Newton D. Baker to Woodrow Wilson

I return herewith the letter from Mr. Elliott, transmitting to you a letter from Mr. Melville E. Stone.

Before the sending of the Pershing expedition was announced, many applications were received at the War Department for permission to send newspaper correspondents, photographers and special writers with the first expidition whenever it should be organized. There are, as you know, four principal press associations and a large number of important papers which maintain subsidiary press associations for the distribution of news to small groups of affiliated papers.

When General Pershing began the study of his plans with the War College, I submitted the newspaper question to him, pointing out that our expedition would be in a foreign country where local regulations with regard to press correspondents were in force and where, by reason of the proximity of a hostile border, entirely different conditions existed as to the need for control and censorship. A day or two ago General Pershing came to me and earnestly urged that no newspaper men of any kind be accredited to go with him and his staff and that he be permitted to make inquiry after his arrival in France and notify us of the conditions before we selected newspaper men in this country to be associated with his expedition.

I think it would be a good thing to have one or two special writers go on the troop ships with the expedition, with the understanding that their stories of the voyage are to be rendered equally available to all newspapers in this country; but I believe General Pershing's suggestion is wise and that he ought to take up with the French general staff the whole question of the presence of newspaper men from America the number permissible, the conditions under which they are to live, the method of their work, and notify us of all these conditions before we accredit American press representatives to his expedition.

My experience in the Mexican business makes me feel that it would be impracticable to select the representatives of the Associated press or, indeed of the four great press associations, for special treatment in this regard and, as Mr. Stone points out, these press associations already have representatives on the French and British fronts and in Europe generally; so that until a definite arrangement is suggested by General Pershing, the activities of his command can be covered by the American press representatives already in France.