File No. 763.72/13456
The Ambassador in Great Britain (Page) to the Secretary of State
[Received 6.30 p.m.]
1899. The Secretary of War2 requests that the following urgent and extremely confidential message be given to the President immediately:
The message from Clemenceau which has been sent you through the Department of State requests sending of five additional [American] battalions to Murmansk.3 The French profess themselves unable to send any further forces but further secured Foch’s indorsement to Clemenceau’s request. You will observe, however, that Foch stipulates that they be sent direct from America and not detached from forces now in France. The military advisers at Versailles considered the subject yesterday and unanimously but informally agreed that in future no further forces of any kind should be sent to Murmansk this year, English and French representatives concurring. Bliss says Foch consents only out of deference for Clemenceau and will not misunderstand your declining. Bliss and I agree that yielding to this request would only open the door to further diversion of American forces as French and British will not send theirs and will join in requests upon us. Could you not decline on ground that all our energy is to be devoted to early and decided success on western front? Our men are thus in battle and in both France and [Page 539] England their success is on every tongue. Pershing really won a great fight and his army is impatient to go on. Our losses are about 5,000 wounded and sick sent to hospitals but very few dead or mortally hurt. Of those I saw most were slight injuries. Prisoners numbered 15,000 when I left. Full details of casualties and captures not available for some days.