing about all it can do now. While, in the judg- ment of the G.P.A., we can improve our purchasing process by this order, it must not be regarded as anything revolution- ary of existing practice and methods and thus be made the basis of unreasonable expectations. Gradually and by the exercise of both tact and perseverance we believe we have succeeded in establishing business methods without using our power to obstruct the needs of the army in its great emergen- cies. As a matter of fact, the building-up of an organization by the G.P.A. in neutral and Allied countries to supplement the effort to collect supplies, and his continuous contact in con- sequence with the imperative and actual necessities of the supply situation, have enabled him to maintain the proper perspective when considering the imposition upon the system of the admirable methods of a normal business organization operating under normal conditions in normal times. In war there must be a constant compromise between system and emergency. It has been an advantage to the G.P.A. during the past year to have continually felt at all times the pressure of the necessity of system and of supply emergency. As a sheer matter of duty the necessity of securing a supply has always taken precedence over the application of theoretical system. As the end of the war approaches the G.PA. de- sires, as the imposition of theoretical system becomes easier, to live up to his responsibility in this connection, but he does not want the impression created, when he suggests the grad- ual tightening of the ideal systematic control, that it is a reflection upon the magnificent work that under great diffi- culties the army has accomplished in the last year. What would have become of the army if it had not been for the pur- chase on this side during the past year of over six million tons of material, I do not know. And that great achievement must not be lost sight of by the critics in the coming times of peace, who might inquire why we did not institute a year ago an authority only possible of proper execution now. 4. In regard to the question of the construction of an organ- LIEUTENANT DALTON H. MULLONEY C: DAILY REPORTS 169 ization for handling in a better way the financial business of the army, enabling us to make estimates of financial require- ments for the benefit of the Treasury and to apply collec- tive accounting and preserve and coordinate collective rec- ords, I note on my desk, as I expected, insuperable objections to the form of order which was prepared by Colonel Cutcheon and which I transmitted tentatively for consideration. As soon as Colonel Cutcheon returns from England I desire him to come to Tours to consult you, and as you have an entire conception of what should be put into effect you can suggest the form of order which will secure proper ends without a confusing interference with the independent functioning of the services. The solution will be analogous to the one which under your guidance has been worked out in connection with purchase by categories. 5. In regard to the matter of handling negotiations with the French Government, which has been under verbal discussion between the Commander-in-Chief, yourself, and myself, Colonel Logan and Mr. Stettinius will establish their offices adjoining mine. All of us must keep informed of the general state of negotiation. The whole subject is one which cannot be definitely and scientifically settled by means of orders. Even if Colonel Logan were not at my Headquarters and were located with M. Tardieu, our complete agreement as to what is necessary would prevent the initiation by him of negotia- tions with the chiefs of services asked for by the French Government without consultation. So far as the relations of Colonel Logan, Mr. Stettinius, and myself are concerned, the fact that we shall have offices in the same building makes pos- sible that personal contact which will prevent any confusion. We shall keep Mr. Stettinius informed of our supply situation and our army requirements, and while we have nothing to do ourselves with those civil activities and agencies represented by Mr. Stettinius, a common exchange of information be- tween us is essential to the most useful service on the part of all. As the accessions to the numbers of troops increases, the 170 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR necessity for contact with the French in the discussion of sources of supply and their coordinated use increases. Colonel Logan, with his long experience with and wide knowledge of the situation of the A.E.F., will be an invaluable aid to the general situation in Paris. Please issue no orders in this connection, as it will only embarrass Logan, Stettinius, and myself. 6. Changing again the form of this letter to a report of ac- tivities rather than a discussion of methods and policies, I have been engaged in conferences with George McFadden, representative of the War Trade Board, in connection with supplies in Spain and Portugal. In this connection I am soon to receive a letter from him requesting on behalf of the State Department a forecast of our requirements for the next year in Switzerland as well as Spain, the securing of which with reasonable accuracy is difficult and emphasizes the necessity of the institution of the organization in connection with which Colonel Cutcheon is working. 7. When at Tours I discussed with Colonel Smither the de- tail of moving the Labor Bureau from the control of the G.P.A. The recruiting of civilian labor was placed upon the G.P.A. because an emergency existed and the machinery for meeting it did not exist. In the earlier stages of this work it was necessary that it be located at Paris. I have taken great ■ride in the building of this organization and in its successful functioning under the able management of Major Jackson. Its success in securing labor at a critical time was marked. When, however, the amount of the labor recruited and ob- tained by us reached large figures, it seemed to be necessary that it be administered more directly in contact with your Staff and at my suggestion it was removed to Tours. Since I cannot keep in close touch with it at this distance, and since others are in much better position to assume its entire con- trol, I ask that such arrangement be made. In connection with the negotiations of the Labor Bureau with the foreign Governments, which has been in my hands in the past, I can C: DAILY REPORTS 171 continue to act at the request of the officer directly in charge of labor, who will have no hesitation in calling upon me, since I am in closer contact with the governmental agencies with which we must deal. 8. I think the above will better convey an idea of what has occupied my endeavors and attention than an effort to fur- ther detail the numerous conferences and activities and rou- tine duties of my position. I could not recollect them after such a lapse of time even if it were desirable for me to re- count them. In the future I shall endeavor to make this re- port more regular, although close personal touch with you over the telephone and otherwise renders it the less important than otherwise would be the case. Charles G. Dawes Colonel, Engitieers, N.A. September 4, 1918 From: The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. To: The Commanding General, Services of Supply. The following is a report of my activities on September 2 and 3: I. Conference with Lieutenant-Colonel Hodges and Major Roop, of my Staff, Military Board of Allied Supply. Prepara- tion of matter for presentation and discussion at meeting of Military Board of Allied Supply in the afternoon. The minutes of the meeting of the Board will be forwarded to you as soon as completed and agreed upon by the members. The chief subject of discussion was the new motor transport rules and organization for the Allied armies which are practically ready for submission to the Commanders-in-Chief with the recom- mendation of the Board for their adoption. Only a few minor details are as yet unagreed upon by the Board. General Pershing and General Petain attended the meeting. Both discussed the work of the Board, and in addition General Petain discussed the motor transport reserve proposed for the Allied armies. General Travers-Clarke accompanied me to 172 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR the meeting. General Moseley, G-4, G.H.Q., Colonel Smither, Assistant Chief of Staff, G-4, S.O.S., and Colonel Nutt were also present. 2. On Tuesday morning I had conference with the Com- mander-in-Chief in Paris. He prepared a letter to Lord Milner, copy of which I attach herewith, in which he re- quested direct representation of the British General Staff upon the Board in addition to representation of the British War Office. 3. At the meeting of the Military Board of Allied Supply I brought up again the hay situation, stating that you had found it necessary, owing to the failure of the French to de- liver hay as per their agreement, to requisition sixteen thou- sand tons of hay from the United States. Through Colonel Krauthoff I had had a request made of the French civil author- ities to authorize us to purchase hay locally in order to obviate the necessity of requisitioning hay from America in case of the French failure to furnish hay. Colonel Vemey, the local French Sous-Intendant handling the hay situation, stated that he could not possibly allow any purchases of hay locally in France as it would only create competition and serious trouble. I accordingly took this matter up with Colonel Payot, and at my request he came to Paris yesterday to make an appeal to the Minister of Ravitaillement to give us the author- ity we desire. He read me the form of the request which he thought wise to present and I approved same. He has not as yet reported the results of his conference. All this action was taken in accordance with your direction by letter dated August 31. 4. Conference with McFadden, War Trade Board, on Spanish and Swiss supply situation and the pending com- mercial treaties with those countries to be made under the direction of the State Department, Washington, and the War Trade Board. 5. Conference with Captain Jay relative to order for pur- chases under categories. Conference with Mr. Stettinius on C: DAILY REPORTS 173 same matter and also on the proposed financial organization of the A.E.F. 6. Conference with Colonel Krauthoff on potato situation. 7. Conference with Colonel Logan on flour situation con- cerning which he desires to confer with you upon the occasion of your next visit. 8. Conference with M. Tardieu and M. Ganne in con- nection with removal of boats at St. Nazaire, as directed by you. They promise early and favorable action. 9. Conference with Colonel Payot in regard to jurisdiction of the Military^ Board of Allied Supply over certain questions as related to French civil authorities controlling the French rear outside the Zone of Advance. 10. Conference with Mr, Dwight Morrow, Inter-Allied Maritime Transport Council, in connection with information desired by him on the forage question. Charles G. Dawes Colonel, Engineers, N.A. September 5, 1918 From: The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F, To: The Commanding General, Services of Supply. The following is a report of my activities on September 4, 5 : 1, Time chiefly devoted to routine affairs of office. 2, Conference with Commandant Lescannes, in charge of forage for French army, who was on his way to St. Nazaire, After conference with Colonel Payot and Commandant Lescannes I expect a favorable reply to our request to buy hay locally, to be delivered to me at the meeting of the Mili- tary Board of Allied Supply on next Monday, together with the rules and regulations in connection with the same. If this favorable result is obtained it will be due to Colonel Payot and the Military Board of Allied Supply, since the Minister of Ravitaillement had declined to give us the authority. Charles G. Dawes Colonel, Engineers, N.A. 174 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR September 7, 1918 From: The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. To : The Commanding General, Services of Supply. The following is a report of my activities on September 6: 1. Conference with the members of my Staff in connection with methods for local purchases throughout France. 2. Conference with Mr. Stettinius relative to the need of a central financial organization for the A.E.F., recommenda- tion for the establishment of which I have made and is now under consideration by you. In this connection and for the purpose of record, I desire to state that the General Purchas- ing Agent has made every effort to assist the Treasury De- partment in the collecting of information which it desires from time to time. Because of a lack of a financial organiza- tion authorized by order and possessed of the machinery to collect this information, the General Purchasing Agent and his Staff in a spirit of accommodation have secured what- ever information v/as possible at the request of the Treasury officials. He has not had the machinery for collecting and re- cording the information. The inadequacy of such informa- tion as he has furnished arises, as stated before, out of the lack of a central financial organization, and the General Pur- chasing Agent makes this record in order to call attention to the fact that his office has been under no obligation by order to do this work, has no facilities to perform it, and must not be criticized in connection therewith on this account. I think Mr. Stettinius fully understands this, and for that reason has joined with Colonel Cutcheon and the General Purchasing Agent in urging the issuance of orders establishing a financial organization which will have the authority to compel the different services to keep such records and transact their business in such a way as will enable the army to furnish the other departments of the Government the information neces- sary- for their cooperation in satisfying its financial needs. The organization is also important from the standpoint of internal C: DAILY REPORTS 175 business administration of the army. For instance, at the present time the Chief Statistician of the General Purchasing Board, whom the General Purchasing Agent appointed merely for the purpose of keeping the statistical records of his own office, has been asked to furnish information to the Treasury Department as to unpaid obligations of the A.E.F. arising out of the business of the different departments and for es- timates of the value of the material furnished the A.E.F. by the English and the French Governments. As a matter of accommodation the Chief Statistician is endeavoring to secure this information. The office of the General Purchasing Agent, however, must not be criticized for the inadequacy of this information which arises out of the lack of a central financial organization of the army, the establishment of which you expect to authorize. Charles G. Dawes Colonel, Engineers, N.A. September 7, 19 18 From: The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. To: The Commanding General, Services of Supply. The following is a report of my activities on September 7: 1. Conference with Mr. Stettinius in relation to proposed financial organization for the A.E.F. 2. Conference with Colonel Bricker and Colonel Krauthoff relative to transfer of machine-tool purchasing department from Quartermaster to Ordnance Department. 3. Consideration of report by French Mission as to re- quested concessions in connection with domestic transporta- tion, which will be taken up with you later. 4. Other routine work not connected with matters of policy. Charles G. Dawes Colonel, Engitieers, N.A. 176 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR September ii, 191 8 From: The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. To: The Commanding General, Services of Supply. The following is a report of my activities on September 7, 8. 9, and 10: 1. September 7: Made personal report of my activities for this day to you on Saturday evening, which is fortunate, as I cannot seem to recall any of them at this time. 2. September 8: Accompanied you to Meaux in the morn- ing and after leaving you at that point went to Soissons, No>'on, and Compiegne. 3. September 9: Spent morning in conference on several important matters of supply and went to Coubert for meeting of Military Board of Allied Supply. While there, as I have already wired you, received permission for the A.E.F. to buy hay locally in France along its lines of communication, the regulations regarding method of purchase being now drawn up. I hope to forward these to you to-morrow. The meeting was chiefly devoted to the question of securing a better under- standing in regard to 60 cm. railroad construction and re- ser\-es behind the lines. Conclusions in connection therewith will be found in the minutes of the meeting of the Board which will be sent you. Remained at Coubert during the night. 4. September 10: Went with other members of the Military Board of Allied Supply to the school for motor transports established by the Board at Rozoy. At present at this school there are officers as follows: 13 Americans, 10 British, 10 French, 5 Belgian, and 2 Italian. The chiefs of the motor transport services of the three armies having urged an agree- ment on rules of circulation behind the Allied lines, I wired the Commander-in-Chief a suggested memorandum to be sent to General Foch making possible the immediate promul- gation of the orders, copy of which telegram I sent you. Conference with Commandant Lescannes, Chief of French Forage, in connectic^i with crisis in the hay supply, concern- C: DAILY REPORTS 177 ing which you wired me. Also conferred with Payot on this subject at meeting of Board. Both these officers will attend the conference on the hay situation called by M. Tardieu for this afternoon, at which I shall also be present. Returned to Paris Tuesday afternoon. Charles G. Dawes Colonel, Engineers, N.A. September 14, 1918 From: The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. To: The Commanding General, Services of Supply. The following is a report of my activities on September 11, 12, and 13: 1. During these days have been working on the hay situa- tion and holding conferences with all parties concerned. These conferences will culminate this afternoon in a meeting be- tween yourself, General Rogers, Commandant Lescannes, and myself, at which time I think you will have the situation developed in your mind for your decision as to policy. Your anticipation of the crisis and prompt action therein in requisi- tioning 16,000 tons of hay a month ago has been fully justi- fied by developments. 2. Conference with Stettinius relative to proposed finance organization for A.E.F. It is hoped that this matter can be discussed with you this afternoon. 3. Conference between Payot, Bricker, and myself relative to settlement between French and Americans in connection with the pooling of ammunition at the front. Took Bricker with me to Coubert yesterday for consultation with Payot. 4. Meeting of Military' Board of Allied Supply held yes- terday, the minutes of which will be duly sent you. Was able to announce reorganization of motor transport system of A.E.F. now in progress giving greater facility to emergency movements. Also authorized by G.H.Q. to announce possible contribution in October to mobile automobile reserve of the Allied armies. Board decided to establish 60 cm. railway 178 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR staff school starting October i. Also stated to Board that Commander-in-Chief expected to be able to approve within the next few days the unified regulations applying to the three armies for motor transport behind the lines, all but a few de- tails of the same having been satisfactory. In view of the ad- vance of our lines every effort is being made to hasten action in this matter. 5. Conference relative to purchasing officers in neutral countries. 6. Conference with McFadden, War Trade Board, relative to animals from Spain. 7. Attention is called to the good work of the Purchasing Agent for England, through whom we are about to receive 10,000 standards of lumber from Great Britain. 8. The Commanding General, S.O.S., is congratulated upon the magnificent success of the First Field Army under command of General Pershing and reminded again that further developments are indicating that the Commanding General, S.O.S., was a determining element at Chateau- Thierry with his Marine Brigade and in command of the Second Division in what history will record as the Gettys- burg of this war. Charles G. Dawes Colonel, Engineers, N.A. September 16, 1918 From: The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F, To: The Commanding General, Services of Supply. The following is a report of my activities on September 14 and 15: The scope of operations of the office of the General Pur- chasing Agent has become so extensive that it is to be remem- bered that the report of activities of the General Purchasing Agent as an individual covers but a fraction of the activities of his office. The work of his office formerly attended to by the General Purchasing Agent in person, in the earlier days C: DAILY REPORTS 179 of the A.E.F., has of necessity passed under the jurisdiction of various boards and divisions of the office subject only to his general supervision. The result of this, therefore, is con- stant conference of the General Purchasing Agent with his Staff which it is difficult for him to epitomize into a record of activities. The general subjects connected with policy under discussion and study by his office are the functions of the Board of Replacements, the initiation of purchases by cate- gory, means of increasing supplies procured in Europe, nego- tiation with the French of supply questions, etc. 1. Received notice that the Government of Portugal has acceded to our request to recruit five thousand laborers in that country. 2. Conference with Lieutenant-Colonel Hodges and Major Roop, of the Staff of the Military Board of Allied Supply, relative to reorganization of the army transport system be- hind the lines and the reorganization of the transport system of the American army to accord therewith. The General Purchasing Agent expects to leave for Chaumont this after- noon to discuss certain features of this with the board ap- pointed at General Headquarters to finally iron out the small differences yet to be agreed upon and which when settled will make it possible for the Commander-in-Chief to sign the agreement with the other Allied commanders establishing the system. 3. Prepared recommendation for restatement of duties of General Purchasing Agent and General Purchasing Board, in response to telegram from General Headquarters. This re- statement incorporates duties which have been added since General Orders 31 was issued. I attach herewith this recom- mendation for restatement, since it should be considered by you before its incorporation in the general outline of adminis- trative staff duties. 4. Conference Saturday afternoon between the C.G., S.O.S., General Rogers, Commandant Lescannes, and the G.P.A. on the subject of local purchases of hay. The C.G., 1 80 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR S.O.S., after listening to the discussion, epitomizedthe situa- tion as follows: (i) The French Government agrees to furnish 3.3 kilos of hay per day per American animal at regulating stations. (2) The difference between 3.3 kilos per day and the American ration of 5 kilos per day must under pres- ent agreement be imported from America. (3) The CG., S.O.S. will consider whether or not he will decide to assist the French in furnishing the 3.3 kilos of hay per day by independent means of collection along the American line of communications. Charles G. Dawes Colonel, Engineers, N.A. September 20, 1918 From: The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. To: The Commanding General, Services of Supply. The following is a report of my activities on September 16, 17, 18, 19, and 20: 1. September 16, 17, and 18 were devoted to trip to Gen- eral Headquarters in connection with expediting the final set- tlement, by the Board of the General Staff, of the details remaining unadjusted with the French of the regulations for the use of motor transports behind the Allied lines, which regulations it is imperative to have promulgated as soon as possible. The necessity for the regulations increases as our lines advance farther from the railheads. At my request the Commander-in-Chief added Lieutenant-Colonel Hodges as a member of the Board. I expect to meet General Moseley to-day and am much in hopes that we can finally settle the matter then so that the rules can be promulgated at least in the French and American armies. 2. Conferred with members of the General Staff relative to operations of the Military Board of Allied Supply. Also con- ferred with General McAndrew, General Davis, General Penn, and General Eltinge. Discussed motor transport rules BRIGADIER-GENERAL W. D. CONNOR Commanding General, Service of Supply C: DAILY REPORTS i8i with representatives of G-4 in General Moseley's absence. Reached Paris on the evening of September 18, 3. September 19: Had conference with members of my Staff on subjects not related to policy. 4. Notified by General Travers-Clarke that Major-General Ford has been named as Member of the Military Board of Allied Supply to represent British General Staff, which act ends successfully our long campaign with the British for proper recognition of and cooperation with the Military Board of Allied Supply. This action was taken in response to a letter from General Pershing to Lord Milner, copy of which I sent you. 5. Discussed with General McKinstry the question of 60 c.m. railway school recently established by the Military Board of Allied Supply which will open October i. General McKinstry will send representatives to the school for in- struction. 6. Conference with H. P. Davison, head of American Red Cross, in connection with cooperation of Red Cross with the army. The Commander-in-Chief has issued an order under which Red Cross officials when properly qualified and ex- amined will become officers in the A.E.F. 7. Conference in connection with proposal to consolidate under the General Purchasing Agent the procurement of civilian clerical and stenographic assistance for the A.E.F. in Paris. 8. Conference with Chief of Technical Board. 9. Conference on motor transport supplies from Italy with representatives of Motor Transport Department and office Staff. Charles G. Dawes Colonel, Engineers, N.A. P.S. SeMemher 20: At conference between General Mose- ley, Colonel Payot, Colonel Hodges, and myself, this after- noon, we finally reached agreement on form of inter-Allied 1 82 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR rules to govern Allied army road traffic. As it is desirable to promulgate these rules immediately, I have sent Colonel Hodges with a copy of them to General Pershing's Headquar- ters for his signature. Charles G. Dawes Colonel, Engineers, N.A. September 21, 19 18 From: The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. To: The Commanding General, Services of Supply. The following is a report of my activities on September 21: 1. Aside from routine duties of office, principally concerned this day in conference with Colonel Payot regarding the Military Board of Allied Supply. The French Minister of Ravitaillement is planning to address a letter to General Pershing, to be accompanied by an explanatory letter from myself, suggesting that a request be made upon the Allied Governments to apportion certain supplies to the Allied armies through the agency of the Military Board of Allied Supply. It is the feeling evidently of the French Department of Ravitaillement that the present method of inter-Allied dis- tribution of certain centrally controlled food supplies such as wheat, the distribution being apportioned according to the needs of the Allied armies located not only in France, but in Italy, Asia, and Africa, is inadequate chiefly because the rela- tive needs of these armies are not accurately and centrally determined. The matter is one which requires thoughtful consideration, which cannot be fully given until the receipt of the letter from the French Ministry of Ravitaillement. When this letter is received a copy will be sent to you, together with any remarks of my own, so that it can be concurrently con- sidered by you when transmitted to the Commander-in- Chief. 2. Conference with McFadden, War Trade Board, with reference to cable from Ambassador Willard to the Com- mander-in-Chief asking for an expression of his policy in con- C: DAILY REPORTS 183 nection with the granting of trade concessions to Spain in re- turn for animals. The Commander-in-Chief has sent in- structions to me to prepare suggested reply for him to said cable stating in general terms that his policy is that every concession should be made necessary to get the animals. Mr. McFadden and the General Purchasing Agent are therefore considering the matter in connection with preparation of the cable endeavoring to transmit the virile purpose of the Com- mander-in-Chief without lessening its force and at the same time without breaking the numerous thin-shelled diplomatic eggs which bestrew the situation. 3. Conference on motor truck contract situation in Italy and other supply situations. Charles G. Dawes Colonel, Engineers, N.A. September 23, 1918 From: The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. To: The Commanding General, Services of Supply. The following is a report of my activities on September 22 : 1. Conference with McFadden, War Trade Board, relative to animal situation in Spain. Cable from representative of War Trade Board in Spain indicates that that Government is prepared to make concessions on shipment of animals in con- sideration of certain agreements on part of the United States which can probably be secured. The suggestion is also made that Spain will allow shipment of mature animals if agreement is made to replace them with young animals from France. 2. Conference with Colonel Hodges relative to visit with the Commander-in-Chief, to whom he submitted the inter- Allied motor transport regulations prepared by the Military Board of Allied Supply. Subject only to such modifications as are necessarily imposed by the form of our organization of Staff services, the Commander-in-Chief approved the regula- tions governing road tralific in the zone of operations, the regulations governing the hauling of material by mechanical 1 84 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR transports and the regulations governing troop movements by mechanical transports. 3. Routine duties of office. Charles G. Dawes Colonel, Engineers, N.A. September 23, 191 8 From: The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. To: The Commanding General, Services of Supply. The following is a report of my activities on September 23: 1. Prepared letter to M. Loucheur, Ministere de I'Arme- ment, suggesting disposition by the American authorities of the surplus output of Fiat motors not required by Italy. This is in answer to a proposition by M. Loucheur to let the dis- position be determined by France. A copy of my letter to M. Loucheur is herewith enclosed. 2. Conference on animal situation in Spain. 3. Conference relative to French request to manufacture rolling kitchens for the A.E.F. in France, which matter is in more or less of an unsatisfactory shape. 4. Conference with Lieutenant-Colonel Hodges relative to matters to be considered at meeting to-morrow of Military Board of Allied Supply at Coubert. The Commander-in- Chief has directed that an additional number of our officers be sent to the Motor Transport School at Rozoy established by the Military Board of Allied Supply. 5. Various conferences on current business of office. Charles G. Dawes Colonel, Engineers, N.A. [Enclosure] September 23, 1918 From: The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. To 3 M. Loucheur, Ministere de I'Armement et des Fabrications de Guerre. Subject: Fiat production at Turin, Italy. I. Commandant Varaigne has handed me a copy of your C: DAILY REPORTS 185 letter to him under date of September 18, 1918, with reference to the production of the Fiat Automobile Company at Turin, Italy, and while such letter is not directed to me there are matters in it of such importance to the interests of the American army that in view of our extremely pleasant per- sonal relations I am taking the liberty of replying to you directly. 2. The community of interest between the French and American armies is so great and the understanding as to the necessity of coordination between the two Governments so complete that the suggestions I shall make will, I am sure, be received by you in the spirit of generous cooperation which you have always shown. 3. It would seem to me that, since the raw materials neces- sary to enable the Fiat plant to turn out their contemplated production will in the last analysis come from America, the American authorities charged with their consideration will re- gard it as desirable that they shall handle the matter of ob- taining from the Italian Government any surplus of motor transports which can be spared. It is necessary, of course, as you state, that the French and American armies should not be placed in the position of competing for any part of the output of the Fiat plant which the Italian Government is able to cede. It is also true that it will be necessary in the future to transport large numbers of trucks from America to satisfy the needs of the French army as well as those of the A.E.F. In view of the close community of interest, it becomes practi- cally immaterial whether the supply of motor transports to be brought over in the future be entirely for the use of the American army or for the joint use of the French and American armies, provided that arrangements are made be- tween us to divide the supply whether arising from the Fiat production or from importation from America, according to the respective needs of the two armies. 4. In view of the attitude of the representatives of our own Government who control the raw materials and who should be consulted in connection with the distribution of any prod- uct resulting from the manufacture thereof, will you not rely upon our disposition to reciprocate the generous treat- ment accorded to us by the French in the past and consent that the representative of the American army in Italy shall make the arrangements to secure from the Italian Govern- ment for both America and France as great a proportion as 1 86 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR possible of the production of the Fiat plant? When this is accomplished it should not be difficult for us to arrange to divide the proportion so acquired according to the respective needs of the two armies. 5, If this suggestion meets with your favor I should be very glad to have Lieutenant-Colonel Cutcheon, Chairman of the Board of Contracts and Adjustments, and Captain Mechem, Purchasing Agent for Italy, call upon you to more fully explain the situation. With assurance of my personal regard. Respectfully Charles G. Dawes Colonel, Engineers, N.A. September 26, 1918 From: The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. To: The Commanding General, Services of Supply. The following is a report of my activities on September 24, 25, and 26: I. Attended meeting of Military Board of Allied Supply at Coubert on Tuesday. Presented General Pershing's written approval of Allied road regulations for motor transports, Allied regulations governing transportation of troops by mechanical transports, and Allied regulations governing movement of material by mechanical transports. Major- General R. Ford, the additional British member on the Board, was present. He made a proposal for the study of the trans- portation question. I will discuss this matter with you per- sonally on Saturday, but I sincerely hope our Transportation Department will cooperate to the utmost. The suggestion for the consideration of this subject does not originate with me, but with the British, who have very definite objects in mind and specific information and constructive suggestions to sub- mit therewith. They are not satisfied that the most economical use is now being made of present rail transportation facilities, especially in the matter of cars. I am enclosing copy of my letter of the 25th to the Fourth Section, General Stafif, in this connection, asking for detail of officers. General Ford is C: DAILY REPORTS 187 evidently not satisfied that a proper picture of the situation has been made. There is no disposition to unduly extend the authority of the Board or to interfere with the present authorities controlling transportation. The first authorities in connection with English transportation will be represented on the sub-committee proposed, and I am sure that our Trans- portation Department will meet the suggestion cordially through representation on the committee of those in author- ity and entirely conversant with the situation. The Board established a 60 cm. railway school following the lines of the Motor Transport School which is proving so advantageous. General Pershing states that it is his desire to have if possible up to one hundred of our officers take the course of instruction in connection with the reorganization of our army mechanical transport system now being efTected. Upon the request of G.H.Q. I made request of the French that the American officers who had completed the course and have a knowledge of the situation, now detailed with the French army, be im- mediately returned to the American First Army. This was arranged. Progress was made in connection with the coordi- nation of telegraph and telephone in the Allied rear. I regard General Ford as a ver>' important addition to the personnel of the Board. As authoritatively representing the British General Staff he completes with Colonel Beadon, who repre- sents the English War Office, the proper British representa- tion. 2. Conference with M. Tardieu in connection with the animal emergency at the front, as directed by telegram from General Pershing. The French will make an effort to supply this emergency need as requested. I am awaiting telegraphic advice from General Pershing as to the exact number of animals imperatively required. I also conferred with Tar- dieu on the Spanish animal situation. 3. Conference with representative of M. Loucheur in con- nection with joint attitude of the French and American Gov- ernments toward Italy relating to the output of motor trucks 1 88 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR of the Fiat Company. A satisfactory' agreement was reached by which an endeavor will be made to augment the produc- tion to be allotted between the French and American armies. 4. Conference between the Purchasing Agent for England and Lieutenant-Colonel Cutcheon relative to the representa- tions to be made to the English Government covering method of expediting settlement for English purchases. 5. Consideration of important telegram received from ofifice of purchasing agent for England relative to position of Crosby and Summers, which has led the British Government to place an embargo upon all steel shipments to the A.E.F. I am not in possession of sufficient information as yet to com- ment upon this proceeding or to give advice in connection therewith, but am calling the matter to the attention of the War Trade Board and Mr. Stettinius representing the Secre- tary of War. As a general proposition, however, the General Purchasing Agent recognizes no benefits to arise from ultima- tums between allies. 6. Conference with the Chief Statistician, office of General Purchasing Agent, as to method of collecting statistics on tonnage saved by purchases in Europe. 7. Various important conferences with Stafif of office, but upon matters not connected with policy. Charles G. Dawes Colonel, Engineers, N.A- [Enclosure] September 25, 19 18 From: American Member, M.B.A.S. To : Assistant Chief of Staff, 4th Section, G.H.Q., A.E.F Subject: Railroad cars. 1. At the meeting of the Military Board of Allied Supply , September 24, 191 8, the enclosed note was presented by the British representative on the M .B . A.S. and discussed at length. 2. With regard to the section concerning railroad cars (trucks) it was decided that a sub-committee should be ap- pointed to study this question in detail and that the first meeting of this sub-committee would be held on Thursday, C: DAILY REPORTS 189 October 3, 1918, at 10 a.m., at which meeting of the sub-com- mittee the members of the M.B.A.S. would assist. 3. It was agreed that the first information to be obtained and analyzed would be the determination of the minimum tonnage of supplies of all characters which it is absolutely essential to transport for each of the Allied armies. The fur- ther development of the question will be to study the most efficient methods of employing the available rolling stock for the transport of this tonnage. 4. It is requested that a member of this sub-committee be appointed to represent the Fourth Section of the General Staff, G.H.Q., and another member to represent the S.O.S., preferably from the department of the D.G.T., and that these officers be present at the meeting of 10 a.m., October 3, with all useful information upon the subject of tonnage of necessary supplies of all characters to be transported, available rolling stock and present methods of utilizing rolling stock. Charles G. Dawes Colonel, Engineers, N.A, September 27, 19 18 From: The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. To: The Commanding General, Services of Supply. The following is a report of my activities on September 27 : I, Conference with office Staff on method of making more fully available for the common use of the army surplus stocks collected by the different branches of the service. Tele- phoned you concerning this and will discuss it with you to- morrow. It would seem from the supply standpoint that the American army will never be in a position where it will be more timely to draw upon existing reserves. These reserves should be considered in relation to the common needs as well as in relation to the needs of a particular branch of the service. For instance, tools to be used in repairing motor parts may be more essential to the Motor Transport De- partment from a military standpoint, considering the needs at the front, than the needs for machine tools in some other department as related to a more distant need. As so often in the past in connection with the constant compromise between 190 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR the common needs and the needs of a particular branch of the army, this matter should be carefully but firmly handled. The chief of the independent department even for the satis- faction of an overwhelming military necessity will as a rule yield only stubbornly his stocks in reserve which he has ac- cumulated to make sure the future success of his own unit. He will regard it as penalizing efficiency and foresightedness if his reserve is eaten into to supply a more sorely pressed department. Your suggestion made over the telephone this morning is clearly the best method of procedure. Instead of a general order covering the situation, and which will incite the apprehension and arouse the opposition of the chiefs of the in- dependent services, this matter should be approached through particular emergencies and the common treatment enforced as if it were an exception, which in most cases it will be. How- ever, the steadily increasing pressure upon your Services of Supply will, before the winter is over, make necessary consid- erable inter-departmental as well as inter-Allied coordination. 2. Conference relative to English embargo on steel prod- ucts, which matter has since been reported as satisfactorily adjusted. 3. Conference with Purchasing Agent for Great Britain in regard to conduct and organization of office of Purchasing Agent for Great Britain, A.E.F. 4. Conference with General Rogers and Purchasing Agent for Great Britain on English coal situation in relation to the needs of the A.E.F. 5. Notified by M. Tardieu that in response to General Pershing's request arrangements are about perfected to fur- nish 10,000 additional animals to American First Army in addition to the 6000 animals, which latter should reach Gen- eral Pershing next week. 6. Conferences with office Staff on routine matters not connected with matters of policy. Charles G Dawes Colonel, Engineers, N.A. C: DAILY REPORTS 191 September 28, 1918 From: The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. To: The Commanding General, Services of Supply. The following is a report of my activities on September 28: 1. Conference with yourself and Lieutenant-Colonel Jay, Assistant General Purchasing Agent, on the subject of inter- departmental cooperation in supplying emergency needs from reserve stocks. 2. Conference with M. Ganne relative to telegram re- ceived by me from General Pershing stating that his imme- diate needs for horses are 25,000 and more if possible. Wired him that the French will endeavor to secure him this num- ber and that I thought they would be successful. 3. Conference with Mr. Edward Stettinius, Special Repre- sentative of the Secretary of War, in connection with matters relating to Spanish purchases which will come up in the course of the munitions conference to-day. 4. Conference with Logan relative to negotiations with French on horse supply at the front. 5. Conference with Chairman of Board of Contracts and Adjustments, relative to matters upon which I shall address you written memorandum. 6. In accordance with telegram received from Smither wired Payot asking that Military Board of Allied Supply take up at Thursday's meeting entire question of the transporta- tion and handling of explosives as pertains to A.E.F. Will notify Director-General of Transportation and Chief of Ordnance as soon as answer is received. 7. Followed your example and wired congratulations to Commander-in-Chief now at the front. Am at present await- ing your return to the office. Charles G. Dawes Colonel, Engineers, N.A. 192 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR October i, 1918 From: The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. To: The Commanding General, Services of Supply. The following is a report of my activities on September 29 and 30: 1. Conference with office Staff relative to form of recom- mendation to you relative to interchange of surplus stocks between departments. In this connection I wired you. The General Purchasing Agent realizes the difficulties in connec- tion with this matter, but feels that in some way it will be possible to secure the necessary progress in this direction. 2. Conference on the horse question. Wired the Com- mander-in-Chief that the French are about to enforce an additional requisition in France so as to give him thirty thousand horses between October 7 and November i. Logan and I suggested, if he had not done so already and had urgent immediate need for animals, that arrangements might be requested through Marshal Foch for an immediate equaliza- tion of animals between the French and American armies. We have reason to believe that such a request will be at least partially granted, thus giving immediate results. 3. Consideration of Military Board of Allied Supply mat- ters in connection with the coming meeting of the Board on Thursday. Major-General Ford, having become the sole English member of the Board, is making a number of con- structive and useful suggestions. 4. Conference with Chairman of the Board of Contracts and Adjustments relative to adjustment of contractual and financial relations with Great Britain arising out of the fur- nishing of supplies and transportation. The number of com- plicated and important questions arising out of the transac- tion of business under the emergency of war is increasing rather than diminishing in England and every possible effort is being made to create better machinery for their adjustment. The need for additional and expert personnel is keenly felt. COLONEL J. P. McADAM General Staff C: DAILY REPORTS 193 5. Consultation upon the matter of additional personnel for the office of the General Purchasing Agent. The oppor- tunity which was given me at the beginning of the war by the Commander-in-Chief, at the time when you were Chief of Staff, to have commissioned in America a few men of marked qualifications, is no longer open as I understand it. With the constantly increasing work of this office and the number of new business and financial questions arising, the absence of sufficient personnel can result only in the neglect of important matters. So many of our requests for help have, for reasons unquestionably good, been denied that I wired you to-day asking if it was not possible for us to be allowed to go to Blois to personally examine casual officers there in relation to their fitness for our special work. Our work is of such a special nature that the granting of this request would be greatly appreciated by us, since to make proper selections of the casual officers for it personal contact and examination is practically indispensable. Charles G. Dawes Colonel, Engineers, N.A. October 2, 19 18 From: The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. To: The Commanding General, Services of Supply. The following is a report of my activities on October i and 2: I. Conference wath M. Ganne relative to delivery of horses to First Field Army, A.E.F. , telegram having been received from the Commander-in-Chief asking for details as to time of deliver^'. Made report as to this to Commander- in-Chief by following telegram: Delivery of the remainder of the six thousand horses for the Seventh Division will be completed to-day. There will remain on the old agreement eighteen hundred horses for the 79th, 91st, and 92d Divisions and they will be delivered within three days, thus completing the old agreement. We re- 194 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR ceived word from Foch's Headquarters that within two days they will notify us as to when delivery will commence on the additional thirty thousand horses. 2. Conference with Chief Engineer of the Technical Board relative to work of the Technical Board in connection with their September report. 3. Conference with General Donaldson, Inspector Gen- eral, S.O.S., and Colonel Magruder, relative to extension of work of the Bureau of Accounts. 4. Conference with the Chairman, Board of Contracts and Adjustments. 5. Conference with Chairman, Bureau of Reciprocal Sup- ply, with reference to matters now under its consideration. 6. Conference with Colonel Logan on matters connected with M. Tardieu brought to our attention by the Services of Supply. 7. Conference with Lieutenant-Colonel Hodges relative to matters to be taken up at to-morrow's meeting of the Mili- tary Board of Allied Supply, especially in connection with Colonel Smither's telegram suggesting consideration by the Board of the handling and transportation of explosives for the A.E.F. Charles G. Da\stes Colonel, Engineers, N.A. October 4, 19 18 From: The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. To: The Commanding General, Services of Supply. The following is a report of my activities on October 3 and 4: I. October 3: Attended sessions of the Military Board of Allied Supply at Coubert in morning and afternoon, return- ing to Paris in the evening. The railroad transportation problem was under consideration. Colonel Wilgus repre- sented our Transportation Department. A committee com- posed of transportation officers of each army was agreed upon C: DAILY REPORTS 195 to start Sunday on a tour of inspection of methods of un- loading freight from cars on all fronts with a view of correct- ing present situation and consequent delays in discharging freight. Other matters acted upon were in connection with projects already started and are set forth in the minutes of the meetings of the Board which will be sent you. 2. Conference with Colonel Payot relative to situation in the American rear. Payot leaves Petain's Staff to become a member of General Foch's Staff this month. He desires closer liaison with Moseley for whose ability he has a high regard. 3. October 4: Conference on matter of inter-departmental exchange of stocks. 4. Conference with Summers, of War Industries Board, relative to certain tonnage matters which will be submitted to you for your consideration in due time. 5. Conference with Stettinius relative to Bureau of Re- placements. 6. Conference with McFadden with reference to Spanish mule situation and activities of our State Department in cooperation with the A.E.F. 7. Consideration of report of Technical Board which has been forwarded. 8. Conference with Major Moore and McFadden, War Trade Board, in connection with Allied lumber convention with the Swiss Government, which the State Department de- sires held in the United States. Prepared letter outlining the position of the State Department, as indicated by McFadden, to clear up misunderstanding of representatives of the British Government. 9. Conference with Major Moore relative to railroad tie and lumber situation with the French. Wired General Jad- win recommending that ties cut by our troops and now held in reserve be turned over to the French, since the French were delivering to us the lumber in an amount equal to chat pro- duced by our troops in ties. The suggestion has been made 196 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR that this order should be made by the Military Board of Allied Supply, but my view is that it should be made by General Jadwin. Wired him that if he desired subsequent ratification by the Military Board of Allied Supply I would guarantee it. 10. Conference with Lieutenant de Sieyes, who brought me a communication from Colonel Payot, which communication I will discuss with you personally on your arrival here Mon- day. It contains several constructive suggestions worthy of most serious consideration. 11. Telephonic communications with you on extra -juris- dictional subjects. 12. Conference with Chairman, Board of Contracts and Adjustments, relative to authority of the Board discussed in communication of Chairman, Board of Contracts and Ad- justments, forwarded to you by me to-day. 13. Conference with Logan and Colonel Williams on horse situation. The present prospect is that French will not make additional requisition for horses until November 15, which means long delay in their receipt by General Pershing. It seems that Clemenceau takes the position that another requi- sition cannot be made until another census of animals is taken, which is the cause of the prospective delay. Logan is doing splendid work with Tardieu in connection with bring- ing pressure for the requisition. 14. Conference with Colonel Davidson, of English army, relative to letter received by me from General Travers-Clarke asking for suggestions in connection with his proposed plan for creating a central purchasing agency in France for the B.E.F. 15. Various other activities not related to policy and incident to an unusually busy day. Charles G. Dawes Colonel, Engineers, N.A. C: DAILY REPORTS 197 October 12, 1918 From: The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. To: The Commanding General, Services of Supply. The following is a report of my activities on October 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, II, and 12: 1. On orders from the Commander-in-Chief left for his Headquarters at the front with General McAndrew, Chief of Staff, on Saturday, October 5, arriving in the evening. Was with the Commander-in-Chief and along the front in connec- tion with various matters on October 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10. Secured the signature of the Commander-in-Chief to revised form of approval of motor transport rules behind the Allied lines. Also considered with him certain changes in the form of organization of the service of the rear in the Zone of the Advance. This was in connection with certain suggestions of Colonel Payot in command of the French rear, the same to be submitted to General Moseley for his consideration. Made various trips to different points of the front in this connec- tion. At direction of the Commander-in-Chief endeavored to facilitate movement of construction material for the extension of the normal gauge railroad from Aubreville to Varennes, the same being secured through the cooperation of Colonel Payot from St. Dizier. Discussed other matters with the Com- mander-in-Chief, concerning which the Commanding Gen- eral, S.O.S., has already been informed. Visited Varennes, La Forge, Montfaucon, St. Mihiel, Verdun, and Cheppy. On Oc- tober 10 M. Tardieu, M. Ganne, and Colonel Logan arrived and the horse and tie situations and methods for dealing with the same were discussed with the Commander-in-Chief. Stayed at night with the Commander-in-Chief at Headquarters. 2. October ii a?id 12: Conference with Colonel Jay and Colonel Cutcheon relative to change in organization of Bureau of Accounts and other matters of ofifice organization. 3. Conference with Colonel Logan relative to negotiations for horses. 198 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR 4. Conference with McFadden, War Trade Board, relative to methods of securing animals from Spain. 5. Conference with General Moseley on matters connected with Military Board of Allied Supply and its relation to G-4, G.H.Q.; also matters relative to supplies at the front. 6. Conference with Colonel Maud, of the English army, relative to letter of General Travers-Clarke asking for sug- gestions concerning the establishment of a central purchasing agency for the English army in Paris. 7. Second conference with General Moseley on same mat- ters as above. 8. Consideration of tonnage statements which I am for- warding you. 9. Conference with Lieutenant-Colonel Hodges relative to matters to come before the meeting of the Militar>' Board of Allied Supply on Monday. 10. Conferences relative to the negotiations existing be- tween the Belgian Government and the A.E.F. looking to the acquisition by the former of certain rolling stock after the war in consideration of present cessions of Belgian rolling stock to the A.E.F. 11. Conference with representative of Motor Transport Service relative to acquisition of additional motors from French. 12. Routine work of office. Charles G. Dawes Colonel, Engineers, N.A. October 17, 191 8 From: The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. To: The Commanding General, Services of Supply. The following is a report of my activities on October 13, 14, 15, and 16: I. Conference with Major-General Ford, British army, relative to meeting of the Military Board of Allied Supply and other matters on inter-army purchasing policy. Major- C: DAILY REPORTS 199 General Ford raised a most interesting point in connection with the use of Havre, Rouen, and Dunkirk in connection with importations for the American army. The suggestions he makes in this connection are of such importance that before presenting the matter to you I shall again confer with General Ford at British General Headquarters on Saturday in order that I may be sure that I have conveyed properly his sugges- tions. 2. Attended meeting of the Military Board of Allied Supply at Coubert. Extent and importance of the questions con- sidered are such that no attempt will be made here to re- capitulate them. Reference is made to the minutes of the meeting of the Board which will be sent to you in due course. 3. Conference with Mr. Edward R. Stettinius relative to proposed establishment of finance section of General Staff, concerning which you have written me. 4. Conference with M. Tardieu and M. Loucheur relative to shipment of aeroplanes to Japan, concerning which you wired me. I wired you in reference to this matter. 5. Conference relative to inspection of material pur- chased for the A.E.F. in England. Have sent Lieutenant- Colonel Cutcheon and Lieutenant-Colonel Jay to England in connection with this and other important matters relating to Board of Contracts and Adjustments. 6. Conference with Dwight Morrow, Allied Maritime Transport Council, relative to certain matters of tonnage in connection with the inquiries made by Lieutenant-Genera* Travers-Clarke, B.E.F. Shall go to British General Head- quarters in this connection to-morrow, accompanied by Mr. Morrow and Mr. McFadden, of the War Trade Board. At this time shall also discuss with General Travers-Clarke the plans he has under consideration for the establishment of a central purchasing agency for the B.E.F. in France. 7. Conference with Dr. Thompson and Assistant Secre- tary of Agriculture Vrooman as directed by you. Went over 200 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR various questions with them, particularly the question of horse supply. Gave them the report on this subject, pre- pared by the Military Board of Allied Supply, for their study. 8. Conference with Mr. Cotton and Mr. Rublee relative to information which they desired from the Military Board of Allied Supply. Mr. Cotton appeared before the Board and asked for the passage of a resolution relative to meat reserves in the United States, which will appear in the minutes of the meeting of the Board. 9. Telephone conference with General Moseley relative to order of Marshal Foch establishing an office in his Head- quarters under Colonel Payot in connection with the rear of the Allied armies. General Moseley is naturally concerned as to the exact intentions of Marshal Foch in regard to the pres- ent system of supply for the First American Field Army in connection with which he fears the effect of undue interfer- ence. The situation has not yet fully developed. Moseley has received unofficial notice that the French trucks loaned the First American Army are about to be withdrawn by Foch. If this is done the truck situation will become most acute. Shall bend every effort here to increase the supply. 10. Colonel Payot informs me that he expects to come here for a conference with me in the near future. 11. Conference with McFadden, War Trade Board, and Major Moore, relative to negotiation of the commercial treaty covering wood for the Allied Governments from Switzerland. Have requested that Major Moore at this office be sent to Washington to properly present the situation to our Government authorities. 12. Conference with members of office force regarding or- ganization of office and transaction of general business not connected with questions of policy. Charles G. Dawes Brigadier-General, Engineers, N.A. C: DAILY REPORTS 201 October 22, 1918 From: The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. To: The Commanding General, Services of Supply. The following is a report of my activities on October 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, and 22. The General Purchasing Agent has been continuously away from his office on duty as outlined below for the last five days. It is with difficulty that he will cata- logue his activities from recollection, but he will make the attempt to do so in such a way as to have this report take the place of correspondence with the Commanding General, S.O.S., otherwise necessary. I, At the invitation of Lieutenant-General Travers-Clarke and Major-General R. Ford, of British General Head- quarters, went on Thursday to Montreuil, taking with me Mr. Dwight Morrow, of the Allied Maritime Transport Council, and Mr. George McFadden, representative of the War Trade Board. First, when there settled principles of the relationship between the new central purchasing agency for the B.E.F. in France, to be established in Paris, and my own office; second, agreed to recommend to you the adoption of a very constructive suggestion by Lieutenant-General Travers-Clarke in relation to a joint understanding be- tween the English Government and the A.E.F. upon the methods of computing costs of construction in France as well as cost of articles requisitioned upon the French and English Governments. General Travers-Clarke's idea is that, if the English and Americans jointly arrive at uniform methods of computing costs, an immense difficulty will be removed. These methods can be arrived at by continuous collaboration. If, when the new department of the Staff is created a British organization similar to our own Board of Contracts and Ad- justments and accounting bureau functions in the same build- ing and in close contact with it in connection not only with French but English accounts, many differences will naturally vanish by such joint preparation which otherwise might 202 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR develop by independent action. The possibilities of such a course in the facilitation and dispatch of business as well as avoiding complications in future settlements will immediately appeal to you, in my judgment. General Travers-Clarke will send authorized representatives to consider this matter fur- ther, and if you approve the principle the matter will proceed. 2. General Pershing having notified me that he proposes to hold me primarily responsible for the handling of the horse situation with Spain and charged me to proceed along emer- gency lines to gather horses, — telephone to this efifect hav- ing reached me while at British General Headquarters, — I took the responsibility of making a demand upon the English Government for 25,000 horses. Held a conference on this subject with General Travers-Clarke, General Ford, and General May, the latter being in charge of the English Remount Service. Mr. Dwight Morrow was also at this con- ference. I told them that General Pershing's orders were that this matter of horses, since upon it depended our ability to advance to any considerable extent our lines, must take priority over ever>'thing else; that since he had made a similar offer to the French within the last week to induce them to make requisition for horses for his army in France, I should wire him asking him to make a formal request of Haig for 25,000 horses from the English Government to be delivered within the next month and to be replaced by him horse for horse by April i. General Travers-Clarke and General May stated that if General Pershing would send this telegram they hoped to be able to supply the horses, and General Travers- Clarke said that he would go to England immediately to take up the matter. At General Pershing's Field Headquarters the night before last, which I visited immediately upon returning from British Headquarters, he notified me that he had sent the telegram to Haig and that it had been answered stating that Lieutenant-General Travers-Clarke was proceeding to England in connection with the matter. I notified Morrow, of the Allied Maritime Transport Council, that if this request C: DAILY REPORTS 203 was granted General Pershing took the responsibility for changing tonnage allotment programmes to accord therewith, and of this General Pershing made personal confirmation to me. Shall keep you advised of the results of these actions. 3. In view of the release from enemy fire and submarine attack of the port of Dunkirk, General Ford asked the con- sideration of the matter of a redistribution of port facilities by the Military Board of Allied Supply. To this consideration by our Military Board the French Minister of Commerce objected, and the French have asked to negotiate the matter directly with the British. In this matter the A.E.F. is vitally concerned. General Ford states that he does not wish to take this matter up with the French until a thorough consideration of it with us before decision. The possible saving of trans- portation by proper port adjustment under the new circum- stances is so great that it is suggested you immediately take this matter up for personal consideration in connection with the letter of General Ford to me and his statement of what is involved, which I attach to this report. General Ford has prepared his statement in accordance with the suggestion which I made to him, I stated to him that in order to give you and the Commander-in-Chief, as well as the Commander-in- Chief of the Allied armies, the full benefit of the views of the B.E.F., he should present them based upon two assumptions: First, the proper use and a possible saving in transportation resulting from the use of Dunkirk as a port if the Commander- in-Chief of the Allied armies made no different general mili- tary disposition of the troops than that existing at present. Second, the proper use, and possible saving of transportation in connection therewith, of Dunkirk based upon a different assignment of combat territory in France for the different armies, which, of course, is a matter for the consideration of the Commander-in-Chief of the Allied armies. By such a statement the question is properly raised for discussion. Gen- eral Ford has followed this suggestion in the attached papers. 4. At his Headquarters the other night the Commander-in- 204 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR Chief again told me that he should hold me primarily respon- sible for the management of the negotiations for horses from Spain, England, and France, in connection with the various efforts being made by the A.E.F. to increase its supply. The situation in Spain is, I think, already in your mind. Through the cooperation of the War Industries Board, War Trade Board, and the A.E.F. , Spain has agreed to grant export per- mits for 50,000 animals in return for the release of 20,000 tons of sulphate of ammonia from the United States to Spain. Ordinarily this arrangement would be consummated through the usual diplomatic agencies of the State Department. My fear of delay in this connection is so great that I asked the General to cable the War Department to make the request of the State Department that George McFadden, European representative of the War Trade Board, which is a branch of the State Department, be sent to Spain to personally consum- mate the arrangement with that Government. General Per- shing has sent this cable. If, as is hoped, the State Department replies by commissioning McFadden with this work, I shall give him temporarily the same relation to the purchase of animals in Spain as is held by my coordinating agent already located there — in other words, order the officers now in Spain for the purchase of animals to coordinate their purchases and accept the advice of McFadden as a business man in connec- tion therewith. In McFadden we shall get well-directed energy backed by sufficient steam, as his success in negotiating the Swiss commercial treaty and our many experiences with him indicate. As soon as advice is received from the State Department in connection with this matter I shall notify you. 5. In connection with the horse situation in France we have been making, as you know, every possible effort to Induce the French to requisition at least another 25,000 animals. For the purpose of Inducing them to do this and as a possible explanation for the drastic action we ask, which would be acceptable to the French public. General Pershing has made to Tardleu personally the same proposition that he made to GENERAL JOHN J. PERSHING WITH COLONEL JAMES L. COLLINS AND COLONEL CARL BOYD C: DAILY REPORTS 205 Halg in connection with England, to wit, that he would replace by April i horse for horse the number of animals furnished him during the next thirty to sixty days. General Pershing stated this to Tardieu in my presence at his Field Headquar- ters during my visit there about ten days ago. A misunder- standing seems to have arisen by which the French consider the proposition to furnish a horse in the spring for a horse now as an idea on the General's part that the horses could be obtained by the use of this promise to the public without recourse to requisition. As this was never in his mind I can- not conceive how such an impression could be had. How- ever, there was time to correct it, and I have had it up with Ganne who transmitted it to Clemenceau to-day. I do not think the horses can be obtained in France without govern- mental requisition. 6. At his Headquarters yesterday morning General Per- shing stated that to-day he would speak to Clemenceau on this subject of requisition. He has seen Clemenceau this morning, but I have not seen him since the interview. 7. Before leaving for conference with General Pershing at the front had conference with General Moseley in my office relative to certain alleged French criticisms of our rear, which were entirely unfounded but needed attention. General Moseley went to Foch's Headquarters and reported that this criticism did not emanate from that section; that Colonel Payot was satisfied that the situation is now and has been for weeks running very smoothly. On my visit to the line yes- terday I found this to be the fact. General Pershing is fight- ing a battle which is a magnified Wilderness Campaign, over country presenting inconceivable difficulties of topography and with the heaviest concentration of German troops of the entire Allied line, which have been rushed there to confront him. He is attacking continuously and is advancing his lines. By keeping this large force of Germans engaged on his front he has rendered possible the very considerable advances which are being made by the English and French to his west. The 206 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR reason that his advance is slow is, as you know, because of the almost inconceivable difficulties under which it proceeds and the heavy fighting at the front. That anybody should refer to it as slow because of a lack of organization of the rear is so manifestly unjust that it must have proceeded from entire misinformation or from the ulterior purpose so long persisted in to compel the dissipation of the American army as a unit, against which General Pershing has thus far so successfully contended. As far as I can learn, however, these criticisms are simply a recrudescence of those made when, because of a congestion of transport in the rear during a part of two days, due largely to the condition of the roads, the statement was made that it was impossible for the First Field Army to attack. This criticism vanished when on October 5 the First Field Army did attack and has been attacking and advancing ever since. While this matter has been the subject of our personal consultation this morning, I think it well to preserve this contemporaneous record of the facts. As you and I well understand, in no other matter has the strength of the Com- mander-in-Chief been more heavily taxed than in his success- ful effort to preserve the integrity of the American army as a unit, which was not only essential to its highest military effec- tiveness as events have proved, but was a duty which he owed to the President and to the American nation. It seems to have been forgotten by some that at a critical time in March and April, when it was necessary to stiffen the Allied line of defense. General Pershing gave practically all of his strength to the Allies, and in his perception of the necessity for chang- ing control of the rear in case his troops were necessarily dis- sipated in other armies went so far as to offer for the common benefit his personal command of the rear of his troops as well as his control of the front. Events having shown that all Allied troops including our own fight best in their separate armies and as far as possible under their own officers, and the policy of army segregation having been fully and absolutely agreed upon by all the Allies, it is inconceivable to me that C: DAILY REPORTS 207 the criticism of a lack of amenability on the part of General Pershing emanates from any responsible source. As you know, within the last few days he has reenforced the Belgian front by two divisions and now has six divisions amalgamated with the French and English armies. 8. Conference with members of office Staff in connection with details of administration, including consideration of reports of Lieutenant-Colonel Cutcheon and Lieutenant- Colonel Jay on their visit to England. 9. Conference with Lieutenant-Colonel Jay and General Madden in connection with certain purchases by category of the Quartermaster Department in Switzerland. This matter was adjusted. 10. Conference with McFadden, of War Trade Board, relative to Spanish animal situation along the line of what I have above embodied in this report. 11. Telephonic conference with General Eltinge, relative to form of cable to be sent by the Commander-in-Chief to the War Department in connection with Spanish matter. 12. Conference with General Moseley as to matters of Military Board of Allied Supply and coordination in the rear of the army in the Zone of the Advance. 13. Conference with Colonel Maud, British army, who will be placed at the head of the new central purchasing agency of the B.E.F. in France, as to methods of cooperation with my own ofhce. 14. Various routine duties of office. Charles G. Dawes Brigadier-General, Engineers, N.A. [Enclosure] General Headquarters British Armies in France 20th October, 19 18 Dear General: I SEND you two copies of the scheme together with two maps, and I think you would probably like to keep one yourself and 2o8 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR send the other to General Pershing. After I had drafted this, Mr. Dwight Morrow came in and he went through it with me and helped me with one or two suggestions. I hope it will be of some use and will meet with your approval. Since you left I have been in constant touch with Payot, who is most anxious to discuss the use of the ports with me now and wanted me to go to his H.Q. on Monday or Tuesday, This was impossible as the Q.M.G. is away, but he says the matter is so urgent that he is coming up here on Monday with seven other officers to discuss the use of Dunkirk and the Belgian ports. I rather gather, from a conversation on the 'phone, that his suggestion is that we should transfer to Dun- kirk and the Belgian ports. He does not mention the Amer- ican Forces, and I am going to listen ver>' carefully to every- thing he says, give no decision, and will talk the matter over with you on the 23d or 24th. If you are in Paris on the 23d, I shall try and come to your office and have a minute with you before I go on to Coubert. Yours very sincerely R. Ford, M.G. General Charles G. Dawes Engineers, National Army Elysee Palace Hotel Champs Elysees Paris In view of the new conditions arising from the evacuation of the Belgian coast, thereby rendering the important port of Dunkirk immediately available, and the port of Ostend per- haps ultimately available, some review of the allotment of the present port facilities of France would seem justified, espe- cially with a view of determining the greatest economy of Allied resources in the use of the ports and the railway fa- cilities therefrom. The situation possessed two main aspects, viz. : (i) The relative position of the Allied armies remaining generally as at present. (2) The position of the Allied armies undergoing some al- teration. With regard to (i): A map of France showing a central place in the fronts held by the British and American armies, with the approximate direct mileage from the ports feeding these two allies. From this map it will be seen that the C: DAILY REPORTS 209 length of the lead from base ports to army areas in the case of the American armies is considerably in excess of the British. The number of freight-cars now in France to meet the needs of the Allies is not adequate for all needs, and although the port accommodation allotted to the American Expeditionary Force may be able to cope with the maximum tonnage which it is anticipated will be imported into France, it is obvious that unless the freight-car situation is very considerably im- proved, it will be impracticable to clear away from the ports to inland depots the tonnage imported. The situation can hence best be relieved by a reduction in long haul of the American stocks. In this connection it must be remembered that there are only two deep-water ports in the Northern part of France, namely: Le Havre and Dunkirk. That the allocation of accommodation at either of these two ports would result in saving in railway lead is shown clearly by the following comparison of direct mileage: Marseilles to St. Mihiel 390 miles Havre to St. Mihiel 250 " 140 miles saved, counting double on the turn-round Bordeaux to St. Mihiel 400 Havre to St. Mihiel 250 do do 150 Marseilles to St. Mihiel 390 miles Dunkirk to St. Mihiel 205_ " 185 miles saved, counting double on the turn-round Bordeaux to St. Mihiel 400 Dunkirk to St. Mihiel 205 195 do do Therefore, if Havre and Dunkirk were used the turn-round of wagons would be reduced by several days. In considering the most suitable allotment of the ports, it must be borne in mind that the British Ministry of Shipping and the Admiralty are connected with the proposition, and from a British standpoint Havre is a better port from South- ampton than is Dunkirk. 210 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR Assuming that extra accommodation is granted at Havre to the Americans, this would mean that some of the berths now occupied at Havre by the French and British must be given up, and the tonnage dealt with by these two allies must be dealt with elsewhere. It must, however, be remembered that the British at Havre and Rouen have large and almost indis- pensable installations such as cold storage, bulk petrol stor- age, petrol canning factories, ordnance stores, gun park, as well as hospitals, veterinary hospitals, and remount depots, and the removal of any or all of these installations is not a matter which can be carried out at once. A transfer of British tonnage to Dunkirk hence implies dislocation of existing ar- rangements and erection of fresh installations. Assuming again that Havre and Rouen remain at the dis- posal of the British, as at present, and that extra accommoda- tion is given to the Americans at Dunkirk, this will imply considerable development of the land in or near the docks at Dunkirk, where at present there is no regulating station of any size, and no depots or other facilities exist, with the ex- ception of a barge wharf built by the British on the canal at Coudekerque with a view of the establishment in that neigh- borhood of large installations such as a supply and ordnance depots. In Dunkirk, however, there exist at the present time a cold storage capable of holding 2800 tons and very considerable petrol storage accommodation amounting to about 20,000 tons. Both of these belong to French companies, and the cold storage is at present used by the French, but most of the petrol bulk storage is available. To complete the regulating station and to erect the necessary warehouses for a supply and an ordnance dep6t would be a matter of some months' construction, and therefore any adjustment which is to be made should be taken in hand at once so that the bases may be in thorough working order by next spring. Dunkirk as a port during the last few weeks has become comparatively safe, in that it is now no longer assailable by land guns nor from attack by sea as heretofore. Moreov^er, owing to the Allied left flank practically resting on Holland, it would appear that unless the neutrality of that country is violated, an attack from the air presents difificulty: in fact Dunkirk is as safe a port as are Calais and Boulogne. I Dunkirk in itself is extremely well situated from an inland water transport point of view, thus enabling shipping to be C: DAILY REPORTS 211 dealt with very much more expeditiously than at such a port as Boulogne. Dunkirk as a port is peculiarly well fitted for the importa- tion of coal, and as the bulk of the coal for France, and practi- cally the whole of the coal for the B.E.F. and A.E.F. comes from the United Kingdom, it would appear an economy in shipping and time if Dunkirk was very largely exploited as a port for the landing of coal. As regards aspect No. 2 : It is a matter for consideration whether, considering the very large tonnage which will have to be handled in the spring of next }ear to maintain the American Forces (and more especially the very large coal requirements for the proposed long rail haul under the present plan of putting 4,000,000 men in the southern part of the Western Front), and with a view of the difificulty in providing an adequate number of trucks, whether part of the American Forces should not be based on Dunkirk or on Havre and Rouen. There is no doubt that to afford relief from congestion of existing ports, to simplify supply and to economize railway wagon stock, the simplest solution would be to base an American Force on Dunkirk. This in turn would imply the employment of an American army in the Northern Zone of operations, viz.: Belgium. Dunkirk is capable of dealing with 157,500 tons (2240 pounds) per week, and Les Forts presents an excellent site for warehouses and a d6p6t. Some of the advantages that would accrue from an American Force being based on Dunkirk are the follow- ing: (a) The proximity of the port to the British Isles as affect- ing the import of coal. (b) It is a deep-sea port where trans-Atlantic shipping can be expeditiously dealt with. A Channel ferry terminus has been constructed by the British. (c) The shorter lead to the front insures a quick and eco- nomical turn-round of trucks. Immediate action would be necessary to construct the necessary facilities in time to have everything in readiness by next March, irrespective of whether the port should be ex- ploited by the Americans or the British. 212 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR October 24, 19 18 From: The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. To: The Commanding General, Services of Supply. The following is a report of my activities on October 23 and 24: 1. Spent most of day, October 23, on horse situation in conference with McFadden, War Trade Board, preparation of telegrams, etc. At my request General Pershing made a written request on United States Senator Hollis, who repre- sents the Treasury Department here and who has recently conducted the successful negotiation of a loan of the United States from Spain, to go to Spain in an effort to expedite the animal situation and the arrangements for export permits with the Spanish Government. Senator Hollis leaves to- night. He goes representing the A.E.F. I did this in order that any delay which we may encounter in the matter of our request to have McFadden sent by the State Department will not Interfere with the maximum continuing effort in this situation. 2. Conference with Major-General Ford relative to the Havre and Dunkirk port proposition, a full memorandum concerning which I gave to you. An early consideration of this subject on your part is hoped for by General Ford, in order that he may have your views in mind while he negotiates with the French. Colonel Payot and his Staff visited British General Headquarters to see General Ford in this connection. At this conference with General Ford we went over the pur- chase situation as well as the horse situation. 3. Received telephone from General Travers-Clarke that as a result of his visit to England 1000 horses are on their way to us, 2000 will be sent within the next few days, and prepara- tions are being made to send 2000 additional, making 5000 in all within a short time. He also stated that every effort will be made to send us as many more in addition as possible. He further stated that he had 300 new motor lorries which he C: DAILY REPORTS 213 would give us, for which we must send drivers if he wires that it is necessary. 4. Conference with Mr, Edward R. Stettinius relative to a cablegram received from General March, copy of which, together with copy of my reply thereto, I am sending to you. It is a source of satisfaction to the General Purchasing Agent that he is able to make the statement at this time that the machinery which was established last January and which has been in continuous operation ever since, has given the A.E.F. the protection of the vise of the French Government in all its purchases. Particular attention is called to the cable from General March and my letter to Mr. Edward R. Stet- tinius, special representative of the War Department, in con- nection therewith. Mr. Stettinius, of course, is answering General March's cable direct. Whatever our difficulties have been from the beginning in this abnormal situation in France, the various inquiries which we are now receiving from Amer- ica as to our methods are developing that we have endeav^ored constantly to throw around our operations the safeguards pertaining to proper business organization. 5. Conference with General Madden, representing General Rogers, in connection with our efforts to secure animals in Spain. 6. Conference with M. Ganne relative to French criticism, which has been the subject of various conversations between the Commander-in-Chief, yourself, and myself, and also on the subject of the supply of horses for the A.E.F. 7. Conference with Lieutenant-Colonel Hodges relative to matters to be considered at meeting of the Militar>' Board of Allied Supply at Coubert, which I attended this afternoon at Coubert. 8. Second conference with M. Ganne, who has in the mean- time visited M. Clemenceau. M. Clemenceau sent the letter to General Pershing prepared by M. Ganne, according to which we may not expect any immediate addition to our horse supply from the French. I understand from M. Ganne 214 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR that the hope is expressed that some time later, based upon General Pershing's promise of replacement horse for horse, a requisition may be made. The outcome was about what the General expected, as expressed to you and myself the other night when we were with him. 9. At the meeting of the Military Board of Allied Supply I extended the invitation in your name to Colonel Payot to visit our bases. I spread this upon the minutes of the meet- ing. Colonel Payot expressed his great appreciation of this action on your part. Charles G. Dawes Brigadier-General, Engineers, N.A. October 26, 1918 From: The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. To: The Commanding General, Services of Supply. The following is a report of my activities on October 25, 26: 1. Conference with McFadden, War Trade Board, relative to Spanish animal situation. 2. Interviewed by telephone General Travers-Clarke, British Quartermaster-General, relative to horses from England for the A.E.F. In his telephone yesterday General Travers-Clarke told me we should receive 9000. To-day he states that they expect to furnish us 13,000. As the English figure they will not be able to ship these horses faster than 2000 per week, I have asked Mr. Dwight Morrow, Allied Alaritime Transport Council, who is now in London, to make efforts to increase the available shipping for these horses so as to increase the rate of flow. 3. Conference with Mr. Stettinius relative to purchase ar- rangements of A.E.F. in Europe. His reply to the War Department referred to in my former report of activities you will find in copies of his cables sent you by him direct. 4. Conference with Lieutenant-Colonel Hodges, of StafiF Military Board of Allied Supply, on matters of the Board. 5. Conference with the purchasing agent for Great Britain relative to English Branch of the General Purchasing Board. C: DAILY REPORTS 215 6. Conference with M. Libouton, representing the Belgian Minister of Transportation. Secured for him cession from the English army of ten automobile camions for immeliate use of the Belgians. In this connection received letter from Paul Segers, Belgian Minister of Transportation, ceding us 2CX) passenger cars for which our Transportation Department has made urgent request. This was in response to my request made some time ago. Have communicated this information to Transportation Department. 7. Conference with McFadden, War Trade Board, about his proposed trip to Spain. State Department has authorized him, in accordance with General Pershing's request, to under- take negotiations. In view of the fact that pending receipt of this authority we have sent United States Senator Hollis to Spain, McFadden is delaying his departure pending further consideration of its wisdom. Wired General Rogers asking him to instruct Corbusier, of his Department, to act in accordance with any policy outlined by Hollis. 8. Conference with Captain Sanborn, purchasing agent for Spain, who leaves for there to-night in connection with method to be pursued for most expeditious methods of trans- portation of animals from Spain. 9. State Department assures McFadden, in answer to his recommendation, that the embargo power of the United States will be used to its utmost to force immediate granting of Spanish export permits. We are endeavoring to lea\e nothing undone in the matter of expediting the animal supply. Charles G. Dawes Brigadier-General, Ejigineers, N.A. October 28, 1918 From: The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. To: The Commanding General, Services of Supply. The following is a report of my activities on October 2^, 28: I. As per your instructions had several conferences in re- gard to French storage of picric acid near our ammunition 2i6 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR warehouses. This matter has been satisfactorily arranged as per my telegram sent you this afternoon. 2. Conference with French as to rolling kitchens for the front, concerning which I wired Moseley. 3. Conference with McFadden, War Trade Board, relative to the animal situation in Spain. 4. Had number of conferences, in accordance with your instructions, relative to French shipment of aeroplanes to Vladivostok. The situation in this matter has been outlined to you in my various telegrams of yesterday and to-day. 5. Conference with representative of Motor Transport Corps relative to cession of camions promised us by the British army, in connection with delivery, payment, etc. 6. Conference with the Commander-in-Chief in his bed- room at his residence. Rue de Varenne, where he is suffering from a slight attack of influenza. He had his military con- ference on Thursday with Foch, Haig, and Petain, at which he discussed the form of military conditions of a possible ar- mistice. He is at present preparing statement of his attitude to be taken before the Versailles meeting on Wednesday. I think the General's health will permit him to be out of doors again to-morrow. 7. Have written General Moseley suggesting that subject of automatic shipments to railheads from S.O.S. have con- sideration. In this connection I attach hereto copy of my letter to General Moseley and copy of his letter for your con- fidential consideration. I understand that you are having a conference with him at this time. Anything that I say about G-4 must not be considered as criticism, for I have the highest regard for its management and only desire to be help- ful in any way that I can. In connection with the matter of hay, by an oversight I did not send my suggestions to Moseley direct as I should have done, and, as per Moseley 's letter attached, while it apparently did not annoy him, it seems to have met with some slight resentment on the part of some members of the General Stafif. My suggestion was that the LIEUTENANT-COLONEL EDWARD B. GUSHING C: DAILY REPORTS 217 maximum amount of hay to be shipped from the bases should always be determined by the maximum amount of hay which it is possible to transport from the railheads to the animals in the field. 8. Various other matters not connected with policy which escape my recollection. Charles G. Dawes Brigadier-General, Efigineers, N.A. [Enclosures] October 28, 1918 Brig.-Gen. George Van Horn Moseley Asst. Chief of Staff, G-4 General Headquarters My dear Moseley: I have your letter of the 26th, which I greatly appreciate. This morning General Pershing, who is a little under the weather, told me of the high terms in which Foch spoke of the American army and its organization at the Military Con- ference which was held at his Headquarters last Thursday on the matter of considering the military form of a possible armistice. There has been nothing more important, not only to the success, but the reputation of the A.E.F., than the fine way in which you have handled your important work. It occurs to me to suggest something here, and before I do it I will state where I got the idea. Colonel Sewell, who visited me the other day, stated that at one time, owing to lack of cars, they were much behind in the shipment of automatic supplies to the front, and that while they expected to hear a great pro- test on account of it — although it was unavoidable — nothing occurred. While nothing occurred probably because you are running with proper reserves in absolutely necessary supplies at the railheads, I am wondering whether you are checking up the automatic supply orders upon the Services of Supply in order to determine whether or not changes in the position of troops or other rapid changes at the front may not suggest alterations from time to time or in emergency of automatic supply orders. In other words, have you at the railheads and in touch with the necessities of the troops some one who if necessary can alter the automatic supply scheme if it is re- 2i8 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR suiting in transportation of a surplus where only necessities should be provided for? All this is subjective. I know noth- ing of specific conditions and know that the general situation is satisfactory. As you may know, the General is putting considerable responsibility upon me in connection with the gathering of horses, camions, and everything else that will move on legs or wheels and which can be had in Europe. I just secured a promise from the English of 13,000 horses and 290 camions. In considering the means of increasing our artillery and other transport and in encountering great difficulties in doing it, my mind naturally turns once in a while to the thought of possible economy in the use of such transportation that we have. Your friend Charles G. Dawes General Headquarters American Expeditionary Forces Sec. 4. G.S., 26 October, 1918 My dear General: I AM just in receipt of your letter of the 25th inst., and I ap- preciate it very much. This section of mine has grown so that many papers get by without m}^ being able to go over them carefully, and I am sorry that the paper to which you refer slipped by. Personally I am very glad always to have suggestions come in, for I realize that we need all the help we can get. Your telegram brought up the question of forage at railheads and I have sent Major Halsey, of the Q.M. Department, to inspect railheads and see that the forage placed at abandoned rail- heads is properly protected and that arrangements are made to place it promptly where it can be used. In making arrangements for the recent operations we placed quite a quantity of forage at certain places where the army could draw upon it directly; however, the First Army was shifted several times to the left and some of these stocks have not yet been used up. The machine that I have is so large that it is taking more and more effort to keep in close touch with all parts of it, so I am always glad to have sug- gestions pointing out something I may have overlooked. Late last night a message came stating that the conference C: DAILY REPORTS 219 at Marshal Foch's Headquarters was postponed several days, so I am not leaving for Paris to-night, but will see you in a few days. I have just finished proof-reading our new order on Staff arrangements, supply, transportation, etc., and we hope to have it in print in a few days. I believe it gathers up many loose ends and gives concrete form to our organization. Again let me thank you for your note, and as far as I am concerned your action was perfectly proper, but I find in my large family here and there people who do not take suggestions very kindly. You know there are many like this everywhere. As far as I am concerned, personally, I could not run my machine if it were not for the valuable suggestions and assist- ance I receive from my good friends. Very sincerely yours MOSELEY Brig. -Gen. Charles G. Dawes General Purchasing Agent American Expeditionary Forces Paris, France October 30, 19 18 From: The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. To: The Commanding General, Services of Supply. The following is a report of my activities on October 29 and 30: 1. Conference relative to horse-drawn rolling kitchens from the French for use at the front, concerning which I wired General Moseley. 2. Communication with British G.H.Q. relative to cession of 290 camions from the British army to the A.E.F. 3. Conference with Major-General Patrick relative to aviation matters, including matter of shipment by French Government of aeroplanes to Siberia, which you referred to me. 4. Conference with Mr. Stettinius relative to aeroplane shipment to Russia, concerning which I wired you in full. 5. Conference with Colonel Payot, of French army, at his Field Headquarters, relative to approaching meeting of Military Board of Allied Supply. Had conference with the 220 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR Commander-in-Chief the night before at his house in con- nection with Military Board of Allied Supply. Feeling of the Commander-in-Chief and myself, in which Colonel Payot agrees, is that the authority existing by international agree- ment in the Military Board of Allied Supply, in addition to its current use in operations, should be used at this time to gather statistics useful in case of demobilization of the armies and information as to existing munitions, transportation, and other field and rear supplies, which information cannot be as well collected through other agencies. It is in connection with the above that I have wired you to-day expressing the hope that you will accompany me to Headquarters of the Military Board of Allied Supply to-morrow. I desire to have a con- sultation with you soon in order to be informed as to the policy which- you desire to have carried out in this connection. 6. Communications with General Headquarters relative to shipment of horses from England. Lieutenant-Colonel Williams, Remount Servace, will return to-morrow. 7. Conference with representatives of Colonel Payot in connection with the pooling of gasoline supply between the French, British, and American armies. The French General Commissioner for Oils and Fuel will meet me at Coubert to- morrow. Lieutenant-Colonel Dudley, of our Oil and Gas Service, will accompany me. 8. Conference with Major-General Rogers, Lieutenant- General Thiemann, Mission du Ministere de I'lntendance Beige, and Mr. Theodore Kreglinger, Directeur-General au Ministere de I'lntendance, relative to assisting the Belgians with 20,000,000 rations. The French Government is prepar- ing to assist. I took responsibility of diverting ten of the three hundred camions, which I secured as a cession from the British army, to the Belgian army for immediate transportation of food to civilians in the liberated territory. The Belgian Government is paying the English Government direct for these camions so that it involves no inter-army accounting. 9. Conference with General Rogers in connection with the C: DAILY REPORTS 221 animal supply from Spain. He has wired at my suggestion such purchasing officers of the Quartermaster Department in Spain to report to Senator Hollis for instructions as to policy to be pursued. Consultation also held relative to the request of the Quartermaster-General, in which the General Purchasing Agent joined, that a fund of $3,000,000 be estab- lished for the payment of necessary expenses beyond ordinary travel rate to quartermasters and purchasing officers in neutral and Allied countries. 10. Conference with Mr. Edward R. Stettinius relative to purchase policy of the A.E.F. in connection with possible peace. Received a letter from Mr. Oscar T. Crosby, Special U.S. Commissioner of Finance in Europe, asking for a state- ment of the purchase policy of the A.E.F. in this connection. A copy of Mr. Crosby's letter, with copy of my answer at- tached, was sent you. I also wired you in this connection stating that an early conference is advisable in this matter. In the meantime in regard to all emergency matters involving emergency demands, especially in the matter of animal supply, I am proceeding as if the war were commencing instead of ending. Your decision as to the policy which we are to pursue will be difficult, but at least there should now be formulated the instructions to go immediately to the purchasing services in case of a declaration of peace. Millions of dollars are in- volved in any matter of delay in connection with the formula- tion of a policy in action thereon. 11. Various communications relative to expediting ship- ment of horses from England. We have now prospect for a minimum of 18,000 animals from England provided we do not have any mishap in connection with transportation. Wired Mr. Dwight Morrow, of Allied Maritime Transport Council, and Cravath in London to follow this matter constantly. The Commander-in-Chief notified me last night that we may expect 27,000 horses from America within the next thirty days, of which, of course, you have been advised. Have re- wired Lieutenant-Colonel Williams's telegram to you. 222 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR 12. Would request that if possible instructions be given that members of my Staff be not appointed on boards of court martial. With the waste talent you have at Blois I am sure that you will not find it necessary to take from us men engaged in work of the greatest possible importance to the A.E.F. and which if delayed will become steadily more diffi- cult of accomplishment. With our officers already all over- worked any encroachment upon their work will be extremely prejudicial to most important matters. Charles G. Dawes Brigadier-General, Engineers, N.A. November i, 19 18 From: The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. To : The Commanding General, Services of Supply. The following is a report of my activities on Oct. 31 and Nov. I : 1 . Attended meeting of the Military Board of Allied Supply at Coubert. Mr. Edward R. Stettinius and Lieutenant- Colonel C. E. Dudley accompanied me. The various matters considered at the meeting and action taken by the Board will appear in the minutes which will be forwarded to you. Colonel Pa>'Ot expressed his high appreciation of the honor you have done him in inviting him to accompany you on a tour of in- spection of the American ports. He is very anxious to go, but Marshal Foch will not consent at this time to his remaining away from Headquarters for a period of three days. He is to telephone me to-morrow as to whether he can be absent for two days, in which event he will go with you on Monday or Tuesday. Shall keep you advised. 2. Conference with Major-General Ford, B.E.F., as to horse and camion cessions from British army to A.E.F. Since I wired you 1900 horses are on the water for Havre and 1900 additional per week will be received up to the amount of which you have been advised. 3. Conference with Lieutenant-Colonel Williams, who has returned from England in connection with horses. C: DAILY REPORTS 223 4. Conference with McFadden, War Trade Board, and Lieutenant-Colonel Williams in connection with Spanish mule situation, concerning which I have written you fully attaching copy of the agreement which I have made with the French Government relative to export permit for 5000 young mules to Spain, the terms of which you authorized to me over the telephone this morning. Shipment of mules from Spain should have started by this time and should continue at the rate of 800 per day. Prospects are good for a supply of some 35,000 animals from Spain and Portugal. I desire to com- mend again the efforts of Mr. McFadden, of the War Trade Board, in connection with the Spanish situation. I have be- fore recommended Mr. McFadden for a Distinguished Service Medal. I hope very much that he will receive this, for his services to the A.E.F. have been most distinguished. To Lieu- tenant-Colonel Williams is due the suggestion, upon which I acted, which forms the basis of the agreement made with the French Government through which they grant export permit for young animals demanded by Spain. 5. Have suggested to the Military Board of Allied Supply that the composite figures on the military resources actually in possession of the Allied armies on October 31 be secured. In connection with this and also because it is desired by the War Department, request will go out to the armies for a com- plete statement of all munitions in their hands on Oct. 31. 6. Consideration of report of Board of Contracts and Ad- justments for quarter ended September 30, 1918, which I am forwarding you. Charles G. Dawes Brigadier-General, Engineers, N.A, November 2, 19 18 From: The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. To: The Commanding General, Services of Supply. The following is a report of my activities on November 2: I. Took up with French Mission matter of coal for Tours, 224 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR in accordance with your telegram, upon which I hope to make report this afternoon. 2. Also took up with French Mission matter concerning the Old Instrument Society, regarding which the Adjutant- General wired me. 3. Conference with General Moseley relative to matters of the Military Board of Allied Supply and relation of G-4, G.H.Q., thereto. 4. Conference with members of office Staff relative to local automobile situation. 5. Conference with members of office Stafif relative to de- tails for court-martial duty of officers serving under the General Purchasing Agent. Have arranged this matter satis- factorily with General Harts by suggesting substitutes for the officers named. 6. Conference with Major D. C. Jackson, Chief Engineer, Technical Board, relative to certain machinery desired from England and Channel transportation therefor. 7. Conference with Colonel Robert Bacon relative to mat- ters which have been the subject of consultation between yourself and myself, involving attitude of certain British and French critics of our army. The recent news of our continued advance at the front will again discourage criticism, but there are some among our good allies who will never forgive General Pershing for not having agreed to destroy the entity of the American army by its amalgamation by brigade into the British and French armies. 8. Consultations relative to the animal situation, the re- sults of which have been wired you. It is hoped that a large fiow of animals to our troops will shortly commence. Animals are already on their way from England and probably from Spain. Charles G. Dawes Brigadier-General y Engineers, N.A. C: DAILY REPORTS 225 November 4, 19 18 From: The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. To: The Commanding General, Services of Supply, The following is a report of my activities on November 2 (continued), 3, and 4: 1. November 2 (conlinued): Mr. James Keeley and Lord Northcliffe called upon me in the evening relative to the false critical attacks upon the i\merican army. Lord Northcliffe has prepared an article for the press in anticipation that possi- bly these statements may creep into the papers. However, the news of the great victory just won by our army and of its continued advance has in my judgment silenced the pessimis- tic chirp of the fireside crickets forever. Even if victory had not been achieved our casualty lists would in history have repudiated the lie that our first advance was slow because of trouble in the rear rather than because of the enemy at the front. In all my life I have never come in contact with as un- founded and miserable lies as have been put in circulation re- garding this matter with the apparent idea of injuring General Pershing and yourself. 2. Conference with the Commander-in-Chief, who spent the day in the city, leaving at 1 1 p.m. for the front. Gave him report upon the animal situation which I repeated to you by wire. Telegram to-day announces the arrival of the first Spanish animals at Hendaye on their way. I am hopeful that we can keep a constant flow of from 5000 to 7000 animals per week to the army. 3. Secured from the Commander-in-Chief his written ap- proval of the regulations prepared by the Military Board of Allied Supply governing second-line telegraph and tele- phone in the rear of the three armies and in reconquered territory. 4. November 3 and 4 : Second conference at office with Gen- eral Moseley relative to matters of Military Board of Allied Supply in connection with his service. 226 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR 5. Conference with Sir Albert Stanley, member of the British Cabinet, relative to the coal situation in England. I telephoned you concerning this. At my suggestion Sir Albert is leaving this morning for an interview with the Commander- in-Chief at the front. The matter of the coal supply of England being under Sir Albert's control, he states there is confronting the Allies a prospective winter shortage of twenty-one million tons of English coal, notwithstanding English industries and home consumption have been cut to a dangerous point. To relieve this situation 80,000 miners must be recalled from the English army immediately. Sir Douglas Haig informs Sir Albert that the English army cannot spare these men without grave consequence. Sir Albert will therefore request the Com- mander-in-Chief to give Sir Douglas Haig, if possible, three American Divisions to take their place in the British line, thus relieving the necessary number of British miners. 6. Conference with Major-General Rogers relative to pur- chase policy of the A.E.F. and the carrying out of your in- structions in connection therewith. 7. Conference with General Crofton Atkins, Director- General of Transportation, British army, relative to English coal supply. 8. Received word from French Government that they would endeavor to supply coal to keep Tours lighted, con- cerning which I telegraphed you. 9. To-morrow morning, together with Colonel Payot and members of his Staff, I expect to leave for Tours to join you on a trip of inspection. Colonel Payot has again written me this morning expressing his great appreciation of your kind- ness in extending to him this invitation. He also adds felici- tations upon the recent success of the American army. This accordingly will be my last report of activities until my re- turn. Charles G. Dawes Brigadier-General, Engineers, N.A. C: DAILY REPORTS 227 November 16, 1918 From: The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. To: The Commanding General, Services of Supply. The following is a report of my activities from Tuesday, November 5, to Saturday, November 16. As the Commanding General, S.O.S., is aware, I accompanied him on his tour of inspection of the ports at Bordeaux, La Pallice, St. Nazaire, and Nantes, starting from here on Tuesday, November 5, and returning to Paris on Saturday night, November 9. On the morning of November 11 the armistice was declared, im- mediately immersing yourself in the tremendous task of re- versing your great machine and adjusting it to the new con- ditions created by the armistice. Your arrival from Tours the night of November 11, together with the arrival of the Com- mander-in-Chief from Chaumont on the morning of the 12th, and our constant conferences together in connection with the immediate and energetic steps which were taken to stop un- necessary purchases and construction, are all a matter of your personal knowledge and do not require a report. What I write, therefore, in this connection is in the nature of a mutual record. The great press of work upon this ofifice during this period and the large amount of work done in verbal conference must necessarily make this report incomplete. I. General Merrone, representing the Italian Government, having presented telegram from the Italian Government stat- ing that they have 1,000,000 Austrian prisoners and 200,000 horses with no provisions for feeding, matter was first taken up with you. General McAndrew, and General Rogers at General Pershing's house, and later with you, General Per- shing, General McAndrew, General Rogers, and General Mer- rone. Present status of this matter is as follows: General Pershing, having asked me to obtain recommendation of Military Board of Allied Supply in the matter, I expect to secure same to-day. In the meantime the Italian Government has been asked the amount of flour which it desires. It has 228 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR also been requested to loan the A.E.F. 100,000 of the Austrian horses, provided they are serviceable and can be transported. General Rogers states that roughly he has surplus flour in the A.E.F. stock at Marseilles sufficient to feed a million men for twenty days. As soon as telegram is received from the Italian Government that they can transport the same if given them, I shall again present the matter to you and General Pershing for final decision. 2. The Treasury Department having expressed a desire that we cease importation of horses from Spain if in any way possible, I made a statement on November 13 to Mr. Oscar T, Crosby, Special U.S. Commissioner for Finance in Europe, as to the situation. Notwithstanding the declaration of the ar- mistice the High Command states that an addition of 106,000 horses to the present supply of the A.E.F. is needed. The arrival of horses from Spain and from England will not in the aggregate amount to over 5000 horses per week. The Com- mander-in-Chief expresses his unwillingness to cancel any of the present arrangements for horses from either Spain or England until absolutely assured of a flow of serviceable horses from Italy. A copy of my statement to Crosby has been sent you as well as copy of cable from Secretary Lansing suggesting that army fill its horse requirements from Italy instead of Spain. Doubt is expressed as to whether Italian horses are in serviceable condition and also as to whether we can transport them. The need of horses for the A.E.F. is acute. 3. Conference with the Commander-in-Chief and yourself relative to general order stopping unnecessary purchases of A.E.F. in view of declaration of armistice. 4. Conference with W. B. Poland, Director for Europe, Commission for Relief in Belgium, as to acute need of horses for Belgian and French civilian relief in reoccupied territory. One hundred and fifty lorries are also needed, lOO for French territory and 50 for Belgian territory. 5. Confirmation of cession from England of 300 lorries. SECOND HEAUQUARTERS. GENERAL PURCHASING BOARD HOTEL MEDITERRANEE, PARIS liMr%. ^P ■^*'^-iPm4 (Wl — ,' ^ .i>',^'ij ^ ^^S p* L. V - 1 *j g| BiE? 1 L I W^^K^PHBi M /— T^BIP H^^i Ml ^^^^Ht^HH^H^^^I ^^T^*" y ^ ^_ P^ i THIRD HEADQUARTERS. GENERAL PURCHASING BOARD ELYSEE PALACE HOTEL, PARIS C: DAILY REPORTS 229 6. Instructions to Mcchem, purchasing agent for Italy, in an endeavor to expedite matter of securing Italian horses and telegraphic correspondence with your Headquarters and British General Headquarters relative to about 13^x3 horses landed at Rouen, Havre, and Dieppe where no transportation is available to take them to the front. 7. Conference with General Rogers relative to the horse situation. 8. Second conference with W. B. Poland relative to need of 500,000 pairs of military boots, 600,000 suits of underwear, 500,000 suits of jumpers, etc., which I transmitted to the Quartermaster-General . 9. Conference with Poland relative to need of personnel for handling civilian relief and request for detail of officers experienced in same for his assistance. Also took up matter with Commander-in-Chief for Poland relative to use of some engineer troops in connection with providing shelter for ref- ugees returning to reconquered territory in France. 10. Conference relative to action of some of the services in issuing blanket orders for cancellation of contracts irrespective of whether they are subject to cancellation under their terms. This has been done in some cases in apparent direct contra- diction of your order. Your order would indicate that moral principles of adherence to contracts would be observ^ed irre- spective of immunity of a Government to legal action. Have presented this matter for your consideration by wire. 11. Conference with Major Taylor, Chairman of Board of Contracts and Adjustments, resulting in suggestion that representatives of the General Purchasing Agent under cer- tain circumstances be authorized to cancel contracts where no doubt existed either of the lack of necessity for the article or of the legal right of cancellation. While this unusual course might result in a temporary disarrangement of our system, that would seem to be a minor matter as compared with the saving possible by such a course. The process of cancellation in due course by the chiefs of the purchasing services of the 230 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR large number of outstanding contracts must involve some delay which can be obviated to some extent by the adoption of this suggestion. 12. Conference with W. B. Poland, representing Hoover Commission, relative to sale by the A.E.F. of three million dollars' worth of food to the Belgians, which has been arranged through General Rogers and representatives of the Belgian Government as before reported to you. Received approval of same by Poland. 13. Conference with Lieutenant-Colonel Drake relative to his recommendation that buying by the various services in the open market be discontinued and arrangements be made with the French and British authorities that we may first draw upon their stocks in France for any of our requirements which their supplies or surplus can meet, and in case they have no surplus our orders be then placed through the proper service of the French Government, which suggestion I note you have incorporated in your General Order No. 54. 14. Conference in connection with carrying out your Gen- eral Order No. 54 so far as it relates to the General Purchasing Agent's organization. 15. Preparation of a form of recommendation of Mili- tary Board of Allied Supply for the Commander-in-Chief, as suggested by him, for the proposed transaction between the A.E.F. and Italy covering flour and horses. This morning sent officers to British General Headquarters with form for approval of General Ford, member of the Board, and will send officer to French General Headquarters this afternoon. 16. Conference with E. R. Stettinius, representative of Secretary of War, relative to method of cancellation of various contracts of A.E.F. 17. Various conferences with Staff of General Purchasing Agent. 18. Conference with Commandant Varaigne, Chief of the French Mission, relative to methods under which General Order No. 54 shall be carried out by General Purchasing C: DAILY REPORTS 231 Agent in connection with requisitions on French Government. 19. Preparation of various orders to members of the Gen- eral Purchasing Board in connection with carrying out in- structions in General Order No. 54. 20. During Thursday, November 14, accompanied the Commander-in-Chief to Iwey, north of Cambrai, where be- fore a brigade of the 51st Highland Division, acting under the authority of the President, he decorated Marshal Haig with the Distinguished Service Medal of the United States. Charles G. Dawes Brigadier-General, Engineers, N.A. November 21, 1918 From: The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. To: The Commanding General, Services of Supply. The following is a report of my activities from November 17 to 21 inclusive. The conferences in which the General Pur- chasing Agent was engaged have been varied, and since nota- tion is not made of them at the time many have undoubtedly escaped his memory. The following report will be an effort at recapitulation of only the main activities: I. Conference with Poland, of Hoover Commission, rela- tive to surplus army supplies to be distributed by Mr. Hoover in civilian relief. As suggested in your telegram of the 17th he communicated with the Commander-in-Chief. A number of conferences were held by the General Purchasing Agent with Mr. Poland and his associate, Mr. Brown, relative to the general subject of the relation of Mr. Hoover's activities to the present method of army administration with a view of making recommendations in connection therewith to you and the Commander-in-Chief should any suggest themselves. In accordance with Mr. Poland's request you have detailed practically all of the officers requested by him for his assist- ance. In this connection the Commander-in-Chief has wired that he will be pleased to cable recommendation for discharge of these officers to enable them to serve with Hoover, and as 232 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR an emergency measure they can report to him for temporary duty in Allied countries only. He states that he cannot authorize them to visit neutral or hostile countries while they are still in our army. 2. Communicated with General Travers-Clarke relative to increasing our supply of horses from England or from surplus stock of the B.E.F. This in accordance with my telegram of November i8 sent to you. However, in accordance with your telephonic communication last night, stating that the esti- mated needs of the A.E.F. have been reduced from 106,000 to 50,000 animals, I have notified General Travers-Clarke that we shall not need additional animals. Major-General Ford, who arrived in Paris yesterday, November 20, stated that to the best of his knowledge 2600 horses are all that have been delivered or are on their way and that the cancellation order would probably stop shipments in excess of that number. 3. Conference with Dwight W. Morrow, Allied Maritime Transport Council, relative to horse situation. 4. Recei\-ed word from General Rogers of his cancellation of contracts for animals in Spain and Portugal. 5. Consideration of letters in reply to letters received by me from M. Loucheur, French Minister of Armament, and M. Ganne, Le Commissaire General aux Affaires de Guerre Franco-Americaines, relative to the subject of cancellation of orders by the A.E.F. in order to prevent accumulation of material and supplies rendered unnecessary by the armistice. I am sending you herewith copies of the correspondence which has passed between us. In the preparation of these letters I have been in consultation with Mr. Stettinius, representative of the Secretary of War, who has also received letters from them which he has answered. The position of Mr. Stettinius and myself in this connection is identical. 6. Conference between M. Ganne, Commandant Varaigne, and Commandant Oppenheim, of the Tardieu Mission, and Mr. Stettinius, Lieutenant-Colonel Jay, and myself, relative to the subject of the cancellation of orders of the A.E.F. as C: DAILY REPORTS 233 above. An understanding was reached. An outline of it you will note in the letter of Commandant Varaigne, representing M. Ganne, to myself, dated November 21. The French Gov- ernment seems to have accepted our contention that orders should be canceled as rapidly as possible without delaying the cancellation of any particular order until all have had con- sideration. The position I took with M. Ganne was that the American army would have no moral right, even if it had the legal right, not to take every possible measure to prevent the accumulation of material rendered useless by the declaration of the armistice. From the broad economic standpoint the continuance of the production of such material would result not only in the loss of the cost of labor employed, but in many cases of the material itself, where its change of form would unfit it for any but the special use for which it was manufactured. 7. Conference with Major-General Rogers, Quartermaster- General, relative to the cession of food supplies to the Belgian army, as originally arranged by him and confirmed by Mr. Poland. That there may be no doubt as to the full acquies- cence of Mr. Hoover in this connection. General Headquarters has directed suspension of deliveries until Mr. Hoover's arrival on Monday. 8. Various conferences with Mr. Stettinius and Colonel Hull relative to the new Finance Bureau provided for by General Order No. 199, General Headquarters. The General Purchasing Agent notes that in General Order No. 199 it is stated that the Finance Ofificer will supervise the activities of the Board of Contracts and Adjustments, the Financial Requisition Officer, the Financial Requisition Officer of Great Britain, and the Bureau of Accounts. It will be remembered that the General Purchasing Agent made the request that these boards and officers be directed to report to the new Finance Officer and pass entirely under his jurisdiction and control, thus relieving the General Purchasing Agent of any responsibility in connection with them. The wording of the 234 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR order, "The Finance Officer will supervise the activities of the Board of Contracts and Adjustments," etc., should, in the judgment of the General Purchasing Agent, be altered in such a way that the above purpose is made clear. The various organizations which the General Purchasing Agent has built up and which are now operating under him were made nec- essary by the great emergencies incident to time of war as well as because he was the only executive Staff officer in Paris in juxtaposition with the French Government and representa- tives of the English army and certain sources of supply. In addition, in connection with the emergency under which the A.E.F. was operating, a certain centralized supervision and control of the independent activities of the services be- came necessary. The emergency having now passed and the war being finished, the General Purchasing Agent feels that his organization should be quickly demobilized and that the various bureaus which he has built up be merged into the regular army organization where they wilJ continue to operate. To the Engineering Department should pass the Technical Board of the General Purchasing Agent; to the Finance Officer should pass the Board of Contracts and Ad- justments, the Financial Requisition Officer, the Financial Requisition Officer of Great Britain, and the Bureau of Accounts; for the Bureau of Reciprocal Supply there is no necessity of further existence. The Labor Bureau and the militarized labor of the A.E.F. has already passed, on the ist of September, to the Army Service Corps. So far as the chair- manship of the General Purchasing Board is concerned and the position of General Purchasing Agent, it would seem necessary that this position continue for a short time longer. Since in accordance with the recommendation of this office you have directed that as far as possible the A.E.F. endeavor to supply itself from stocks held by the French Government, it is evident that there will be very little if any purchasing done in the outside market. The French Government, in receiving the request for cessions from the different services, C: DAILY REPORTS 235 will itself coordinate them, preventing competition. The Gen- eral Purchasing Agent feels it desirable to curtail all unneces- sary machinery, and while he is in hopes, now that the war is over, that the functions of the General Purchasing Board will be greatly narrowed, it will still be advisable to retain its existence for a few months. 9. Conference with General Ford relative to proposition of Lieutenant-General Travers-Clarke looking toward close coordination of the American and English supply situation and the handling thereof, chiefly in regard to financial mat- ters. Arranged an interview between General Ford and Colo- nel Hull, the new Finance Officer of the A.E.F., for the purpose of acquainting Colonel Hull with this matter which will natu- rally pass under his jurisdiction. I am sending you herewith letter of General Travers-Clarke to me in this connection. Acting in accordance with your instructions I informed him some time ago that the principles suggested met with our full approval. 10. Meeting of the Military Board of Allied Supply was held at my office this afternoon, November 21. In accordance with my request as the American member, made at the meet- ing, the Board has ordered from all the armies a statement of their supply, transportation, and military equipment, with other information as of date October 31, 191 8. My purpose in having this information compiled was primarily for the purpose of giving complete information as to the present army supply situation with a view to determination of questions of possible interchange of supplies and facilitation of a general liquidation between the armies of any surplus stocks which might be uncovered. As the armies are demobilized it is im- portant to know the exact time when any surplus food sup- plies incident to demobilization may become available to help the acute civilian shortage in the devastated and re- conquered districts. It is also important, in the matter of military equipment alone, with the tremendous surplus which must exist in the armies considered as three that any particu- 236 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR lar army satisfy its particular needs out of the surplus of the other two. This joint consideration of the supply situation is essential to any proper liquidation of army material. My second purpose was to have a picture made of the supply condition of the armies from every standpoint at the end of the greatest war of history. The Military Board of Allied Supply, representing the effort at supply coordination of the Allied armies nearest the front, possesses the means of gather- ing militar>' information which should be of value and interest to military students for all time, as indeed the Board itself should be as representing in its formation and conduct the great difficulties as well as the great ad^•antages of a coordina- tion of the rear of allied armies to match their military unifi- cation at the front. At this meeting the question of the future location of the Headquarters of the Board was somewhat considered. Colonel Payot, President of the Board, desires to have the permanent Staff located somewhere near General Foch's Headquarters, to which he is attached. The present Headquarters of the Board at Coubert will probably be abandoned. The inconvenience and traveling involved in the location of the Headquarters of the Board at Metz are con- siderable. Major-General Ford, while stating his willingness to acquiesce in the judgment of the other members of the committee, feels that for its activities the separate armies can find some machinery in substitution. Colonel Payot and I feel and in this we are supported by our respective Commanders- in-Chief, that the powers over the three armies granted the Committee by the Governments should be kept alive, not only for the purpose of carr3-ing on such work as that which I inaugurated to-day, but for use in connection with situations which may arise hereafter. The Board expressed the desire that you should be present at their next meeting which will take place at my office, Elysee Palace Hotel, on November 29, 1918. Charles G. Dawes Brigadier-General, Engineers, N.A. C: DAILY REPORTS 237 [Enclosures] [Translation] MiNISTERE DE L'ArMEMENT ET DES Fabrications de Guerre November 16, 1918 My dear General, I FORGOT this morning to speak to you of a very important question, for which I am sorry. It is this: The American army, through your intermediary, has passed a series of orders to mills, for matters which normally concern the Q.M. Certain industrial firms advise me that these orders are going to be stopped immediately. The result will be the throwing out of work of many men and women, and will therefore be disastrous. For the French orders, we are taking steps to readjust the matter, in order to avoid cessation of work; I urgently re- quest you to do the same thing. Of course my services are at your disposal to examine each particular case and to assist you as much as possible. Cordially yours Signed: Loucheur Brigadier-General C. G. Dawes Elysee Palace Hotel, Paris November 20, 19 18 From: The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. To: M. Loucheur, Minister of Armament. My DEAR Mr. Minister: I have your note of November 16, in which you speak of the matter of cancellation of orders by the American army and that you regretted not having spoken to me about the mat- ter at our interview, I agree with 3'ou that this whole subject of cancellation must be handled in a broad spirit and we shall endeavor to avail ourselves of every agency to secure the information nec- essary to intelligent and just action within the limits of our authority. As you know from your many conferences with him, to the important and complicated matters of ordnance and aircraft Mr. Stettinius, the representative of the Secre- 238 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR tary of War, is giving his special attention. In these and all other matters the position taken by the army relating to cancellation of contracts will largely be determined by his adv^ice as representative of the War Department. With assurances of my personal regard Very sincerely Charles G. Dawes Brigadier-General, Engineers, N.A. [Translation] Presidence du Conseil Commissariat General DEs Affaires de Guerre Franco-Americaines November i6, 191 8 From: Le CommissaireG6n6ral aux Affaires de Guerre Franco- Americaines. To : Le Brigadier-General Dawes,General Purchasing Agent. My dear General, Certain of the Services under your orders have already sent, and are at present sending, to the Mission du Commissariat General, who have reported to me, orders for cancellation, partial or total, of the requests for cession presented by these services and delivery of which has not yet been commenced, or is in course. I feel I must point out to you that these requests for can- cellation appear difficult to accept in the form in which they have been drawn up. You will, in fact, appreciate that although certain of these cancellations are possible and desirable by reason of the fact that the manufacture of the material in question is not far advanced, certain others may be very difficult or practically impossible. At all events, the matter must first be studied as to the degree of advancement of the various orders for which the deliveries are not yet completed. I have already asked the various French Departments to take up this study, the results of which, I hope, will be known shortly. Furthermore, I am writing Mr. Stettinius, making him the same suggestions. I should be obliged if you would kindly let me know if, as far as you are concerned, they meet with your approval. C: DAILY REPORTS 239 Pending the agreement to be made with Mr. Stettinius and with you in this connection, I am giving instructions to the Mission which is with your services to hold back, for the moment, the various requests for cancellation which have reached them. Signed: Maurice Ganne November 20, 19 18 From: The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F, To: M. Ganne, Le Commissaire General aux Affaires de Guerre Franco-Americaines. My dear Mr. Ganne: Answering your letter of November 16, Mr. Stettinius has written you under date of the i8th relative to the same matter. In regard to the request for cancellations in connection with the cessions from the French Government, it would seem very necessary that the most energetic steps be taken by the French Government to early define its attitude in connection therewith. So far as the American army is concerned it would have no moral right, even if it had the legal right, not to take every possible measure to prevent the accumulation of ma- terial rendered useless by the declaration of the armistice. Again, from the broad economic standpoint the continuance of the production of such material results not only in the loss of the cost of labor employed in it, but in many cases of the material itself where its change of form would unfit it for any but the special use for which it was manufactured. The difficulties confronting the French Government in the defini- tion of its attitude are well recognized, involving as they do wide readjustment in labor conditions in France. However, in regard to cessions heretofore requested by the American Government of the French Government there would seem to be but one right position for the American army to take, and that is the immediate cancellation of all involving unnecessary material. And in this connection I am sure the French Gov- ernment will take the steps necessary at once for the protection of its own interests as well as those of the American Govern- ment. In the letter of Mr. Stettinius of November 18 he points out that if no action is taken with respect to any particular class of orders until information from all of your various serv- ices with reference to all orders that have been placed with 240 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR your Government is secured, it would obviously involve a delay that under the circumstances should not be permitted. I agree with him in this feeling that such a course would re- sult in great loss to the American army without corresponding benefit to the French Government. Charles G. Dawes Brigadier-General, E7igiiieers, N.A. [Translation] General Commissariat of Franco-American War Affairs Mission attached to the American Services at Paris Paris, 21st November, 1918 From: Commandant Varaigne, Chief of the Mission of the General Commissariat attached to the American Services at Paris. To: Brigadier-General Chas. G. Dawes, General Pur- chasing Agent, A.E.F. Subject: Cancellation of American orders. Following the conversation I had yesterday with Lieuten- ant-Colonel Jay, I have the honor to confirm to you as follows: The chief purchasing officers of theAmerican army, amongst others of the Ordnance Department, of the Corps of Engi- neers, of the Signal Corps, of the Chemical Warfare Service, of the Air Service, of the U.S. Naval Forces, have recently re- quested me to inform the French Services that they wished to cancel the orders in process placed by them with the said French Services. Following conversations and the exchange of letters with regard to the cancellation of American orders between the General Commissioner for Franco-American War Affairs, and principal French Services, Mr. Stettinius, and yourself, I had received orders from the Commissioner-General not to trans- mit officially, for the moment at least, the requests for can- cellation presented by each American Service, and the Com- missioner-General himself informed you of this decision, by his letter No. 7396 AT. of November 16, 191 8. The Commissioner-General thought, indeed, that these re- quests were but concrete cases of a general problem, upon the principles of which it was necessary to reach an agreement before undertaking its placing in operation. On the other hand, in order to have the necessary' data, the C: DAILY REPORTS 241 Commissioner-General for Franco-American War Affairs had requested the French Services, even before the requests for cancellation of the American Services had been presented, to draw up at once the list of the American orders with their status of completion. Finally, with a view to facilitating the work of the French Services, I have already transmitted to them unofficially the lists drawn up by the chief purchasing officers, so that they are already cognizant of the wishes of your various Depart- ments. On the other hand, the Commissioner-General has just authorized me to advise the French Services that they could consider as officially laid before them the requests for can- cellation which I had already sent them. I believe I may say that the French Services are preparing as rapidly as possible the work requested from them and that in many cases they have already stopped the work in process. The Chief of the Mission attached to the American Services at Paris {Signed) Varaigne General Headquarters British Armies in France 28th October, 19 1 8 Dear General Dawes: Many thanks for your letter of the 23 October. I think that your letter adequately meets most of the points, and doubtless there would be no objection to the expansion of the functions of the two bureaux to financial liaison work in other directions, should this appear useful. My conception of the sphere of usefulness of the new machinery proposed is outlined in the following extract from the note which I sent to the War Office submitting the proposal for their considera- tion. Paragraph 3. The functions of the two bureaux would be: (i) To work out details in regard to financial questions as between the British Expeditionary Force and the American Expedition- ary Force, and to facilitate the framing of proposals for ac- ceptance by their resjiective Headquarters. (2) To exchange information and facilitate the working out of uniform lines of action (subject, of course, to the approval of 242 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR their respective Headquarters) on financial questions of common interest. These questions would include: (a) The basis on which permanent improvements, constructed by the British or American armies, to docks, quarries, and build- ings, etc., on French or Belgian soil, should be transferred to the French or Belgian Government, or to corporations or in- dividuals, on the conclusion of hostilities or at any date antece- dent thereto. (b) The basis on which stores and materials belonging to the British or American armies in France or Belgium should be rated for sale — a matter which will be of particular importance in case of demobilization. (c) What measures are necessary to avoid the flooding of markets open for the sale of British or American stores on demobiliza- tion, the decision of what purchasers (particularly purchasers from neutral or hostile countries) should be allowed the op- tion of purchase, and how such applications should be dealt with. The American and British armies will be in an identical situation in regard to this question. They will have large quan- tities of stores and material on foreign soil, and, in the case of the British army to a certain extent and of the American army to a larger extent, will not be able economically to obtain trans- port for the remo\'al of a portion, at least, of the stores and material to their own countries. As regards the British and American armies, it is clearly desirable that a uniform policy in this matter should be adopted, and undesirable that one Force should give options for the sale of material on demobilization to neutral (or hostile) purchasers and not another. (d) Agreements such as those in regard to the repair of roads, etc. (e) Agreements in regard to railway rates, the recovery of sums in regard to contributions of material, labor, etc., by the British or American armies in respect of railway lines on which rates are paid to French or Belgians, (f) Questions in regard to the rates to be paid to civilian labor. (g) Questions in regard to purchases in France and Belgium such as those which it is proposed to deal with under the Central Pur- chase Agency scheme. (h) Compensation and renting of land and buildings. Paragraph 4. Where any existing machinery exists for dealing with the questions C: DAILY REPORTS 243 enumerated in paragraph 3, the function of the two bureaux would be more in the nature of liaison work, and it is probable that at first, at any rate, this would be their main function. As the British Bureau would be directly under the Q.M.G.'s Branch of General Headquarters, this liaison work would naturally fit in with existing machinery at G.H.Q., and the proposed Bureau would be in close touch with the financial and demobilization section of the Q.M.G.'s Branch. Paragraph 6. It should be made clear at once that the proposed scheme would in no way constitute a combination between the British and Americans against the French or any other ally. In fact, it is considered that it will be of material assistance to the other allies in their negotiations on general questions which effect both the American Expeditionary Force and the British Expeditionary Force identically. While, at present, separate negotiations have to be undertaken with each of these two forces, and the progress of one set of negotiations has, directly or indirectly, an effect upon the other set of negotiations, such questions would be examined jointly by the two Forces, and the point of view of the French or any other Ally would be met on a uni- form basis. Paragraph 7. As regards (i) of the functions which it is proposed that the Bureau should fulfill, the following considerations are relevent: The general lines for financial settlement between the British and American Expeditionary Forces are in process of being finally set- tled; but it is considered that the bringing of the negotiations to a conclusion, acceptable to both parties, would be materially assisted by the work of the proposed Bureau. A number of detail points remain to be settled, and additional points are sure to arise from time to time. The speedy settlement of these is desirable, not only from a financial point of view, but because settlement is materially easier when such matters are fresh and dealt with promptly, and when officers conver- sant with the facts still remain unchanged. 2. You will note that this extract contemplates possibly a wider purview than that contained in your letter. If, how- ever, the War Ofifice on our side and the American Authorities on your side approve the general scheme, the question of the exact functions which will be entrusted to the new machinery could be discussed and settled later. I feel strongly, however, that the American and British 244 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR Expeditionary Forces are in a unique position in regard to financial questions, in that they are spending large sums in fixed installations such as docks, railways, etc., and are ac- cumulating large stores on foreign soil, and it is most undesir- able either that there should be any competition in the ar- rangements for the disposal of these, or that the French and Belgian Governments should be burdened with a double set of negotiations on different lines in regard to arrangements with the British and American Forces when the circumstances are identical. Yours sincerely (Signed) Travers-Clarke November 30, 1918 From: The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. To: The Commanding General, Services of Supply. The following is a report of my activities for the period November 22 and 30, inclusive. A report of activities is gen- erally brief for one of two reasons — first, that there are no activities to report, or second, that they are so numerous that they leave no time in which to report them. Your own personal contact with the activities of the General Purchasing Agent during the last eight days no doubt indicates to you the im- possibility of adequately epitomizing them. I. Conferencewith the Commander-in-Chief and Command- ing General, S.O.S., and Mr. Stettinius, special represent- ative of the Secretary of War, relative to policies involving cancellation of contracts and general liquidation of property of the A.E.F. The Commander-in-Chief having cabled rec- ommendation to War Department of a course to be pursued and in connection therewith having approved the appoint- ment of an Advisory Liquidating Board to operate under your authority, upon which you named Mr. Stettinius, Colo- nel Hull, and myself, a large portion of my time has been given to the new situation created thereby. It is impossible to enumerate the special situations considered, many of which had attention in conjunction with yourself. These consulta- EDWIN B. PARKER Chairman U.S. Liquidation Commission, War Department C: DAILY REPORTS 245 tions covered preparation of notices and orders to chiefs of purchasing services, etc. 2. Conference with M. Ganne, Le Commissaire General aux Affaires de Guerre Franco-Am6ricaines, relative to A.E.F. civilian labor contracts. The adjustment of which matter authorized by you is satisfactory to the French, since there is no immediate intention to discharge French civilian labor. 3. Conference with Mr. W. B. Poland, representative of the Hoover Commission, relative to supplies to be furnished from surplus stocks of the A.E.F. for civilian relief. Con- ference also had between Rogers, Poland, and the General Purchasing Agent at which understanding was reached. 4. Meeting of the Military Board of Allied Supply at which you were present. I obtained authority of the Board for the issuance to the three armies of orders to prepare reports covering, since the beginning of the war, the policy of rear supply, changes therein and the reasons therefor. This is in addition to, but in connection with, the issuance of orders to the three armies, made at my suggestion at the last meeting, by which complete information as to the status of men, sup- plies, ammunition, transportation, etc., of the armies at the front will be furnished as of date October 31, 19 18. Attention is called to the necessity of coordination between G-4, G.H.Q., and the C.G., S.O.S., in the preparation of a history of the supply services of the A.E.F. It is to be remembered that in all probability the literature of the Military Board of Allied Supply, since it covers the matter of coordination nearest the front and relates to all the armies, will be in the future closely examined by military students. It would seem important, therefore, that while the record of the supply serv- ices of the A.E.F. be formulated as an independent record for independent preservation, it should also be along lines which will coordinate it with similar reports from the other two armies to be preserved in the records of the Military Board of Allied Supply. I have named Lieutenant-Colonel Harry L. 246 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR Hodges in connection with the gathering of the information from the A.E.F., and since I am under your authority and he under mine it may be well for you to convey suggestions to him direct from time to time in this connection. The record of the English army will be prepared under the supervision of Major Craig, who has been appointed by Major-General Reginald Ford, the English member of the Board, and will have an office in my Headquarters. Close contact will also be had by Colonel Hodges and Major Craig with a represent- ative named by the French army, and in this way it should be possible to have the records proceed along somewhat similar lines, although, of course, conditions affecting the supply problems of the three armies have been so different that parallel lines cannot be followed too closely. 5. Shall expect to confer with Mr. Hoover on Wednesday in the matter of the recommendation of the French Govern- ment, accepted by the British Government, that the Military Board of Allied Supply be the medium through which the rep- resentatives of Germany submit their requests for food and supply allocation. 6. Various conferences on matter of animal supply and con- tracts therefor, with yourself, the Commander-in-Chief, and General Rogers too numerous to be recapitulated, and in view of the present adjusted situation not necessary to record. 7. I notified Dwight Morrow, Allied Maritime Transport Council, that the animal requirements of the A.E.F. have now been cut down by the Commander-in-Chief from 106,000 to 50,000, but that all animals now afloat from the United States and which shall be shipped up to November 30, the date on which under your order shipments will cease, will be needed because the rate of flow of animals from Spain and England in the meantime will not be sufficient to meet emergency. In the meantime the contracts with Spain and England have been canceled as far as possible. 8. Wired purchasing agent for Italy to drop matter of ob- taining from Italian Government captured Austrian horses. C: DAILY REPORTS 247 9. Conference with M. Loucheur, French Minister of Armament, relative to labor situation as related to A.E.F. concerning which I wired you. 10. Have recommended that the Technical Board be re- moved from my jurisdiction and placed under Chief Engi- neer's office, being in line with my policy of the demobili- zation as far as possible of the work of this section of the Administrative Stafif and the transferring of the bureaus built up under emergency to their proper position in the regular army organization. 11. Various conferences with Mr. Stettinius relative to the ordnance and aircraft contract situation with the French and British Governments. These matters are in his charge. 12. Consideration of preparation of plan relative to future purchases of A.E.F. to conform to instructions in G.O. 54, S.O.S. This plan was submitted to you personally and ap- proved and has been issued. 13. Meeting of Advisory Liquidation Board on Novem- ber 30. Consideration of matters of general policy followed by a meeting of the Board with the General Purchasing Board for discussion and instructions in connection with the same. 14. Conferences with M. Ganne, General McCoy, Lieu- tenant-Colonel H. B. Moore, Captain Baker, U.S. Navy, and others including Mr. George McFadden, a most important factor in the situation, on the subject of the immediate use of the S.S. La France for transport of wounded soldiers, of which we should know results soon. 15. Various conferences with representatives of General Purchasing Agent in England and Spain relative to cancella- tion policy and contract situation in these countries. These matters are considered in connection with Mr. Stettinius and Colonel Hull. Charles G. Dawes Brigadier-General, Engineers, N.A. 248 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR December 12, 191 8 From : The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. To: The Commanding General, Services of Supply. The following is a report of my activities from December I to December 12, inclusive: 1. Conference with George McFadden, War Trade Board, relative to S.S. La France. With cooperation of Mr. Mc- Fadden authority was given for this steamship to sail with American wounded for America as requested by you. 2. Conference with Mr. Herbert C. Hoover relative to general plan of cooperation between his Commission and the A.E.F. Mr. Hoover is awaiting the arrival of the President and the final outlining of his authority under instructions of the President and agreement of the Allies. 3. Conference with Mr. Edward R. Stettinius, special rep- resentative of the Secretary of War, in regard to the machine- tool situation of the A.E.F. and various offers being received for purchase of machine tools. 4. Conference with General Parker relative to office quarters. 5. Conference with Mr. W. B. Poland, Commission for Re- lief in Belgium, relative to assignment of motor cars to Com- mission. Arranged with Colonel Smither, G-4, S.O.S., for assignment of twenty cars for use of Commission. 6. Conference with Major-General Langfitt and Colonel Boggs relative to general policy of liquidation of contracts. 7. Conference with W. B. Poland relative to A.E.F. per- sonnel for use by Commission for Relief in Belgium. 8. With Mr. Stettinius attended conference with M. Tar- dieu and M. Ganne, at which Mr. Stettinius was notified that his proposition for settlement of munition situation between French and American Government would be accepted by M. Loucheur, French Minister of Armament. 9. Conference with Edward R. Stettinius relative to can- cellation of orders by chiefs of services. HON. H. H. MOLLIS Member U.S. Liquidation Commission, War Department C: DAILY REPORTS 249 10. At request of the Advisory Liquidation Board prepared plan for method of liquidation of A.E.F. property, subject to approval of the War Department, for recommendation to the Commanding General, S.O.S. The prepared plan was adopted for recommendation by the Advisory Liquidation Board. I also read the plan over the telephone to you and to the Com- mander-in-Chief, both of whom approved. The plan appears in the minutes of the second meeting of the Advisory Liquida- tion Board, which have been sent you. 11. Meeting of the General Purchasing Board at which Mr. Stettinius and Colonel Hull were present and at which was discussed the policy of liquidation of contracts. 12. Conference with General Legge, B.E.F., who has been sent, under the plan suggested by General Travers-Clarke, to take charge of an office for the B.E.F. in this building for liaison preparation of inter-army and Government accounts. 13. Office conference relative to reduction of personnel. 14. Conference with General Golligher, B.E.F., relative to general method of preparation of inter-army accounts. 15. Preparation of list of French, British, Belgian, and Italian officers for Distinguished Service Medal, who have rendered distinguished service to the A.E.F. in connection with my own department of the Administrative Staff. 16. Conference with Mr. Stettinius relative to General Atterbury's suggestions regarding the disposition of rolling stock of the A.E.F. I am glad to note that the moral obliga- tion which I expressed last year to the Belgians, in connection with the cession made by them to us of passenger cars, for an option to them after the war on five thousand American army freight-cars is being observed. 17. Conference with George McFadden, War Trade Board, who is about to leave for the United States. I desire to express great appreciation of the ability, resourcefulness, and con- tinuous cooperation of Mr. McFadden with the A.E.F. There has been the closest understanding and cooperation at all times between Mr. McFadden and the General Purchasing 250 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR Agent. Mr. McFadden has rendered distinguished service to his country and it should be properly recognized by the A.E.F. by the award of a Distinguished Service Medal. 1 8. Consideration of telegram from Brigadier-General Krauthoff, purchasing agent for England, and reply thereto in connection with policy of cancellation of English contracts with the A.E.F. 19. Conference with representatives of M. Loucheur, Minister of Armament, relative to employment of French girls and women released from the manufacture of gas-masks and explosives. Communicated with General Rogers in this connection, who has promised all possible cooperation. 20. Meeting of Advisory Liquidation Board in re cancella- tion of contracts. 21. Conference with Commander-in-Chief relative to method of liquidation of army property. Charles G. Dawes Brigadier-General, Engineers, N.A. December 31, 19 18 From: The General Purchasing Agent, A.E.F. To: The Commanding General, Services of Supply, The following is a report of my activities from December 13 to 31 inclusive. So much of this period has been spent by the General Purchasing Agent in your company, notably on tour of inspection with English Generals over the S.O.S. and trip to Neufchateau and Chaumont, that you are personally advised of trend of affairs in this office. 1. Various conferences with Herbert C. Hoover relative to the relation of his activities to the army organization. I have transmitted all requests for personnel made by him upon me to you, as well as all other matters. No requests for personnel for Hoover through me have been made except through S.O.S. Headquarters. 2. Mr. Hoover made a suggestion to the Commander-in- Chief that I go to Berlin at the head of a commission in con- C: DAILY REPORTS 251 nection with his organization for the handling of food sup- plies for Germany, The Commander-in-Chief called me into conference upon this matter and seemed to be of the opinion that my presence here in connection with general business matters of the A.E.F. is necessary. 3. Arranged conference between Hoover and the English Director-General of Transportation and Supplies at Salonica. 4. Arranged and attended conference between Herbert Hoover and General Payot, at which plans were made for the transport by the French army of such surplus supplies of the American army as should be turned over to Mr. Hoover in connection with his work of relief of the French devastated districts and Belgium. 5. Preparation of recommendations for the Distinguished Service Medal, as requested by the Adjutant-General. The list which I have prepared covers military and civilian officers of Allied Governments who have rendered exceptionally valuable service in connection with the furnishing of supplies to the A.E.F. At a conference upon this subject with Gen- eral Davis, Adjutant-General, A.E.F., he outlined to me the present status of the whole question of Distinguished Service Medal awards. While the policy has not yet been decided, he gave me to understand that many difficulties would at- tend the bestowing of the Distinguished Service Medal upon French civilian officials. If the obstacle to this recognition of civilian official assistance to the A.E.F. is not removed, a very embarrassing situation will be created. It must be remem- bered that the military organization in France is partly under civilian authority; that in the rear of the Zone of Advance all supplies are handled by French civil departments; that it is these French civil departments which have furnished to the A.E.F. a very large part of its absolutely essential supplies. Considering the fact that the A.E.F. has secured from the French and English Governments, and through purchases on this side made with their cooperation and approval, practically two thirds of its supplies of all kinds, the inability to recognize 252 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR civilian assistance at the same time we are recognizing the as- sistance of military officers in connection with supplies will create an injurious misunderstanding on the part of our allies. To my mind it is not nearly so essential that in the reward of conspicuous merit there should not be associated with it a similar recognition of less distinguished service as it is that all meritorious and important service rendered to us by our allies should receive some mark of recognition similar to that which they are bestowing upon American officers and citizens. It would seem to me preferable that criticism be endured to the effect that the distribution of the Distinguished Serv^ice Medal was made so wide as to detract to some extent from its value than to be justly criticized for a lack of recognition of actual service performed in time of great necessity. However the method of recognition be arrived at — by the creation of other forms than the Distinguished Service Medal or other- wise — it is sincerely to be hoped that the recognition of the assistance which the American army has received may be general and generous and in line with our allies, which, in the absence of other forms of recognition, it will not be if what seems to be the present view as to the limit of right to confer the Distinguished Service Medal prevails. 6. My time is largely occupied and will be for some time in the preparation, as you have directed, of a report of the record of the General Purchasing Agent and General Purchasing Board from establishment to the present time. 7. Various conferences with members of the Advisory Liquidation Board, A.E.F. As the connection of the General Purchasing Agent with these matters is advisory only he will not report on them, since Colonel Hull, Finance Officer, makes full report. Charles G. Dawes Brigadier-General, Engineers, N.A. HOMER H. JOHNSON Member U.S. Liquidation Commission, War Department APPENDIX D REPORT OF LIEUTENANT-COLONEL CHARLES G. DAWES ON BOAT DRILL ON ARMY TRANSPORTS INFORMATION AND SUGGESTIONS FOR OFFICERS IN COMMAND OF TROOPS APPENDIX D Headquarters American Expeditionary Forces France, September 20, 191 7 I. This pamphlet publishes a copy of a report prepared by Lieutenant-Colonel Charles G. Dawes, Corps of Engineers, National Army, who was in command of boat drills for the 17th Regiment of Engineers. The memoranda herewith, in- tended primarily for the instruction of army officers (lands- men), are commended by experienced ship officers, including Captain J. T. W. Charles, C.B., R.D., R.N.R., the senior captain of the Cunard Line, and formerly one of the captains of the Lusitania. 2. The report is published in full for the information and guidance of all concerned. It is directed that the instructions contained herein be carefully studied by all officers in charge of troops crossing the Atlantic Ocean, and that the most energetic means be taken to carry them out, to the end that the lives of our soldiers may not be sacrificed in case of acci- dent. Copies of this pamphlet will be distributed to all trans- ports entering the ports of debarkation of the A.E.F. By command of Major-General Pershing: James G. Harbord Lieutenant- Colonel, General Staff Chief of Staff Official: Benj. Alvord Adjutant-General . 256 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR A. BOAT DRILL Information and Suggestions for Officers IN Command of Troops on Army Transports During the near future American soldiers must be trans- ported by sea to France. When they are placed on the trans- ports their officers, although for the most part landsmen with little or no sea experience, are charged with the gravest re- sponsibilities for their care arising out of the new environment. What is written has been submitted for revision to ship offi- cers of high standing who have been on ships when they were torpedoed. To the seaman much here written will seem su- perfluous, but not to the inexperienced landsman finding himself suddenly invested with new and heavy responsibilities. The importance of the officer landsman keeping intellec- tually humble in gathering information from ship's officers cannot be overstated. Instances have occurred where mili- tar>' officers of no naval or sea experience, commanding land forces upon transports, have insisted upon exercising an authority in matters not relating directly to navigation which resulted in such a condition on the ship that if an emergency had arisen it would probably have resulted in great disaster. Hundreds of inexperienced land commanders responsible for the proper conduct of companies and regiments upon ships in times of emergency will, during the next year, march down to the ships with their men and march off on the other side in safety. But such an officer who does not march off with men who have been thoroughly instructed and drilled for a tor- pedo attack or other emergency will be guilty of criminal negligence. I. "Boat Drill:' "Boat drill" is the drill designed to get men in time of emergency from their quarters below deck or elsewhere in the shortest time and by the quickest route to their assigned positions opposite their proper lifeboats and rafts. D: REPORT ON BOAT DRILL 257 The officer in command of "boat drill" for a regiment should, on going on board ship, arrange with the captain of the ship or the chief officer or the naval officers in charge for the earliest possible conference on the matter of "boat drill." At such a conference the landsman in command of troops should state his complete or partial ignorance of ship methods and terms. The deference and courtesy shown his rank by the ship's officers must never lead him to "put on a front." If he knows nothing he should tell them so. They will soon find him out without his informing them, but he will save himself and them time if he will make it clear to them that he does not pretend to know. At my first conference with ship officers, they would occasionally say in connection with advice, "Of course, if you think best, you can do otherwise." If they do this, reply, "Instruct me as if I were here as an under ship officer to transmit and interpret your instructions and sug- gestions to troops who are simply passengers trained to act in unison at my command." Inexperience and ignorance in its association with experience and knowledge will always profit by humbleness of opinion. The ship officers know what to do in case of emergency; the landsman does not. The ship officers have been through it; the landsman has not. Notwithstanding this, the landsman is to become prac- tically an under ship officer, partly because he is a military commander on duty with his troops, and in part because all ships are now running short of full crews. 2. Deck Chart. The ship officer should first give you a chart of the decks of the ship from which the men are expected, in times of emergency, to take to the boats and rafts. On this chart there should be marked the position of the boats and rafts, together with the man-carrying capacity of each one. This chart will become the basis of your "boat drill." In general the ship's officers will leave to you, practically with- out interference, the task of getting the men on deck to their prescribed stations in the shortest period of time. When once your men are on deck the relation of the ship's officers and 258 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR crew to the situation becomes different and will be discussed further on. 3. Bulkhead Doors. The ship officers will explain the opera- tion and point out the location of bulkhead doors. They will indicate the time when the doors will be closed. This is very important information, as "boat-drill" routes must be deter- mined upon the assumption that bulkhead doors are closed at all times. 4. " Boal-Driir' Routes. After the consultation with ship officers and receipt of the deck chart from them, the officer in command of "boat drill" should carefully explore the holds and stairways leading to the decks, both before and after the companies of his regiment have been assigned quarters. He should consult the captains of the companies for advice as to the best route for their men to the decks. // seems to be the consensus of advice from ship and naval officers that the forma- tions in which men should move to the deck should conform to the deck chart. In other words, if you bring your men to deck by companies they will in many cases have to separate after getting there in going to different parts of the same deck or to different decks in order to be opposite the boats or rafts to which they are assigned. This would consume time which can be saved by having the men assigned to the same section of the deck take the same route from the hold, even though it results in the breaking of ordinary military units into new "boat-drill " units in the hold. The "boat-drill " units do not necessarily involve a change in the first location of troops by companies in the holds. Forming them simply means that in some cases the "boat-drill" unit will consist of men be- longing to two different companies who have adjoining quar- ters, and are united into a "boat-drill" unit in reference to a convenient companionway (stairway) or a general route up. The most of the transport ships are large, having six or seven decks, the lower decks being enclosed by the sides of the ship and constituting the quarters for the men. The way from the lowest quarters in the hold may be by several D: REPORT ON BOAT DRILL 259 different flights of stairs not connected by a straight path, but involving the "boat-drill " unit in several turns and twists on the way up. At certain decks through one door all "boat- drill " units may converge and then separate. At points where congestion is liable to occur, commissioned officers should be stationed at all times of the night so as to prevent panic and a mixing of the "boat-drill" units in case of a rush in obedience to the agreed-upon signal. If mistakes are made in the selec- tion of routes to the deck, the first drill will generally, but not always, indicate them. Wherever possible the contempora- neous joint use of staircases by units should be avoided, as should the crossing of routes. In some cases this will be found unavoidable. The commander should ask for suggestions from captains of companies, after the first drill, looking to- ward the bettering of the assigned routes to the deck. These routes, however, should be settled as soon as possible so that the men may be thoroughly accustomed to them before the voyage has progressed too far. After they are selected the men composing the "boat-drill " units should be instructed to go to and from their quarters in the hold at all times, day and night, or from one deck to the other, by their prescribed " boat-drill' ' routes in order that they may take them naturally in case of attack and the sudden giving of the signals. In some cases, particularly on the boat deck, it is possible to place a company unbroken before the boats or rafts assigned to them, in which case it is generally possible to move it from the hold to the deck as a company "boat-drill" unit. The selection of the best routes for the different "boat-drill" units from the hold to the decks is a matter of common sense and good judgment. 5. Lanterns. Always ask the ship officers to give you lan- terns or oil lamps to string along the "boat-drill " routes in the hold, so that if a torpedo attack puts the ship's dynamo out of commission these routes will not be left in darkness. 6. Meetings of Regimental Officers on "Boat Drill.'' Meet- ings of the regimental officers should be called daily to re- 260 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR ceive Instructions and discuss various features of "boat drill." These instructions in turn should be communicated and ex- plained to meetings of the non-commissioned officers by com- pany commanders. 7. Portholes. A detail of two men from each company should be made whose duty it is to see that all portholes arc closed at night during the entire voyage, and closed both day and night during passage through the danger zone. The reason for closing portholes at night is to render the ship less con- spicuous as an object of attack. They are closed in the dan- ger zone because, if the ship is struck and lists, she will fill more rapidly with water with open portholes, and be less liable to right herself. 8. Doctors. Whenever possible a doctor should be assigned to a boat and instructed to precede the men in entering the boat. 9. Signals. The general signal of alarm in case of attack or emergency on the ship is given by five short blasts of the ship's whistle. Through captains all men should be instructed on this point and as to the other signals for "boat drill." They must be made thoroughly to understand that five blasts of the ship's whistle means for them, "Boat drill." For simple drill purposes the "boat-drill" signals should be given at an agreed-upon time in the holds and upon the decks by five short blasts on the bugles and officers' whistles, constantly repeated. The same bugle and whistle signals should be given in real emergency as in drill, for in certain low sections of the hold it is difficult to hear the ship's whistle. At the first sounding of the signal all men should immediately run to their quarters, put on their life-belts and all their clothes (in- cluding shoes), and then run by their prescribed routes to their assigned positions on the decks without any preliminary formation into ranks. Two men at least of each "boat-drill" unit should be a continuing detail to go thoroughly through its quarters after the men are started up to see that none of the men are left be- D : REPORT ON BOAT DRILL 261 hind. They should then join their "boat-drill " unit as fast as possible on the decks. 10, Mess Drill. The men gather at mess, and a separate boat drill must be given the men at mess, since an attack is liable to find them there. The men should be drilled in leav- ing the messroom by prescribed routes to their quarters and to their regular deck positions in "boat drill." 11. At an early stage of the voyage, hold the regiment in "boat-drill" formation on the decks and go before each "boat-drill" unit, accompanied by a ship officer (if he is available) so that he may correct any of your mistakes. Then address the men on the subject of their individual conduct in time of attack or emergency. Remember that whenever with the imposition of discipline the reasons for it can be properly given it is doubly effective. This admonition should cover the proper use of the life-preservers, and other important points which I think will be better remembered if I give the substance of what I said to each of our "boat-drill" units in the 17th Engineers: Attention! What I am going to say is so important that I have brought a ship's officer with me to correct me if I make mistakes. If we are struck by a torpedo, or if any other acci- dent happens to the ship, remember that your main reliance must be your life-preserver. The lifeboats and rafts are secondary in importance. The life-preserver comes first. If you adjust it right, you cannot sink. If you adjust it wrong, i may drown you by keeping your head under water. Here call a man from the ranks so that all can see hin? and adjust his life-preserver right, explaining the reasons for each adjustment. The ship officer may be willing to do this for you. Now listen carefully: We are most of us men who live on in- land waters. Our idea is naturally that the less clothes a man has on the easier it is to keep afloat and to handle himself in the water. The ship officers now tell us we must forget all that. We must now put on all the clothes we can — shoes, leggings, and all. It will be all right to put on an overcoat. 262 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR Then put on your life-preserver. It will float you, clothes and all. If you do not have your clothes on, you may soon perish in the water from exposure. With your clothes and shoes on, the water next your body will not be so cold, and you will last longer and be in better shape when the boats come to pick you up. When we get into the danger zone you will be notified. Then keep your clothes and life-preservers on day and night. Now listen again! If anything happens, and you are called on deck by the five blasts from the ship's whistle, or the bugles or the officers' whistles, when you get on deck do not inter- fere with the ship's crew who are handling the lifeboats and rafts' tackle. Keep away from the ropes. Do not crowd around the boats and rafts so as to interfere with their being launched. Obey any orders given by the ship officer 07i deck. Give the ship's crew room to work in. THEY ARE DOING IT FOR YOU. 12. From the time you have got your men on deck, both you and they should be in the hands of the officers of the ship so far as the giving of orders is concerned. The cir- cumstances that may arise cannot be foretold. The boat chart embodies the ship officers' ideas of the best distribution of lifeboats and rafts. But the ship may list suddenly, making impossible the launching of boats and rafts on one side and precipitating the line of men formed on that side on top of the men opposite. The sudden listing forward, backward, or sideways of the boat may entirely disarrange every pro- gramme, throw men in a mass into situations where boats or rafts cannot be taken — prevent the launching of boats and rafts and cause great confusion. All men on the open decks, especially those on which the islands are located, should be warned that in any case of emergency, and the sudden listing of the ship, they must keep clear of material sliding along the decks or falling from the islands. Many other things arising from the explosion of a torpedo may in an instant change the situation. The ship may sink in a few minutes or be hours in sinking. It is because of their actual experience that ship officers do not attach much im- portance to any use of military commands or programmes D: REPORT ON BOAT DRILL 263 after the men are on deck. When they are on deck the sit- uation should be left practically to the ship's officers and to the men themselves. An attitude on the part of a military commander which would discourage individual initiative at such a time might mean unnecessary loss of life. However, keep constantly in your mind and in that of your men the necessity of not interfering with the ship's crew in their work on the ropes and lifeboats and rafts. The ship's officer may ask for help in handling the boats, and you should have already prepared a detail of men in advance for this emergency. Keep your men from interfering with the ship's officers and men. Consider yourself practically an under ship officer tak- ing your orders from the ship's officer in charge of your deck. The above is submitted. {Signed) Charles G. Dawes Lieutenant-Colonel of Engineers National Army B. CIRCULAR OF INSTRUCTIONS TO CAPTAINS Headquarters 17TH U.S. Engineers (Railway) At Sea, August 2, 1917 As commanding the boat drill under assignment by Colonel Sewell, the following instructions are supplementary to the drill orders and programme. They do not conflict with the established method of boat drill. I am informed by Colonel Sewell that in any emergency he will endeavor to keep in megaphonic communication with the regiment at night from the rear of the boat deck or "B'' deck. When orders are given by him they will be communi- cated by the usual military course on the boat deck and "B" deck, but on "C" deck, where the men are not in military formation, they will be repeated by me to those below from the top of the rear island on "C" deck. I. Men will wear their clothes with life-preservers on at 264 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR night. In case of an attack or emergency, five blasts will be given by the ship's whistle. Officers with whistles and buglers in the holds will immediately blow five blasts. All men should immediately go as rapidly as possible to their pre- scribed deck positions by their prescribed routes as in boat drill. 2. A detail of two or more men made by each captain must go through each company quarters, after the men have left for the deck in boat-drill formation, to make certain that all men are out. 3. Commissioned officers will be stationed at points in the holds on the way up where company routes meet, in order to prevent breaking of units and resultant confusion. These officers must remain at their posts the entire night each night. 4. These officers, when the whistle and bugle summons are given for boat drill at night without blasts from the ship's whistle, will call out, as the men pass: "This is drill only." This should result in the men exercising greater caution as they climb the ladders to the decks. Company commanders must keep in mind that some men may jump or fall over- board at night "boat drill," in which event neither this ship nor any other ship in the fleet or convoy is allowed to stop. Two men of the ship's crew will be stationed at the stern to throw to any man falling overboard a life-preserver. For to-night only the life-preserver will carry a light. 5. Military formation will be kept on the boat deck and "B " deck and in front of the two boats on " C " deck, accord- ing to instructions and drill already given. 6. On "C" deck, except around the two boats, no man will be in military formation after reaching deck. Not in- cluding officers, there will be 517 men on this deck, and any orders or directions will be given by me from the rear island from which the rafts will be launched. 7. Owing to the shortage of ship men, the officers of the raft detail on the rear island and immediately surrounding it become ship officers in respect to certain things. As Ship D: REPORT ON BOAT DRILL 265 Officer Bamber, for Instance, must communicate with me by megaphone as to the time of starting to launch rafts, all men should be cautioned to make no unnecessary noise. QUIET IS IMPORTANT. 8. I have assigned the different sections of the raft detail stationed on the roof of the rear island as follows: Captain Bullard (senior), section A. Lieutenant Farrington (second), section B. Lieutenant Halleck (third), section C. Sergeant Wallace (fourth), section D. Sergeant Rowell (fifth), section E. 9. No captain must leave the boat until his men are off. 10. No men in the raft detail shall take to the water unless ordered by me or by the officers commanding the raft detail, or until all rafts have been launched. 11. Night officers will find me at all times, at night-time, in the after wheel house through door immediately in rear of the gun. 12. LASTLY AND OF GREAT IMPORTANCE, officers must caution men to keep from interfering with ship officers and men who are lowering boats and such rafts as are on the boat deck. Keep the men away from the ropes. Charles G. Dawes Lieutenant-Colonel, Engineers National Army C. TIME FOR ASSEMBLY AT BOAT STATIONS Headquarters 17TH U.S. Engineers (Railway) At Sea, August 11, 1917 From: Lieutenant-Colonel Charles G. Dawes, Engineers, National Army. To: The Commanding Officer, 17th Engineers (Railway). Subject: Report of boat drill, 17th Engineers (Railway). The following report is submitted concerning the time 266 JOURNAL OF THE GREAT WAR consumed from sounding of alarm signals to arrival of last man at assigned deck station, all wearing life-preservers, (1152 men): 1ST Boat Drill (Daytime.) Men in quarters and previously notified. Bugle and officer's whistle signals. 3 minutes, 57 seconds. 2D Boat Drill (Daytime.) Men in quarters and previously notified. Bugle and officer's whistle signals. 2 minutes, 25 seconds. 3D Boat Drill (Daytime.) No previous notice; men scattered. Bugle and officer's whistle signals. 3 minutes, 55 seconds. 4TH Boat Drill (Night-time.) No previous notice; men in bunks in quarters (10 P.M.) or scattered in quarters or on deck. Bugle and officer's whistle signals. 4 minutes. 5TH Boat Drill (Daytime.) No previous notice; men scattered. Ship's whistle, bugles and officer's whistle signals. 3 minutes, 15 seconds. (Signed) Charles G. Dawes Lieutenant- Colonel, Engineers National Army THE END INDEX INDEX Accounts, Bureau of, 2, 29. Adams, Major C. VV., commended in Dawes's Report, I, 337. Advisory Liquidating Board, I, 222, 224; 2, 244, 247, 249. Aeroplanes, night-flying, I, 36. Airplanes, night bombing, 2, 84. Air raids, I, 48, 66, 132, 133. Alexander, Grand Duke, of Russia, 1, 244, 245. Allied armies, strength of, on Oct. 31, 19 1 8, I, 305; condition of, on Oct. 31, 1918, 331. Allied service of supply, I, 84-90, 120; composite picture of, 264, 268, 269; report on, 275-344. See Military Board, Unification. Allies, the, condition of, at the time the United States entered the War, I, 16, 25, 26, 68, 69. Alvord, Colonel, I, 23, 32. America, condition of the Allies at the time of her entry into the War, 1, 16, 25, 26, 68, 69; English grati- tude to, 207; had not prepared for war, 228; turned the tide of War, 229; magnitude of her war effort, 2, 4-8. American army, to be kept as a unit, 1, 68, 70, 71, 158 n., 163; the ques- tion of use of troops by the Eng- lish and the French, 94, 95; the question of sending troops to Italy, 103, 105; 2, 85, 87, 92, 107, 113; praise of, I, 166; problems of rear, 179; desire of French and English to dissipate, 181, 189, 190; 2, 205-07, 224; criticism of rear, I, 181, 182, 189-91, 199; 2, 205-07, 224, 225; order of move- ment of, I, 184 n. Americans, constantly preached co- ordination, I, 342. Ames, Junior, I, 70, 132, 219. Amiens, I, 139. Ammunition, pooling of, I, 137, 143, 320-23. Applause, on exit and at other times, I. 235. Argonne, Battle of, I, 176, 177. Armenia, I, 262. Armistice, conference on terms of, I. 194. 195; signing of, 202; 2,227; celebrations of, I, 203; military form of, 2, 217. Army purchase and supply, princi- ples of, I, 74, 75; 2, 48-54, Arnould, General, I, 52. Artillery in action, I, 51. Atkins, General Crofton, I, 106, 121. Atterbury, General, I, 34, 37, 129. Atwood, Major, I, 12, 56, 69; stud- ies transportation system, 14, 15, 17. Austria-Hungary, surrender of, I, 197. Authority, arbitrary, use of, 2, 143. Automatic supplies, 2, 217. Automobile Reser%'e, Inter-Allied, I. 143, 147, 302, 323-28; 2, 171. Automobiles. See Fiat motors, Mo- tor. Auxiliary Advisory Committee, round robin of, I, 67. Bacon, Colonel, I, 71, 214. Bacon, Major Robert, I, 139; com- mander of the Post at Chaumont, 33; and Haig's reflections on the A.E.F., 196. Baker, Secretary, I, 246. 270 INDEX Ballard, Major George S., com- mended in Dawes's Report, 2, 60. Ballast, procuring of, I, 182, 186. Band, headquarters, plans for a, I, 124, 125, 137, 141; a splendid or- ganization, 230, 239. Bartlett, General, I, 42. Battle-field, a visit to, I, 146. Beadon, Colonel R. H., English army representative, I, 131, 134, 169; and Payot, 160; in Dawes's Reports, 335; 2, I4I-43- Beaumont, Decoration Day exer- cises at, I, 250, 251. Beeuwkes, Colonel, I, 255, 257. Belgian army, the, I, 52, 121. Belgian front, account of trip to, I, 47753- Belgium, unjustly criticized, I, 64. Bell, General, I, 139. Belleau Wood, I, 147. Belmont, Major, I, 73. Bethel, General, I, 246. Biddle, General, I, 120. Blake, Tiffany, I, 231. Blatchford, General, 1, 31, 32, 34,38. Bliss, Cornelius N., Jr., I, 47, 49. Bliss, General, I, 188; approves of scattering troops in British and French lines, 70, 71. Board of Contracts and Adjust- ment, I, 72, 217; 2, 27. Boat drill, I, 6, 7, 20, 23, 28, 57, 271 ; Report on, 254-66. Boggs, Colonel F. C, 2, 14. Bolshevists, the, I, 244. Bonar, Lieutenant Olney, I, 21; 2, 14. Bordeaux, I, 142, 143. Borden, camp at, I, 8, 53. Botha, General, I, 246. Boyd, Colonel, I, 61, 71, 90, 92, 124; makes contemporaneous notes, 70. Brault, Commandant, I, 146. Bricker, Colonel E. D., of Ordnance Department, 2, 14, 32; com- mended in Dawes's Reports, 63, 122, 123. British officers, cordiality of, I, 9, See English. British reserves, I, 52, 53. Buat, General, I, 167. Bullard, General, I, 92, 136. Bureau, Control, 2, 20, 21. , Bureau, Finance, 2, 233. Bureau, Labor, 2, 22-26. See Labor Bureau. Bureau, Statistical, 2, 18. Bureau of Accounts, I, 217; 2, 29. Bureau, Claims Settlement, I, 54. Bureau of Foreign Agencies, 2, 17. Bureau of Franco- American affairs, 2, 148, 151. Bureau of Purchase Programme and Classification, 2, 19, 20. Bureau of Reciprocal Supply, 1, 217; 2,30. Burkhalter, Captain, I, 15. Burton, Pomeroy, 2, 68. Byllesby, Colonel, I, 136; 2, 63. Cabell, Captain R. H., Jr., com' mended in Dawes's Report, 2, 1 7, 60. Cadorna, I, 26. Cambrai, I, 211. Cancellation. See Contracts. Cannot, General, I, 106. Card, Colonel D. P., I, 21; 2, 13. Carpenter, Captain C. E., com- mended in Dawes's Report, 2, 60, 61. Carter, General William H., I, 44, 73, 121; in England with Dawes, 255-59; Director-General of For- age and Supply of the B.E.F., 2, 42. Category Department, purchase by, 2, 17. Causey, Captain, I, 15, 17. Central Printing Office, 2, 21, Ceremony, the place of, I, 235. Charles, Captain, I, 5. Chateau-Thierry, I, 139, 147. Chemin-des-Dames, I, 166. Chevalier, General, I, 265. INDEX 271 Christie, Mr., I, 38. Claims Settlement Bureau, I, 54. Clark, Major, I, loi, 102. Clemenceau, I, 105, 115. Clementel, M., I, 114. Coal, the supplying of, I, 28-40, 217; 2,31, 226. Coe, Captain, I, 4, 38, 56; promo- tion for, 240. Conferences, methods in, I, 241, 242. Congressmen, arrival at Paris, I, 56. Connor, General Fox, I, 129, 234. Connor, General W. D., I, 250, 265. Contracts, cancellation of, 2, 229, 230, 232, 233, 237-41, 244, 247. Contracts and Adjustments, Board of, 2, 27. Control Bureau, 2, 20, 21. Cook, Captain E. S., 2, 64. Cooperation, French, I, 173, 179, 187; 2, 36-41, 147; British, 41, 42, 126, 141-43; of the War Trade Board, 42-45. Coordination, between the Allies, I, 34-45. 56-60, 84-90, 143; impor- tance of, 227; general considera- tions concerning the opposition to, and the importance of, 337- 44; of French, English, and Amer- ican purchases in neutral coun- tries, 2, 14, 45-47. See Military Board of Allied Supply, Unifica- tion. Corsy, battle-field of, I, 146. Costs, methods of computing, 2, 201. Coubert, I, 133. Counter-attack, the great, I, 137, 140. Court Martial, a, I, 15. Covell, Captain F. C, I, 8, 10, 11, 255. 257- Cowans, General Sir John, his atti- tude toward cooperation, I, 106, 121, 265, 297; 2, 42, 125, 142. Craig, Major, 2, 246. Crampton, Captain W. D., 2, 64. Cravath, Paul D., I, 114, 115, 121; commended in Dawes's Report, 297. Criticism, the best exponents of, I, 249. Crozier, General, I, 103. Cudebec, Captain A. B., com- mended in Dawes's Report, 2, 26, 27- Cumont, Major, commended in Dawes's Report, I, 335. Currie, General Sir A. \V., I, 92 n. Curry, Sir J. W., I, 106. Gushing, Major, I, 38, 61, 191; studies dock situation, 15, 17; anecdote told by, 19. Cutcheon, Colonel F. W. M., chair- man of Board of Contracts and Adjustment, I, 72; splendid work of, 82, 83; promotion, 106; 2, 112; commended in Dawes's Report, 28, 47. Damrosch, Walter, I, 136, 141; 2, 151- Darrow, Mr., I, 165. Davidson, Colonel G., I, 265; 2,42. Davidson, J., bust of Pershing by, I, 246. Davis, General, I, 174. Davison, Harr^', I, 84. Dawes, Beman, brother of Charles G., I, 247, 250, 251. Dawes, Beman Gates, I, 23, 28, 69, 115, 219; honorable service of, 215, 216. Dawes, Colonel Bethel, I, 256. Dawes, Betty, I, 256. Dawes, Caro, wife of Charles G., I, 3,69. Dawes, Carolyn, daughter of Charles G., I, 3. Dawes, Charles, I, 69, 146, 215, 216, 219. Dawes, Charles Ambrose William, I, 256, 260. Dawes, Charles G., receives com- mission as Major, I, 3; receives commission as Lieutenant-Colo- 2^2 INDEX nel, 4; desired in food department by Hoover, 5; his report on boat drill, 6, 7; 2, 255-66; military life a new experience to, I, 9, 10; and M. Van de Vyvere, 12, 13; on the spirit of the Allies when the United States entered the war, 16; birthday dinner to, 19; made head of board representing pur- chasing departments of army, 21 ; made General Purchasing Agent in Europe for A.E.F., 21; powers given to, in new position, 21; makes suggestion on supply ships from England, 22; headquarters in Paris, 23, 24; visits French Minister of War, 24; has sup- port of Pershing, 27; and the coal situation, 28-40; on the probabilities of success, 29; inter- view with Admiral Sims on the coal transportation problem, 31; on need of coordination, 34, 35, 37, 38, 40, 41; and the supplying of labor, 41, 42; Pershing pleased with his activities, 45; letters to his mother, 46-53, 208-19, 254- 60; his exercise of power with pa- tience, 55; efforts to save ship- ping space, 55; success in coor- dination, 56; his judgment as to who will win, 56, 57; his pow- ers, 58; secures Belgian locomo- tives, 62; recommended for pro- motion, 67; receives his eagles, 69, undertakes the labor prob- lem, 71, 72; his principles of army purchase and supply, 74, 75; recommended for government finance corporation, 82; urges uni- fication of Allied support, 84-90; representative to confer with French, 96 n., 100, 104, his sug- gestion to form new division of the General Staff, 104; letter to Jean- neney, on unification of supplies, 107-14; visits London and se- cures adhesion of England to the plan, 120, 121; heavy burdens of his position, i35;goesontourof the ports, 141, 142, 204; 2, 158, 227; relations with Payot, I, 144, 145; visits battle-field, 145-47; Per- shing's and Harbord's confidence in, 147, 153; letter to Pershing on work of Board of Supply, 148-52; Payot objects to his leaving the Board, 152; and the Labor Bu- reau, 163-65; visits the front, 165, 166; notes of, for future historian, on unification, 200-02; theatre party of, 206, 211; letter of William C. Dawes to, 207, 208; recognized by Marshal Haig, 213; his regard for the English and the French, 216, 217; his process of building up the Staff Department, 217, 218; named Commander of the Legion of Honor by the French, 219, 220; makes four days' trip over Services of Supply, 224- 26; crayon portrait of, 225; pro- posed detail of, to Berlin, 228-31; his Official Report as General Pur- chasing Agent, 231, 232, 237, 238; receives Distinguished Service Medal, 232, 233, 235; letter of appreciation from Pershing to, 232 n.; his disregard of conven- tions, 234, 241 ; goes to the Riviera, 236; receives decoration of Com- mander of the Legion of Honor, 236; member of the Liquidating Commission, 236, 237; his Re- port as American Member of the Military Board of Allied Supply, 238, 242, 249, 275-344; telegram of appreciation from the 17th Engineers to, 240 n.; conversa- tion with Grand Duke Alexander of Russia, 244, 245; witnesses march of 33d Division, 245, 246; made a Companion of the Bath, 247; presented with a sword by Pershing, 248; Commandery of the Order of Leopold conferred INDEX 273 upon, 253; visits English home of the Uawes family, 254-60; in a depressed mood, 262, 263; gives dinner in honor of Payot, 265; cited in orders by Foch, 265, 268; receives Croix de Guerre, 266, 268; leaves for America, 271; his Staff, 336, 337. Dawes, Sir Edwin, I, 258. Dawes, Lancelot, I, 256, 259. Dawes, Mary B., mother of Charles G., letters to, I, 46-53, 208-19, 254-60. Dawes, Captain Sandys, I, 255-59. Dawes, Ephraim, uncle of Charles G., I, 194, 215. Dawes, Rufus Fearing, I, i; death of, 22, 23, 73. Dawes, Rufus R., father of Charles G., I, 194. 213- Dawes, Major William, I, 258. Dawes, William, of Boston, I, 260. Dawes, William, of Evanston, 1, 260. Dawes, William, of Sudbury, I, 258. Dawes, William C, of England, letters to Charles G. Dawes, I, 28, 207, 208, 250; at Mt. Ephraim, ^ 256. Dawes, William M., nephew of Charles G., fine work of, I, 67, 69; in Tank Battalion, 170, 177, 178, 193, 214, 215, 219. Dawes family, English home of the, I, 254-60. De Castres, Countess, I, 174. De Chambrun, Colonel, I, 65, 266. Decoration Day, exercises on, I, 250, 251. De Couninck, General, I, 49. Degoutte, General, I, 136. De Grailly, Colonel, I, 118. Delano, Fred, I, 5. De Marenches, Captain, I, 92, 266. De Neuflize, Lieutenant, I, 104. De Sieyes, Lieutenant, I, 146. Detail, General, I, 52. De Tessant, Lieutenant, I, 38. De Vyvere, M. Van, Belgian Min- ister of Finance, friend of Dawes, I, 12, 13, 69, 145; letter from, 42; in Northern France with, 47-52; an unusual man, 47; represents Inter-Allied Conference at Paris, 62; lunch with, 63; Dawes's part- ing from, 252; at Payot dinner, 265. Diplomatic service, not for men of wealth solely, I, 81. Distinguished Service Medal, awards, to allies, I, 230; awarded to Dawes, 232, 233, 235; awarded to other American Generals, 235; awarded to McFadden, 243; awarded to Ford, 244; awarded to Varaigne, 253; disappointment caused at awards of, 263; recom- mendations for, 2, 249, 251; pol- icy to be followed in awarding, 251, 252. Dixmude, I, 51. Dock facilities, French, I, 17, 20, 38, Doumenc, Commandant, I, 169, 176, 265. Drake, Colonel F. E., of Technical Board, 2, 26; Report of, quoted, 26; commended in Dawes's Re- port, 18, 59, 112. Drum, General, I, 186, 187. Dunkirk, I, 47, 48; 2, 203, 208-II. Dunn, Captain Morrill, 2, 14. Dunning, Captain J. E., I, 22 ; 2, 63. Dunwoody, Colonel H., 2, 14. Dyar, Captain W, W., I, 61, 136; 2,64. Eagles, a colonel's, I, 69. Edwards, General, I, 70. Egan, Martin, I, 120; commended in Dawes's Report, 297. Electrical power, utilization of, 2, 26. Engineers (17th Regiment, Na- tional Army), embark on Car- mania, for Liverpool, I, 5; arrival in England, 8; at Oxney Cam;\, 274 INDEX 8, 53; in parade in London, 10, 11; embark at Southampton for France, li; arrival at HavTe, 11, 12; at St. Nazaire, 13; promotions in, 240; returns home, 240, 245; telegram from, to Dawes, 240 n. England, slow to join the Board of Supply, I, 106, 107, 114, 115, 120; 2, 166; represented in the Board, I, 131, 132; will not concede the- oretical authority for one army, 134. 135. "40; show greater in- terest in Military Board, 154, 156, 158, 161; British General Staff to be represented on Board, 169, 177; 2, 172, 181; cooperation of, 41, 42, 126, 141-43. English, the, morale of, I, 59; ob- stinacy of, 98; conservatism of, 106-14, 161; character of, 131, 196; Dawes's regard for, 216; re- luctant to furnish information as to rear ser\'ice, 225. Ericson, Captain Melvin, I, 230. Estes, Colonel F. E., I, 15; and the Labor Bureau, 164; commended in Dawes's Report, 2, 24. Europe, political conditions in, I, 243- Exchange situation, method of solving, I, 54. Felton, S. M., I, 3, 141, 144. Fiat motors, 2, 184-86. Finance Bureau, the, 2, 233. Finance office of the A.E.F., origin of, 2, 47, 48; duties of, 233, 234. Financial organization, central, for the A.E.F., I, 153, 167, 171; 2, 169, 174, 175, 177- Financial Requisition Officer, 2, 28, 233- Fleville, I, 193. Foch, General, Pershing confers with, 1, 93; and the Board of Sup- ply. 133-35. 154. 156; desires to put Payot in supreme command of the rear, 147; violent interview with Pershing on integrity of American army, 163; his plan of campaign, 174; and the advance, 178, 179; and the American rear, 189; pays high tribute to the American army and its command, 195; picture of, inscribed to Dawes, 217; citation of Dawes in orders by, 265. Food crisis, Europ>ean, I, 205, 206. Forage ration, I, 143, 145; 2, 155, 158, 164. Ford, General Reginald, representa- tive of British General Staff on the Board of Supply, I, 169; an ideal member, 177, 179; suggests the changing of the name of the Board, 178; and the ques- tion of the records of Supply Services, 222 ; Distinguished Serv- ice Medal conferred upon, 244; Dawes's friendship for, 255; at- tends ceremony of giving honor to Dawes, 268; commended in Dawes's Reports, 335; 2, 187, 192. Forecasts, supply, preparation of, 2, 19. Foreign Agencies, Bureau of, 2, 17. Foreman, Colonel Milton J., I, 192. Fourth of July, celebration in Paris, I, 261. France, and the military situation, Nov. 1917, I, 58, 59. Freight in French cars, I, 17. French, believe in fixed procedure at dinner, I, 46; criticism of Pershing and American rear by, 181, 182, 189-91, 199; 2, 205-07; criticize British, I, 102; Dawes's and Pershing's feeling of obliga- tion to, 155, 216, 217; coopera- tion of, to be commended, 173, 179, 187; 2, 36-41, 147; Dawes appointed to the grade of Com- mander of the L^ion of Honor by, I, 219, 220. French coal mines, I, 39. French Government, proposal of. INDEX 275 regarding transports, I, 39, 40; suggestion of, to take over ma- terial property of American army, 224. Fuel situation. See Coal, Wood sup- ply. Ganne, Maurice, I, 72, 105, 106, 126, 192, 265; 2, 32, 38; commended in Dawes's Report, 40. General Purchasing Agent, Report of activities of, 2, 1-64; classifi- cation of functions of, 14-30; spe- cial activities of, 30-34; personnel of office, 193. General Purchasing Board of the Army, I, 21, 27, 84-90; Report on activities of, 2, 1-64; members of, 13, 14; classification of functions of, 14-30. German government, I, 200. German offensive of March, 19 18, I, 80. Germans, and the military situa- tion, Nov. 1917, I, 58, 59. Germany, asks for armistice, I, 188, 205; relief for civilian population of, 228. Gerow, Colonel L. T., 2, 14. Gibson, Lieutenant C. B., com- mended in Dawes's Report, 1,337. Gordon, John B., I, 4. Gordon Highlanders, I, 53. Gorell, Major Edgar S., I, 21; 2, 14. Grafton, Captain, I, 23, 28; com- mended in Dawes's Report, 2, 60. Grasty, Charles H., of the New York Times, I, 199. Great Lake boats, utilization of, I, 33, 35- Grenade-thrower, German, with in- scription, I, 160. Grenfell, Mr., I, 10. Griffith, Colonel Fred D., com- mended in Dawes's Report, I, 336. Grove, Colonel W. R., 2, 13. Gutenshon, Major A. G., 2, 14. Haig, Sir Douglas, I, 139; desires to use American troops, 94, 95; his attitude toward the unity of supply ser\'ice, 99; makes reflec- tions on the American army, 195, 196; decorated by Pershing, 204, 211, 212; in Dawes's Report, 2,42. Hainaut, Major, commended in Dawes's Report, I, 335. Harbord, General J. G., I, 61, 67, 181, 182; attitude toward unifica- tion of support, 89, 90, 93; and Dawes's overcoat, 99; promoted, 136; made Commanding General, Service of Supply, 141; a great support to Dawes, 147, 172; tele- gram of, to Pershing on St. Mihiel victory, 168; recommended for promotion, 204; works on Supply Service record, 223; awarded Dis- tinguished Service Medal, 235; becomes again Pershing's Chief of Staff, 250; eulog>' of, 250; com- mended in Dawes's Report, 2, 56. Harjes, Major H. H., I, 47, 52, 61; requisitioned by Dawes, 36; rec- ommended for appointment to represent U.S., 44; and Payot, 144. Havre, I, 11, 12. Hay, acute crisis in situation, I, 153, 154; failure of French to provide, 159; to be bought locally in France, 166, 167; 2, 167, 172, 173, 176, 179; agreement of French to provide, 134; policy in matter of, 177; the situation, Sept. 16, 1918, 180; English and French systems of transportation of, 155, 157. Henry, Colonel M. J., 2, 13. Hill, Colonel Frederick Trevor, I, 37; commended in Dawes's Report, 2, 31, 147. Hodges, Colonel, I, 175, 176, 268; commended in Dawes's Report, 336, 337. Hollis, Senator, of the Liquidation Commission, I, 238, 248, 269; 276 INDEX goes to Spain to attend to horse situation, 2, 212, 215. Hoover, Herbert C, I, 210 n.; de- sires assistance of Dawes in food department, 5, 143; outlines plan for feeding Europe, 223; a man of action, 228; approves of McAdoo for command of Services of Sup- ply, 2, 161 ; conferences with, on food supply, 250, 251. Horse ration, 2, 155, 158, 164. Horses, from France, I, 123, 178, 179, 190-94; 2, 145. 192-94, 196, 204, 205, 213, 214; from England, 1, 190-92, 210; 2, 202, 212, 221, 222, 228, 232; from Spain, I, 210; 2, 183, 204, 212, 215, 225, 228; from Italy, 228, 229. House, Colonel, commission headed by, I, 60; at conference of Prime Ministers, 197; does not depend on Pershing as to peace negotiations, 198; denies criticizing American organization, 199. Hull, Colonel, 2, 244. Hyde, James H., I, 43. Ijams, Colonel G., commended in Dawes's Report, 2, 24. Inter-Allied Automobile Reserve, I, 143, 157, 302, 323-28. Inter-Allied conferences, to consider unification of Allied rear, I, 106, 115; Dawes's methods in, 241. Inter-Allied Metal Committee, 2, 90. Inter-Allied Staff school, I, 167. Italian labor, 2, 80-96, 107, 127, 133, 146. Italian reverse, the, I, 56, 57. Italy, the question of sending American troops to, I, 103, 105; 2, 85, 87, 92, 107, 1 13; horses from, 228, 229. Ives, Captain R., commended in Dawes's Report, 2, 29. Jackson, Major Dugald C, of Technical Board, 2, 26; com- mended in Dawes's Report, 27. Jackson, Colonel J. P., of Labor Bu- reau, I, 72, 105, 164; 2, 25, 170; commended in Dawes's Report, 22; recommended for promotion, 112. Jackson, Colonel Thomas H., I, 21; 2, 14; commended in Dawes's Report, 63. Jadwin, General, I, 133, 134; com- mended in Dawes's Reports, 2, 32, 161. James, Lieutenant, I, 23, 28. Jay, Colonel N. D., I, 24, 129; 2, 123; commended in Dawes's Re- port, 17, 19, 47, 59; recommended for promotion, 112. Jeanneney, M., President of French Council of Ministers, I, 105, 106; letter of Dawes to, on unification of supplies, 107-14. Jehay, Comte, I, 66. Joffre, Marshal, I, 36, 38; on sole command, 63. Johnson, Homer, of the Liquidation Commission, I, 238, 248, 269; with Mrs. Johnson gives dinner to Dawes, 268. Kahn, Julius, I, 247. Keeley, James, I, 199. Kennedy, Captain A. T., of Tech- nical Board, 2, 26. Kernan, General, relations of Dawes with, I, 76-80, 129, 130; an able officer and fine soldier and execu- tive, 125; awarded Distinguished Service Medal, 235; commended in Dawes's Report, 2, 57; con- fidence between Dawes and, 143. Kilkenny, Lieutenant Francis J., commended in Dawes's Report, 2,64. Kraft, Lieutenant, I, 15. Krauthoff, Colonel C. R., 2, 13, 64; commended in Dawes's Report, 32, 63. INDEX 277 Krueger, Major J. W., commended in Dawes's Report, 2, 19, 20. La Baule, I, 14. Labor, the supplying of, I, 41, 42, 64, 80, 81; 2, 69-109, 114, 127, 131. 133. 179; Dawes assumes duty of securing, I, 71, 72; from various countries, 163-65; dis- cussion of form of organization of, 113; handling and supply of, 2, 136, 146, 150. Labor Bureau, the, formation of, I, 72, 2 1 7; 2, 22; transferred to Tours, I, 163; 2, 170; work of, I, 164; 2, 22-26; put under Army Service Corps, I, 217; 2, 22, 170, 234, Labor troops, I, 102. La Grange du Roy, I, 159. Langfitt, General W. C, I, 31, 122, 124, 129; commended in Dawes's Report, 2, 32. La Panne, I, 47, 49. 52- Lassiter, General William, 2, 16. League of Nations, illustrated by Military Board of Allied Supply, I, 249. Le Due, Commandant, I, 49, 52. Leopold, Prince, of Belgium, I, 245, 246. Le Rond, General, I, 123, Lescannes, Commandant, I, 146. Liberty Bonds, I, 42. Lindeboom, Commander, I, 34, 36, .38. Liquidation Commission, the, I, 245, 247, 250, 253, 260; Dawes at head of, 236, 243. Liquidation of material property, I, 219, 222, 224, 248, 252. Lloyd George, 1, 63; and Allied Sup- ply Service, 100, 105, 120; talk with, on Military Board of Allied Supply, 248, 249. Locomotives, Belgian, I, 62, 69. Logan, Colonel James A., Jr., I, 28, 65, loi, 123, 129; commended in Dawes's Reports, 2, 62, 170. London, parade in, I, 10, 11. Loucheur, M., and the supply serv- ice, I, 99, loi, 104, 107, 114- 18. Lydig, Major Philip M., commended in Dawes's Report, 2, 64. Maglinse, Colonel, I, 52. Magoon, Charles E., I, 5. Mangin, General, I, 146, 165. March, General, I, 73. Margotte, Captain, I, 5. Material, tons of, shipped from United States, 1, 226, 238; amount of, secured on the other side, 226, 227, 238; procured in Europe, money expended for, 227, 228; amount on hand after the War, 248; disposal of, 248, 252, 260, 261, 266, 268; allocation of, among different services, 2, in. See Liquidation, Property, Sup- plies. Matter, Lieutenant J. H., on pur- chasing board, I, 21. Maud, Colonel Harry, 2, 42. Mayo, Admiral, I, 34. McAdam, Colonel J. P., com- mended in Dawes's Report, 2, 25. McAdoo, Secretary, 2, 161. McAndrew, General, I, 129, 174, 204, 205, 230, 250. McCormick, Bertie, I, 93. McCormick, Chauncey, 1, 19, 32-34, 104, 106. McCormick, Harold F., I, 29 n.; 2, 64. McCormick, Vance, I, 60, 81 ; 2, 44. McCoy, General Frank, I, 174. McCutcheon, John, I, 223, 267. McFadden, George, I, 81, 165, 190, 191, 203, 224, 241; receives Dis- tinguished Service Medal, 243; commended in Dawes's Reports, 2, 44, 45, 223, 249, 250; and Inter- Allied Metal Committee, 90; and the horse situation in Spain, 204, 215, 223. 278 INDEX McPherson, Captain D. F., 2, 64. McRoberts, Samuel, I, 156, 163. Meaux, I, 129, 130. Mechem, Captain J. C, 2, 64. Merrone, General, I, 115, 205; com- mended in Dawes's Report, 335. Metal Control Bureau, 2, 21. Metals, 2, 90. Metin, M., I, 57. Metz, I, 177. Military Board of Allied Supply, statement of plan, I, 118, 119; 2, 1 24 ; plan confirmed by French War Council, I, 122, 123; on French appointment to, 126; on function- ing of, 128; announcement to the army concerning plan of, 129; first meeting of, 131; 2, 139, 140; English cooperating in, I, 132, 156, 169, 179; 2, 140-43; Foch and, I, 133-35; important agency of success in emergency, 140; meetings of, 145, 166, 167, 177; letter of Dawes to Pershing on, 148-52; and the General Staff, 148 n.; as regards the name, 148 n., 178; increased power and usefulness of, 154; becoming co- ordinator of Allied rear, 177; great service of, 180; historical note of Dawes on, 200-02; question of relief supplies at meeting of, 225; Dawes's Report as American mem- ber of, 238; practically a League of Nations, 249; last but one meet- ing of, 264; account of establish- ment of, in Dawes's Report, 275- 301 ; summary' of activities and ac- complishments of, 301-13; letters concerning activities of, 306-13; beneficial activities of, in coordi- nating army services, 313-19; and pooling of ammunition, 320- 23; and transportation in the rear, 323-31 ; members of, 333-37; general considerations concerning the principle of, 337-44; organi- zation of, 2, 127-31 ; references to, in Daily Reports, 147-71, 182, 194, 199, 235, 236, 245, 246. Military Board Motor Transport School, I, 193. Military decorations, unwisdom of, I, 263, 264. Military life, I, 9, 10. Military situation in Nov. 1917, I, 58-60. Milner, Lord, I, 121, 133. Mines, under bombardment, I, 81. Mobile automobile reserve. See Automobile. Monte Carlo, I, 236. Montfaucon, I, 183-86, 215, 251. Montoir project, the, I, 38 n., 142. Moore, Colonel H. B., I, 104, 106, 115; helps Dawes in coal crisis, 31-34; put in charge of the han- dling of transports, 36,42,43; com- mended in Dawes's Report, 2, 31, 32. Morel, Paul, I, 269. Morrill, Lieutenant, I, 271. Morrow, Dwight, of the Shipping Board, I, 120, 121; great value of his services, 120 n.; his story of the alligator and the turtle, 168; commended in Dawes's Reports, 297:2, 159. Moseley, Colonel, of the General Staff, I, 116, 129, 223; thinks Americans well prepared for at- tack, 158; recommends that Dawes be put in charge of 4th Bureau of General Staff, 162; value of his services, 162, 163, 186, 19I1 193; difficulty of his task, 180; at dinner in honor of Payot, 265; commended in Dawes's Report, 305, 306. Motor transport system, I, 157, 169, 171, 172, 175; 2, 154, 180. See Automobile. Motors. See Fiat. Mott, Colonel, I, 103, 167, 173, 174. Mount Ephraim, home of the Eng- lish Dawes family, I, 255-60. INDEX 279 Mount Kemmel, I, 102. MuUonej', Lieutenant Dalton H., commended in Dawes's Report, 2, 64. Munition depots, coordination of, I, 122, 123. Munroe, General, I, 146. Nash, General, I, 100. Negroes, in France, I, 19. Northcliffe, Lord, I, 199; 2, 125. Noyon, I, 166. Nut, Harry, I, 156. Offensive of March, 191 8, losses, I, 102. Oppenheim, M., I, 265. Organizations, disposition of, after the armistice, 2, 234. Osborne, Colonel Perry, 2, 30. Oxney Camp, I, 8. Painleve, M., I, 24, 63. Paris, under bombardment, I, 82, 83, 116, 132, 133. Parker, Mr., of the Liquidation Commission, I, 248, 269. Patrick, General M. M., I, 63, 77, 115; commended in Dawes's Re- port, 2, 32. Payot, General, I, 106, 126; one of the ablest men in the French army, 130; in charge of French rear, 130, 131; and Foch, 133, 134; an invaluable asset to the Board of Supply, 143; his rela- tions to Dawes, 144, 145; his trustworthiness, 145, 160; and the Board of Supply, 147; objects to Dawes leaving the Board, 152; cooperation of, 154, 155; and the hay crisis, 159, 160; feels in- justice of non-promotion, 176; goes from Petain to Foch, 180; Dawes's regard for, 197, 217; made General, 228; dinner to, given by Dawes, 265; gives fare- well lunch to Dawes, 267 ; parting call on Dawes, 270; commended in Dawes's Reports, 333-35". 2, 166. Peace Conference, the, I, 241. Peace Parade, I, 262, 267. Peace Treaty, the, I, 247, 249. Pershing, General John J., assists Dawes, I, 4, 5; as hero of the war, 5; man for emergency, 20; puts Dawes in charge of purchasing departments, 21; his domestic grief, 22, 23; his views of the sit- uation, 25, 26; supports Dawes, 27; made General, 44; pleased with Dawes's activities, 45; master of his place, 45, 55; gives dinner to Congressmen, 56; his physical fitness, 65; a man of work, 66; determines to keep American troops together as a unit and in divisions, 67, 68, 70, 71; his firmness, 71; the spirit of, 74; his offer of the American army to the French, 83, 84; subordi- nates personal authority, 85, 91, 127; a great leader, 91, 98; ad- dresses men about to enter battle, 92; confers with Foch, 93; confi- dent of Foch, 94; to decide the question of the use of American troops by English and French, 94, 95; and Allied unification, 96; tele- gram of, on Allied unification, 96; his regard for small things, 98, 99; his compromise plan on matter of unification of supplies, 107-14; his plan agreed upon, 1 15-18; his plan of campaign, 127-29; his plan of striking with maximum force at time of enemy's greatest weakness, 127, 174; ability in emergency, 129; man of action, 133; inspiration of his personality, 135, 136; on tour of the ports, 141 , 142; as public speaker, 142; his confidence in Dawes, 147, 153; thanks Military Inter-Allied Com- mittee, 156; letter to Lord Milner 28o INDEX on English representation on the Board of Supply, l6l n.; violent interview with Foch on integrity of American army, 163; telegram of Harbord to, on St. Mihiel vic- tory, 168; his plan of attack, 184, 187, 188; French criticism of, 189; and the armistice terms, 195-99; a great master of English, 203; at the theatre, 206, 211; deco- rates Marshal Haig, 211, 212; and General Petain, 217; one of first figures in American history, 218; enters Luxembourg with his army, 219; and talk of the Presidency, 223; letter of appreciation to Dawes, 232 n.; inspects troops, 240; Davidson's bust of, 246; speech at Beaumont, 251; visits the Dawes home in England, 254-57; at Fourth of July cele- bration in Paris, 261 ; in Dawes's Report, 2, 55, 56. Pershing, Warren, I, 245. Pershing Stadium, dedication of, I, 254- " Pershing's Own." 5ee Band. Petain, General, very alert, I, 65; statement on pooling of resources, 156; emphasizes importance of mobile automobile reserve, 157, 159; works together with Payot, 159; esteem of Pershing for, 204, 217. Pooling. See Coordination, Unifi- cation. Port facilities, 2, 203, 208-11. Portugal, recruiting of laborers from, I, 172; 2, 99, 146, 179. Power, exercise of, with patience, I, 55; should be camouflaged, 119. Printing Office, Central, 2, 21. Prisoners, I, 13; 2, 154, 157. Promotions, consideration of, 2, 1 12. Property, instinct of, I, 173; liquida- tion of, 219, 222, 224, 248, 252; proposal of French Government to take over, 224. See Material, Supplies. Purchase Programme and Classifi- cation, Bureau of, 2, 19, 20. Purchases, coordination of, 2, 14; by Category Department, 17; expe- diting, 167; system and emergency in matter of, 168. See Coordina- tion, Unification. Ragueneau, General, chairman ot the French mission, I, 37, 65; one of the ablest men in the French army, 130; lunch given by, 175; in Dawes's Report, 2, 38. Railroad ties, I, 64; 2, 160, 195, Railway and dock facilities, I, 17. Railways, light, 2, 164. Rasputin, I, 244. Rear, problems of the, I, 179; the American, criticism of, 181, 182, 189-91, 199; 2, 205-07, 224, 225. See Coordination, Military Board, Unification. Reciprocal Supply, Bureau of, 2, 30. Red Cross, the, cooperation of, with army, I, 84; officials of, become officers, 2, 181. Relief supplies, I, 225, 228. Report of Activities of General Purchasing Agent and General Purchasing Board, 2, 1-64. Report of the American Member of the Military Board ot Allied Sup- ply, I, 275-344. Report on Formation and Theory of the Supply Organization of the Allied Armies in France, I, 332. Reports, daily, of General Purchas- ing Agent, 2, 67-252. Rheims, I, 252. Riviera, the, I, 236. Rockenbach, Colonel, I, 14, 17, 193. Rogers, General H. L., I, 32, 37, 65, 205; commended in Dawes's Re- port, 2, 32. Romagne, I, 251. Roop, Colonel J. C, commended in INDEX 281 Dawes's Reports, 1, 337; 2, 18, 19, 60. Round robin, a, I, 67. Rozoy School, the, I, 301, 329-31; 2, 176. Ruquoy, General, I, 52, 62, 69. Russell, General Edward, com- mended in Dawes's Report, 2, 32. Russia, views of Grand Duke Alex- ander on, I, 244. Russians in France, revolt of, I, 45. Ryan, Captain, I, 15, 23, 28. Sackvi lie- West, General, I, 145. St. Mihiel victory, I, 168. St. Nazaire, camp at, I, 13, 38, 142. St. Omer, I, 47. St. Paul farm, I, 146. Salignac-Fenelon, Madame, I, 174. Sanborn, Colonel, I, 245; 2, 64. Sayles, Commander, I, 34. Schafer, Captain George C, 2, 14. Scheidt, Commandant, I, 49. Schwab, Charles M., I, 234. Scottish troops, I, 191, 212, 213. Segers, Paul, I, 62. Self-government, I, 243. Selfishness and ambition, opposition to unification due to, I, 125-27, 339- Services of Supply, proposed records of, I, 221, 222; 2, 245; four days' trip over, I, 224; splendid results achieved by, 229. Sewell, Colonel, as a friend and a man, I, 3; receives commission as Colonel, 4; has report made on freight handling, 15; makes speech at La Baule, 17; and Pershing, 23; and the pier project at St. Na- zaire, 38; dines with Pershing, 56; sent to Belgian front, 69; visits Dawes at Paris, 130; commander of the base at St. Nazaire, 142; with Dawes at Brussels, 252, 253. Sharp, William G., American Am- bassador to France, I, 42, 44, 81; 2,43. Sherman, Mr., of the Shipping Board, I, 129. Shipp, F. B., on purchasing board, 1,21. Shipping Board, the, I, 102. Shipping problem, the, I, 55, 58, 64. See Transportation, Sims, Admiral, I, 31, 33, 35. Sims, Captain J. C, 2, 64. Smith, Mr., and the Labor Bureau, I, 164. Smith, Captain Jeremiah, com- mended in Dawes's Report, 2, 24. Smither, Colonel H. C, I, 133, 158, 164; commended in Dawes's Re- port, 337; 2, 25. Soissons, I, 146, 165, 166. Souilly, I, 182. Spain, supplies from, I, 57, 60; rev- olution in, feared, 59; animals from, 2, 183, 204, 212, 215, 223, 225, 228, Spanish commercial treaty, I, 73. Spanish labor, I, 38, 72; 2, 69, 74- 79. 81, 83, 90, 104, 146. Spaulding, Colonel A. P., 2, 14. Sprague, Captain H. M., com- mended in Dawes's Report, 2, 24. Springett, Rev. Dr., I, 256. Stacey, Wayne, I, 73. Stanley, Colonel, I, 31. Stanton, Colonel Charles E., on purchasing board, I, 21, 43; com- mended in Dawes's Report, 2, 13, 61, 62. State Department, the, agents of, I, 81. Statistical Bureau, 2, 18. Stettinius, Edward R., I, 140, 141, 165, 206; very helpful, 170, 171; his services in the War, 170 n., 224; in Dawes's Reports, 2, 47, 169; member of Advisory Liqui- dating Board, 244. Stuyvekenskerke, I, 51. Submarine attacks, I, 6-8. Summerall, General, I, 185. Supplies, stopping of construction 282 INDEX and purchase of, on news of ar- mistice, I, 202; records of Services of, 221, 222; supplemental organi- zation to increase procurement of, in Europe, 2, 15, 16; liquidation of, 235, 236, 241-44, 249. See Property. Supply forecasts, preparation of, 2, 19- , , Supply Organization of the Allied Armies in France, Report on Formation and Theory of, I, 332. Supply system of Allies, composite picture of, I, 264. See Allied Service, Services. Supreme War Council, the, I, 97, 114. Switzerland, I, 43, 58, 205. Tanks, I, 193, 214. Tardieu, M., valuable help of, I, 126, 178; 2, 38-40; his views on sale of supplies to France, I, 248; activ- ities in connection with coopera- tion of Bureau of Franco-Ameri- can affairs and A.E.F. concerning supplies, 2, 148-52. Taylor, Major Carl, I, 21; 2, 28. Taylor, Captain James B., I, 21; 2, 14. Taylor, General, I, 37. Technical Board, the, I, 217; 2, 26. Thanksgiving, I, 61. Thwaites, General, I, 248. Tolman, Captain Hugh, 2, 14. Tonnage, estimate of trans- Atlantic, 2, 34-36. Townsend, Colonel C. McD., of General Purchasing Board, 2, 14; commended in Dawes's Reports, 32, 63. Transportation, need of, I, 29-40; in the rear, importance of proper, 323; the Inter-Allied Automobile Reserve, 323-31; French, in Zone of Advance, 2, 153, 154; considera- tion of the question of, 186, 187. See Shipping problem. Travers-Clarke, General, meeting with Dawes, I, 104; Dawes guest of, 139; and organization of the Military Board, 154-61, 166; cooperation of, 190; 2, 42; de- sires to be member of the Board, 153; views on computing costs, 201. Unification of Allied support, letter of Dawes to Pershing on the need of, I, 84-90; efforts to secure, 96, 99-119; England joins in, 120, 121; the working of, 122-28; self- ish opposition to, 122-28; note of General Petain and General Pershing on, 156; military unifi- cation and, 173; historical note of Dawes on, 200-02; in Daily Re- ports, 2, 98-107, 111-31, 148, 190. See Coordination, Military Board. United States. See America. United States Liquidation Com- mission, the, I, 170 n. See Liqui- dation Commission. Urbain, Captain L. F., 2, 14. Vanity, I, 262-64. Varaigne, M., I, 105, 253, 265; 2, 40. Varennes, I, 182, 183. Verdun, I, 177. Versailles, conference at, on terms of armistice, I, 194-97. Victory Parade, the, I, 262, 267. Viviani, I, 36. Wallace, Sergeant Robert C, com- mended in Dawes's Report, 2, 24. War Department, Ordnance De- partment of, criticized, I, 228. War Trade Board, cooperation of, 2, 42-45- Ward, Captain R. S., 2, 14. Warehouse coordination, I, 130. Wedding party, a French, I, 33. Weir, Sir Andrew, I, 106. Weston, Major, I, 18. INDEX ■2^2> Weygand, notifies Dawes of citation in orders of F"och, I, 265. Wheeler, General, I, 122, 124; com- mended in Dawes's Rc{X)rt, 2, 32. Whitcomb, Colonel C. C, 2, 13. Wilkins, General H. E., I, 21, 37, 42; commended in Dawes's Report, 2, 13, 32, 62. Wilson, President, address to Con- gress, I,68;replytoGermany, 188; an English judgment of, 207; ar- rival in France, 224; goes to Eng- land, 230; declines to see Grand Duke Alexander of Russia, 245. Winged Victory of Samothrace, the, I, 270. Winn, General, I, 132. Wireless telegraph, 2, 162, 163. Wood, supply, 2, 72-81, 93-96, 100, 109, 147, 152, 156, 160. Wood of the Marines, I, 147. Wood Section, 2, 21. Woodruff, Colonel J. A., 2, 14. Woodruff, General, English liaison officer, I, 167. Woods, Mr., I, 64. Zavala, Captain Aug. de, 2, 64. dbe lllitoerjfibe JSrcjrf^ CAMBRIDGE . MASSACHUSETTS U . S . 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