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Show .pi. m MISQUOTED BY UNITEDPRESS False Statement Concerning Concern-ing Casualties of American Ameri-can Army Scattered Broadcast. STORY DENOUNCED BY THE OFFICIALS Chief of Staff Made No Es-Xtimate Es-Xtimate of Losses in Battle When Questioned by the Senators. WASHINGTON, Aug. 3 Senators of the military committee who today asked General March, chief of staff, if he had any estimate of the American casualties in the recent fighting, were told that the government had absolutely absolute-ly none. General March told the senators and also the Washington correspondents ir. response to questions, substantially what Secretary Baker said in his statement state-ment last night; that General Pershing was under difficulties of gathering the names from many hospitals, some of them French , and British, over a wide area, and that it has as yet been physically physi-cally impossible to compile the list. Positive Answer. The official transcript of General March's talk with the correspondents contains this question and answer: "Have you any estimate as to the number of casualties?" "None whatever." dne of the senator's asked what the extent of casualties already reported to the war department was, and General March replied that it was betwen 12,-000 12,-000 and 14,000. This is the sum total of all casualties announced to date by the war department, ' as given in the department's weekly published sum- nvjy. . . . r l'hi8 statement was made the vehicle of sensational reports sent out from Washington to the effect that General i Pershing had reported to General March that he estimated at 12,000 the Ameri-Vn Ameri-Vn casualties in the recent fighting. Report Denounced. Senators who attended the conferences, confer-ences, and war department officials generally, gen-erally, denounced the published report as misleading in eyery way. It was reiterated officially and stated specifically specifi-cally by General March that General Pershing had made no estimate. Later, General March formally denied that ho had given any figures or estimate esti-mate to anyone as to the number of casualties cas-ualties in "the present fighting, and he asked newspaper correspondents to deny 1he sensational reports sent out from Washington today that he had placed the casualties in the Aisne-Marne bat-. . tie at 12,000. What March Said. . At his conference today, referrins to Secretary Baker's statement of last night, Genpral March said: , "The casualty question I understood was to be covered by the secretary of war, and believe he did say something jbout It. General Pershing replied to our or- der to send in all casualties that the delay de-lay in sending them in was due to the fact that our men were serving under the British and the French as well as under our own commanders, but that casualties would be cabled as soon as they had been, completely verified. You can well imagine im-agine how disastrous it would be if the casualties were cabled and then correc-' correc-' tions had to be made. The distress would be beyond all question, and so these lists are going to come in and as soon as they do come in they will be given out, whatever what-ever they are." Baker's Talk. Secretary Baker in his talk to the correspondents cor-respondents said: "I have before me a copy of the Washington Wash-ington Times, carrying a statement that General Pershing estimates United States casualties at 12,000 and says that General Gen-eral March said that to the military affairs af-fairs committee. This is not so. General March said nothing on the subject, nor did I. Nobody said anything on that subject sub-ject or anything like it that I can recall. re-call. "There was a chart showing the total number of casualties in the American expeditionary ex-peditionary force up to the present time of all kinds from all sources and that aggregated something like 12,000 and that chart was shown, but it had nothing whatever to do with casualties, in the present drive." Official Statement. The committee on public information issued this statement: "The statement is published today that the chief of staff, General March, informed the senate committee on military affairs that a "rough estimate of the casualties ; as computed by General Pershing was i about , 12,000.' Another estimate was 'lS.OOO. "These statements are absolutely false. General March did not give any estimate esti-mate or intimate any number of American Ameri-can casualties. On the contrary, General March's announcement to the newspaper correspondents today was available and explained the situation as regard casualties. casual-ties. "At the request of the chief of staff, editors and correspondents are hereby cautioned against publishing these false statements that any estimate has been made regarding the number of American casualties." In a statement issued tonight. F. A. Walker, managing editor of the Washington Washing-ton Times, said the report that there had been 12,000 casualties in the American forces in the present offensive, was received re-ceived from the United Press and was printed on that authority. Mr. Walker's statement follows: "The statement printed today in the Times, and referred to by Secretary Baker in his talk to correspondents, crediting General Pershing with an estimate of 12,000 casualties in the American forces in the present drive was furnished to the Times by the United Press and printed on that authority." SHIPPING BOARD IN ABSOLUTE CONTROL WASHINGTON, Aug. 3. Shipping board control over the chartering of vessels ves-sels was made more complete by a proclamation proc-lamation issued by President Wilson, providing that no American sailing vessel ves-sel over fifty tons and no American steamer over 350 tons can be chartered unless approved by the shipping board. No foreign vessel can be chartered to an ' American citizen without the shipping board's approval. The proclamation does not cover vessels on the Great Inkes, inland in-land canals or rivers, or coastwise vessels. |