War Department, Adjutant General’s Office, Cables Section Files
The Commander in Chief of the American Expeditionary Forces ( Pershing ) to The Adjutant General ( McCain )
[Received June 4.]
1236. For Chief of Staff and Secretary of War:
The following agreement has been concluded between General Foch, Lord Milner, and myself with reference to the transportation of American troops in the months of June and July:1
The following recommendations are made on the assumption that at least 250,000 men can be transported in each of the months of June and July by the employment of combined British and American tonnage.
We recommend:
- (a)
- For the month of June—
- (1)
- Absolute priority shall be given to the transportation of 170,000 combatant troops (viz.: 6 divisions without artillery, ammunition trains or supply trains, amounting to 126,000 men and 44,000 replacement for combat troops);
- (2)
- 25,400 men for the service of the railways, of which 13,400 have been asked for by the French Minister of Transportation;
- (3)
- The balance to be troops of categories to be determined by the commander-in-chief, American Expeditionary Forces.
- (b)
- For the month of July—
- (1)
- Absolute priority for the shipment of 140,000 combatant troops of the nature defined above (4 divisions minus artillery, etc., amounting to 84,000 men, plus 56,000 replacements);
- (2)
- The balance of the 250,000 to consist of troops to be designated by the commander-in-chief, American Expeditionary Forces.
- (c)
- It is agreed that if the available tonnage in either month allows of the transportation of a larger number of men than 250,000, the excess tonnage will be employed in the transportation of combat troops as defined above.
- (d)
- We recognise that the combatant troops to be despatched in July may have to include troops which have had insufficient training, but we consider the present emergency is such as to justify a temporary and exceptional departure by the United States from sound [Page 250] principles of training, especially as a similar course is being followed by France and Great Britain. Foch, Milner, Pershing.
- The text of the agreement here printed is in the form recorded in the minutes of the Supreme War Council.↩