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Show HEADQUARTERS OF UAFORCES Is at Chaumont, But This Fact Was Not Disclosed Until After the War. GENERAL HEADQUARTERS AMERICAN AM-ERICAN EXPEDITIONARY FORCE, Chaumont, Haute Marne. France, Nov. 20. (Correspondence of the Associated Press) The date line reveals one of the interesting secrets of the army in France, the location of the home of the commander-in-chief and the general gen-eral staff. Until a few days ago when the censorship rules were modified to1 meet the new conditions created bv the armistice, Chaumont has neerj been permitted to be mentioned in connection with the American forces. Tho exact whereabouts of the gen-1 eral headquarters of any force, allied or enemy, is never revealed during' hostilities. The military reasons for' this secrecy are obvious and in this" war the airplane made it ever more, necessary, for Chaumont lies but a little lit-tle flight from what wero long the German lines. v It is an old and picturesque city, quiet and conservative beyond even French provincialism. It has water and gas and electric lights, but' no street railways and few places of amusement even In normal times. It lies in the center of an agricultural) and grazing district, is quite a seat of' education and historically very inter-1 esting, as indeed is every city of its I age In France. There are really two Chaumonrs, U:cl ancient town with its narrow, ortuousj streets, its typical buildings with cur- ( ious towers and buttresses and arches giving glimpses through half opened gates or iron grills of quaint gardens; and quainter courts. Manv of the streets are too narrow lo permit the' passage of wheeled vehicles and the big staff motor cars find difficulty in navigating the best of the old town streets. Extending outward on the high plateau pla-teau upon which th city is located is a newer and more modern Chaumont. a region of fine homes with extensive grounds and comfortable residences of the well-to-do and middle classes. Here the wide boulevards are tree-lined tree-lined and parked It is In this eastern part of tho pla- j teau that general headquarters are located, lo-cated, occupying the French militaiy post turned over to the Americans by the French. Its three great concrete barracks and numerous lesser buildings build-ings were renovated by the American staff, electric lights installed, paint and whitewash called into play and now in rooms where once the poilus barracked the great headquarters staff works. Every office is connect- ( ed by telephone, the central Htation beirig operated by American girlH. The throo large barrack buildiug3 form three sides of a great p-arade ground. In the center building on the I second floor arc the offices of Oea-I oral Pershing and no soldier's work place could be more severe. His own office and its reception room are precisely pre-cisely liko every other office jn the three buildings. Tho walls arc whitewashed white-washed and practically barren of ornament orna-ment except, for some Liberty loan posters. A plain flat topped oak desk stands between the two windows and round about a few plain yellow chairs. A stove and a table against, the wall complete the furnishings. , Headquarters arc situated on a wide, ' tree-lined boulevard in tho center of i which betweeji two more rows of fine i old shade trees, is a spacious walk- 1 way. Until last Fourth of July this ' was known as the Avenue de Fort Lambert but on Independence Day, It was rechristened Avenue des Etals Unis, General Pershing being the guest ' of honor and making a speech in ac- ; knowledgement of the courtesy done his country. At the beginning of tho Avenue des : H Stats Unis, which starts from a beau-tlful beau-tlful little park, is a handsome rest-lenco rest-lenco in which the commander-in-chief made his homo until last spring. tie then removed to a large and at tractive chateau about five miles from-the from-the city. The fine old castle lies in the beautiful valley of the Marne, its spacious grounds, parks and walks making an ideal home where he can have the seclusion his responsibility requires, yet but a few minutes by mo- jH tor to his offices at headquarters. |