Letter to Chief of Staff from General Crowder - July 16, 1918
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July 16, 1918. From: The Provost Marshal General. To: The Chief of Staff. Subject: Detail on the Switzerland Mission. 1. I received your instructions of yesterday respecting my service on this Mission in the spirit of orders about to be communicated but, as you doubtless observed, without enthusiasm or expressed preference for the task. I am ready to carry out those instructions in this spirit to the best of my ability, if it be decided after consideration of this communication to issue final orders. 2. My present task is more directly related to the winning of the war than any other assignable military task performed outside of the theatre of war, except your own. I should contemplate surrendering responsible direction of it, even temporarily, with the greatest reluctance-particularly at this time of greatest strain upon the Selective Service System and primarily for these reasons. 3. We are, as you know, on the eve of exhausting Class I, and just entering upon the execution of the treaty with Great Britain respecting the military obligation of her Nationals in our territory. We are in the midst of the complications incident to the execution of the
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[page 2] C.of S. 7/17/[1918] that it is a work more appropriately bestowable upon an officer of suitable rank on the retired list of our army rather than upon an active officer. We have three Lieutentant Generals and several Major Generals on the retired list of conspicuous ability and availability for such work, if their health permits, and who may be summoned for such duty. 4. If, upon your reconsideration, you still think that I should go, I ask that before final orders are issued I be given the right to present my case to the Secretary of War. E. H. Crowder, Provost Marshal General. EHC-vbr 1st Endorsement. War Department, Office of the Chief of Staff, Washington, July 16, 1918. Returned to the Provost Marshal General. 1. You were selected for this confidential detail especially because you have repeatedly expressed a desire to go abroad in any capacity. 2. In view of your statement herein that you have no enthusiasm for the detail, you will not be sent. Peyton C. March General, Chief of Staff.
Details
| Title | Letter to Chief of Staff from General Crowder - July 16, 1918 |
| Creator | Crowder, Enoch H. |
| Source | Crowder, Enoch H. Letter to Chief of Staff. 16 July 1918. Crowder, Enoch H. (1859-1932), Papers, 1884-1942. C1046. The State Historical Society of Missouri, Columbia, MO. |
| Description | General Enoch H. Crowder wrote to the Chief of Staff, General Peyton C. March concerning his recent assignment abroad in Switzerland and that his services would be better served in the States. This document is part of a collection compiled by Enoch Herbert Crowder, the Edinburg, Grundy County, Missouri native who served as Judge Advocate General. Crowder devised the Selective Service Act in 1917 which drafted America's forces during World War I. |
| Subject LCSH | Crowder, E. H. (Enoch Herbert), 1859-1932; United States. War Department; Promotions, Military |
| Subject Local | WWI; World War I; Selective Service Act of 1917; Selective Draft Act |
| Site Accession Number | C1046 |
| Contributing Institution | The State Historical Society of Missouri |
| Copy Request | Transmission or reproduction of items on these pages beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the State Historical Society of Missouri: 1020 Lowry Street, Columbia, Missouri, 65201-7298. (573) 882-7083. |
| Rights | The text and images contained in this collection are intended for research and educational use only. Duplication of any of these images for commercial use without express written consent is expressly prohibited. |
| Date Original | July 16, 1918 |
| Language | English |