John A. Wilson to Woodrow Wilson

You know during the past five years I have not bothered you with family matters and I am writing you today not only as a member of the family but as Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy.

There are some Bureaus in Washington, the heads of which have been brought up in anything but a business atmosphere, and they can not get through their minds how absolutely necessary in some instances it is to have first class business men who also have military education to do certain things. I have been kicking along, finding fault in a great many places and being successful so far in straightening up quite a number of things without taking them up with you.

At present I am up against the oil question in the Signal Corps, as I explained to you the last time I was at the White House for lunch. As yet we have not gotten beyond the correspondence stage and I have just finished a letter to Mr. Coffin in reply to one from Mr. Parish. It may be this correspondence will be sent to you by Mr. Coffin, and if it is not I will furnish you with copies.

Recognizing the fact that it is necessary to have a real oil man at the head of that department, the First Signal Officer made a request that Alfred be transferred to the Signal Corps with the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel, and mind you this was not at the request of Alfred, or my request either. That suggestion was turned down by the Adjutant General, for what reason I do not know.

When last in Washington, going in to lunch at the Shoreham Hotel I met General Goethals, whom I had met. I shook hands with him and talked for a minute or so and as he turned to leave me he said "I am going to have your boy with me." I had no idea what he meant but presently Alfred came in and I asked him if he had met General Goethals. He said he had been in his office simply to pay his respects and renew acquaintance formed when the General was in the Canal Zone. I asked him if the question of transfer had been brought up and he said no. I then told him what the General had said. Nothing was heard of this for some time but a day or two before Edwin sailed for France Alfred wired me at New York that General Goethals had wired him that steps were being taken to assure his assignment to the Quartermaster Corps to take charge of lubrication over seas. Evidently that telegram had been sent Alfred to find out whether assignment would be satisfactory to him, and while there was no promotion mentioned in it, Alfred included in his telegram that the assignment would please him. That was dated February 22d. This morning I received a wire from Alfred stating that General Goethals had wired him that the Adjutant Generalahd disapproved of the transfer, no reason given. He said he was writing me and as I go to New York tomorrow, suppose I will receive the letter in New York.

You realize just as well as anybody, that if we are going to win this war it is going to be won by specialists, and if either of my boys are of more service with a pick and shovel, than in any other capacity, that is where I want them. They made the transfer of Edwin to the Quartermaster Department without asking him anything about it because they wanted him in the oil service. Evidently General Goethals recognizes the fact, which I have known for years, besides being one of the best business men I know of, Alfred knows more about lubrication than any one man in this country. Incidentally, I can tell you that General Goethals does not like some of the officials of the Galena-Signal Oil Company, why I do not know, but it is a fact nevertheless.

Some time previous to Secretary Baker's departure for France, I had a consultation with him regarding some matters pertaining to automobile transportation, and, incidentally, he cross-questioned me regarding the condition of the Pennsylvania National Guard. I was in position to give him some facts that he did not know. Then the Secretary spoke of the transfer of General Goethals to the Quartermaster Department and told me that when he had placed General Goethals in that position he told him he could have any man in the Army he wanted to make the Quartermaster Department more efficient, but here is a case that the Adjutant General of the Army seems to know more or less than any person else.

From what I can see of it this whole oil and gasoline situation is simply rotten. As far as my own fight has gone I am at logger heads with the chemist of our own Company regarding specifications which have been made for oil for aviation service, but I care very little for that because General Miller is behind me in everything I do, and if I am successful in my fight I am very positive that the company I am connected with will not be able to furnish a single barrel of oil to the Aviation Corps. If the present specifications are adopted we would be in position to furnish them just as much of the cheap oil as anybody else.

I am simply writing this to you for such action as you may desire to take, if any. I do not think it is fair to the Quartermaster Department or to the Aviation Corps that they should be handicapped in not being able to have the assistance of a man or of men whom they know can fill the bill but are compelled to go outside and take men so closely affiliated with oil interests that that is the only thing they can see.

Ida and I go to New York on Sunday. I expect to be at the Biltmore Hotel for the next two or three weeks, incidentally running to Washington once in a while. If you care to write me there I shall be only too glad to hear from you if you have the time.

With love from us all to all of you,

Affectionately yours,

Hon. Woodrow Wilson,
White House,
Washington, DC