Newton D. Baker to Woodrow Wilson
Title
Newton D. Baker to Woodrow Wilson
Creator
Baker, Newton Diehl, 1871-1937
Identifier
WWP25273
Date
1918 October 19
Description
Secretary of War has information on the situation at the front and with the Allies.
Source
Library of Congress, Woodrow Wilson Papers
Publisher
Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library & Museum
Subject
World War, 1914-1918--United States
Pershing, John J. (John Joseph), 1860-1948
Contributor
Danna Faulds
Relation
WWP25274
Language
English
Provenance
Document scan was taken from Library of Congress microfilm reel of the Wilson Papers. WWPL volunteers transcribed the text.
Text
Dear Mr. President:
In estimating the importance of the opinion of Sir Henry Wilson, expressed to Mr. Driscoll [handwritten note in margin: Griscom?] in the cablegram which I sent you last night from General Pershing, it may be important for you to know that Sir Henry Wilson is perhaps the most unsympathetic critic the American Army has. This, however, is but a part of his general disposition as he is equally hostile to Sir Douglas Haig. I think his attitude toward the Americans is largely irritation because our divisions are not fed into the British forces. A noteworthy instance of his unreliability occurred just before the St. Mihiel drive, when the plan for that movement was shown him. He protested so fiercely to Lord Miller [handwritten note in margin: Milner?] against its being undertaken that Lord Miller actually adopted his opinion and committed it to writing against the movement, and was deeply humiliated and chagrined at our success at St. Mihiel which showed him the extent to which he had been beguiled by Sir Henry Wilson. Before the St. Mihiel action Sir Henry Wilson said openly in England with regard to it that one or the other of two things would take place. Either we would find less resistance than we expected, in which case our staff would be unable to manage our troops and they would rush beyond their objective and be trapped; or else we would find more resistance than we expected and get nowhere, with great losses of men and material. The event completely disappointed his predictions. The staff management of that action was admirable, and its success complete, with more than three times as many prisoners as our entire casualty list, including the slightly wounded.
You may be interested to know too why the progress on General Pershing’s front in this general battle is slow. The front from the Meuse to the Argonne Forest, on which General Pershing’s attack is being made, is probably as difficult ground as there is anywhere on the entire Western front, and certainly more difficult than any place where active battles are now being waged. In addition to that, the attack threatens Mezieries, which is the great railroad center on the Sedan - Metz line. Should Mezieries fall, the German communications for supplies would be completely cut and the withdrawal of all their forces to the West would have to be by insufficient and round-about railroads through Namur and other points far to the north. It is the one place on the line where the Germans cannot afford either to withdraw or retire, and as a consequence the heaviest enemy concentration anywhere on the line is directly ahead of General Pershing. All this was foreseen and the slow progress made by the American first army is to be expected under the circumstances. In the meantime our American divisions with the French and with the British have fought a substantial part in the actions to the North and West, where the great gains of territory have been made.
Lord Miller [handwritten note in margin: Milner?] seemed to be sympathetic, cordial, and intelligent, and I am disposed to regard most of his trouble as springing from the counsel and advice of Sir Henry Wilson, whose political aims and intemperance of opinion and speech seem to make him a particularly untrustworthy military adviser.
Respectfully,
Newton D. Baker
In estimating the importance of the opinion of Sir Henry Wilson, expressed to Mr. Driscoll [handwritten note in margin: Griscom?] in the cablegram which I sent you last night from General Pershing, it may be important for you to know that Sir Henry Wilson is perhaps the most unsympathetic critic the American Army has. This, however, is but a part of his general disposition as he is equally hostile to Sir Douglas Haig. I think his attitude toward the Americans is largely irritation because our divisions are not fed into the British forces. A noteworthy instance of his unreliability occurred just before the St. Mihiel drive, when the plan for that movement was shown him. He protested so fiercely to Lord Miller [handwritten note in margin: Milner?] against its being undertaken that Lord Miller actually adopted his opinion and committed it to writing against the movement, and was deeply humiliated and chagrined at our success at St. Mihiel which showed him the extent to which he had been beguiled by Sir Henry Wilson. Before the St. Mihiel action Sir Henry Wilson said openly in England with regard to it that one or the other of two things would take place. Either we would find less resistance than we expected, in which case our staff would be unable to manage our troops and they would rush beyond their objective and be trapped; or else we would find more resistance than we expected and get nowhere, with great losses of men and material. The event completely disappointed his predictions. The staff management of that action was admirable, and its success complete, with more than three times as many prisoners as our entire casualty list, including the slightly wounded.
You may be interested to know too why the progress on General Pershing’s front in this general battle is slow. The front from the Meuse to the Argonne Forest, on which General Pershing’s attack is being made, is probably as difficult ground as there is anywhere on the entire Western front, and certainly more difficult than any place where active battles are now being waged. In addition to that, the attack threatens Mezieries, which is the great railroad center on the Sedan - Metz line. Should Mezieries fall, the German communications for supplies would be completely cut and the withdrawal of all their forces to the West would have to be by insufficient and round-about railroads through Namur and other points far to the north. It is the one place on the line where the Germans cannot afford either to withdraw or retire, and as a consequence the heaviest enemy concentration anywhere on the line is directly ahead of General Pershing. All this was foreseen and the slow progress made by the American first army is to be expected under the circumstances. In the meantime our American divisions with the French and with the British have fought a substantial part in the actions to the North and West, where the great gains of territory have been made.
Lord Miller [handwritten note in margin: Milner?] seemed to be sympathetic, cordial, and intelligent, and I am disposed to regard most of his trouble as springing from the counsel and advice of Sir Henry Wilson, whose political aims and intemperance of opinion and speech seem to make him a particularly untrustworthy military adviser.
Respectfully,
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,” 1918 October 19, WWP25273, World War I Letters, Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library & Museum, Staunton, Virginia.