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Show BAKER'S PROMISE TO BE MADE GOOD MILLION AND A HALF FIGHTERS FROM AMERICA TO BE IN FRANCE THIS YEAR. In Order to Put This Number of Fighting Fight-ing Men in the Field, It Will be Necessary to Have at Lease 2,000,000 Men on French Soil. Paris.; The United States lias promised prom-ised to have 1,500,000 fighting men in France by the end of 101S, says l'Homme Libre, Premier Clemenceau's newspaper. These troops, it adds, must have their own organization and services, ser-vices, which will mean at least 2,000,-000 2,000,-000 specialist workers, men in the (Itiartermaster's department and others. The newspaper says certain misunderstandings misun-derstandings which had existed have been cleared up, and that under no circumstances will allied workers or soldiers replace French workers in factories. The presence of American workers on French soil will he in direct consequence of the presence of American fighters on the front. Army Officials Hopeful. Washington. With more than 500,-000 500,-000 men now in France, army officials are more than ever hopeful that a powerful American force will be cooperating co-operating wjtb the allies there by the end of the .year. Unhappy experience with oversauguine estimates of what can be accomplished make them slow to put their hopes into definite predictions, pre-dictions, however, and it is not possible pos-sible ro obtain specific confirmation of fhe report from Paris that 1,5(10.000 fighting troops before January 1 hail been promised. . The statement in Premier Clemenceau's Clemen-ceau's newspaper that such a promise had been made is not believed by army officers generally to mean that the American government should definitely pledge ilseif to deliver a specific number num-ber of men within a time limit. Many factors are involved in making such a calculation months in advance. Secretary Baker would make no comment com-ment on the statement. Many weeks ago he told the senate military committee, com-mittee, however, that the government then had hopes of getting 1.500,000 to the front during the year: Since then his estimate that 500,000 men would reach .France early in the year has been fulfilled and since then, also, the German drive has changed the whole course of events and brought about a speeding-up of American participation, which iias already shown results. |