Newton Baker letter to Enoch Crowder - July 20, 1917
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WAR DEPARTMENT. WASHINGTON July 20, 1917. Brig. Genl. Enoch H. Crowder, Provost Marshal General, Washington, D.C. My dear General Crowder: When this letter reaches you, the actual drawing of the numbers selecting the men for the first National Army 500,000 men will have been completed, and the third stage in your great task brought to a successful conclusion. First, you drafted the law for this great undertaking; second, you perfected with extraordinary accuracy the registration; and third, you worked out, with infinite patience and zeal, the arrangements for the great choice which affects the careers and lives of so many of the young men of our country. It is not necessary for me to recount the embarrassments and difficulties which you have had to face; they would have discouraged, if not appalled, one having less devotion or less clear and serviceable knowledge. There remain, of course, the difficulties of applying the exemptions provided by the statute, and to this task I know you will give the same splendid service; but I cannot allow this epoch-making achievement to pass even this stage of its accomplishment without tendering you my personal and official thanks and expressing my judgment that the country owes to you the success which has attended the steps so far taken. I beg you to convey to those who have been associated with you in the perfection and execution of these plans my grateful acknowledgment of their service, and this expression of my belief that when our country has vindicated the ideals in defense of
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[page 2]which it is now at war, and an account comes to be made of those who have contributed to the organization and use of our national strength, it will be an honorable distinction to have been associated with you in the performance of this splendid piece of work. I shall give myself the pleasure of sending a copy of this letter to The Adjutant General, that it may be placed among the other evidences of your long and distinguished record as an officer of the Army. Cordially yours, [signed] Newton Baker Secretary of War.
Details
| Title | Newton Baker letter to Enoch Crowder - July 20, 1917 |
| Creator | Baker, Newton |
| Source | Baker, Newton. Letter to Enoch Crowder. 20 July 1917. Lockmiller, David A. (1906-2005), Papers, 1880-1964. C0405. The State Historical Society of Missouri, Columbia, Mo. |
| Description | In this July 20, 1917, letter, Secretary of War Newton Baker thanked Enoch Crowder for his role in drafting and implementing the Selective Service Act of 1917. The Act authorized the federal government to raise a national army for the American entry into World War I through conscription. Crowder, an Edinburg, Missouri, native, served as Judge Advocate General of the United States Army during World War I. |
| Subject LCSH | Baker, Newton Diehl, 1871-1937; Crowder, E. H. (Enoch Herbert), 1859-1932; United States. Army--Recruiting, enlistment, etc.-- World War, 1914-1918; Draft |
| Subject Local | WWI; World War I; Selective Service Act of 1917; Selective Draft Act; Conscription |
| Site Accession Number | C0405 |
| 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 20, 1917 |
| Language | English |