Newton D. Baker to Woodrow Wilson
Title
Newton D. Baker to Woodrow Wilson
Creator
Baker, Newton Diehl,--1871-1937
Identifier
WWP25150
Date
No date
Description
Secretary of War is not sure what to do about the large numbers of men from the YMCA who need passports to go to Europe.
Source
Library of Congress, Woodrow Wilson Papers
Publisher
Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library & Museum
Subject
Wilson, Woodrow, 1856-1924--Correspondence
World War, 1914-1918--United States
Contributor
Morgan Willer
Relation
WWP25151
Language
English
Provenance
Document scan was taken from Library of Congress microfilm reel of the Wilson Papers. WWPL volunteers transcribed the text.
Text
My dear Mr. President:
Referring again to your letter of the twenty-seventh and Mr. Mott’s letter of the twenty-fourth to you, I have laid the matter before General Churchill and am now convinced that not only would it be unwise to adopt Mr. Mott’s suggestion that several hundred YMCA. workers be cleared by Military Intelligence without investigation, but also that everything possible is being done by Military Intelligence to relieve the situation.
It appears that the YMCA, following the suggestions of Military Intelligence is now endeavoring faithfully to use the greatest possible care in the choice of its overseas workers, but that in spite of this not a few of these persons have been found by such an investigation as Military Intelligence subsequently makes, to be unfit for service overseas either from the point of view of the Government or of the YMCA itself. Several weeks ago, when a similar critical situation existed, Military Intelligence tried the very experiment which Mr. Mott has now suggested. The result was far from satisfactory. Subsequent reports on fully five percent of the persons thus cleared were unfavorable. Several of those who had not already sailed were held up at the Port of Embarkation, several who had sailed may have to brought back.
This creates a situation obviously embarrassing and inimical to the YMCA, to Military Intelligence and to the best interests of the Army. I am informed that in several of the cases above mentioned, the individuals have been allowed to remain abroad because the evidence against them while certainly definite enough to have justified their being prevented from leaving this country was not considered sufficient to bring them home summarily. However, this entails the necessity of having them watched on the other side, and it is questionable whether such responsibility and additional labor should be shifted to our forces abroad, if they can possibly be spared this burden. In fact, it was largely because of complaints against the quality of a portion of the personnel of the YMCA and similar organizations overseas that Military Intelligence found it necessary to institute the procedure of making an investigation of its own to check up that made by the organizations.
As to the present situation, about which Mr. Mott wrote, I find that all possible co-operation is being given by Military Intelligence. Officers and clerks with sympathetic appreciation of the situation are working day and night using the telegraph freely in order to clear a number sufficient to fill the twelve hundred berths that have been reserved on the ship sailing next Monday. A special committee of the YMCA War Work Council is now in Washington, and it is understood that satisfactory arrangements have been made between this committee and the officers of Military Intelligence who are charged with the matter.
By way of explanation of the situation, several weeks ago Military Intelligence was informed by the YMCA that the organization intended to send overseas a thousand persons a month. Arrangements were accordingly made to take care of this number. When the number was suddenly doubled, difficulty was experienced at first in meeting the increase. That the situation is being met, however, is evidenced by the fact that whereas the average clearance by Military Intelligence during the first two or three weeks in August was forty-five a day, the present average is one hundred a day. Every effort is being made that this average shall be raised in order to take care of the present accumulation and to provide for any future increase in the daily quota.
I am glad to say that the matter is simplified by the fact that Naval Intelligence is not concerned as you suggested in your letter might be the case. Military Intelligence alone is charged with these investigations.
Respectfully yours,
Newton D. Baker
Referring again to your letter of the twenty-seventh and Mr. Mott’s letter of the twenty-fourth to you, I have laid the matter before General Churchill and am now convinced that not only would it be unwise to adopt Mr. Mott’s suggestion that several hundred YMCA. workers be cleared by Military Intelligence without investigation, but also that everything possible is being done by Military Intelligence to relieve the situation.
It appears that the YMCA, following the suggestions of Military Intelligence is now endeavoring faithfully to use the greatest possible care in the choice of its overseas workers, but that in spite of this not a few of these persons have been found by such an investigation as Military Intelligence subsequently makes, to be unfit for service overseas either from the point of view of the Government or of the YMCA itself. Several weeks ago, when a similar critical situation existed, Military Intelligence tried the very experiment which Mr. Mott has now suggested. The result was far from satisfactory. Subsequent reports on fully five percent of the persons thus cleared were unfavorable. Several of those who had not already sailed were held up at the Port of Embarkation, several who had sailed may have to brought back.
This creates a situation obviously embarrassing and inimical to the YMCA, to Military Intelligence and to the best interests of the Army. I am informed that in several of the cases above mentioned, the individuals have been allowed to remain abroad because the evidence against them while certainly definite enough to have justified their being prevented from leaving this country was not considered sufficient to bring them home summarily. However, this entails the necessity of having them watched on the other side, and it is questionable whether such responsibility and additional labor should be shifted to our forces abroad, if they can possibly be spared this burden. In fact, it was largely because of complaints against the quality of a portion of the personnel of the YMCA and similar organizations overseas that Military Intelligence found it necessary to institute the procedure of making an investigation of its own to check up that made by the organizations.
As to the present situation, about which Mr. Mott wrote, I find that all possible co-operation is being given by Military Intelligence. Officers and clerks with sympathetic appreciation of the situation are working day and night using the telegraph freely in order to clear a number sufficient to fill the twelve hundred berths that have been reserved on the ship sailing next Monday. A special committee of the YMCA War Work Council is now in Washington, and it is understood that satisfactory arrangements have been made between this committee and the officers of Military Intelligence who are charged with the matter.
By way of explanation of the situation, several weeks ago Military Intelligence was informed by the YMCA that the organization intended to send overseas a thousand persons a month. Arrangements were accordingly made to take care of this number. When the number was suddenly doubled, difficulty was experienced at first in meeting the increase. That the situation is being met, however, is evidenced by the fact that whereas the average clearance by Military Intelligence during the first two or three weeks in August was forty-five a day, the present average is one hundred a day. Every effort is being made that this average shall be raised in order to take care of the present accumulation and to provide for any future increase in the daily quota.
I am glad to say that the matter is simplified by the fact that Naval Intelligence is not concerned as you suggested in your letter might be the case. Military Intelligence alone is charged with these investigations.
Respectfully yours,
Newton D. Baker
Original Format
Letter
To
Wilson, Woodrow, 1856-1924
Files
Collection
Citation
Baker, Newton Diehl,--1871-1937, “Newton D. Baker to Woodrow Wilson,” No date, WWP25150, World War I Letters, Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library & Museum, Staunton, Virginia.