Memorandum for General Crowder from Samuel Ansell - February 16, 1918

Transcript

February 16, 1918 Memorandum for General Crowder: 1. General Pershing has cabled the War Department recommending against certain promotion of Reserve officers which evidently was contemplated in accordance with the decision of the War Department that division staff officers should be of the grade of lieutenant colonel. This, of course, affects division judge advocates. General Pershing is proceeding on the theory (1) that there should be a parity of promotion maintained between officers of the line and staff; and (2) that no Reserve officer should be promoted above the grade of captain anyway, except in exceptional cases. 2. It is perfectly obvious that no table of organization can be maintained if either of these views be adopted by the War Department. The War Department ought to go out of business altogether, and ought not hereafter to prescribe the rank of any division, corps, or Army staff officers. You cannot have one rank in France and another rank here. The whole thing, in my judgment, is absurd. Pershing seems to be running his Army upon a personal basis, pure and simple. Furthermore, he is utterly inconsistent. He says in one breath that promotion should be by selection, and in another breath that A ought not be promoted over B, who has had a little longer service. 3. Again, why should not a Reserve officer be appointed to the highest grades? Why isn