Editor John T. Greenwood’s John J. Pershing and the American Expeditionary Forces in World War I, 1917-1919 series is a colossal undertaking, compiling all of the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) commander’s wartime correspondence. Volume 3 only covers the period of 1 January to 20 March 1918, which illustrates the gravity of what was occurring in these three months.
To properly review a work like this, another must first be referenced. Richard F. Hamilton and Holger H. Herwig’s Decisions for War, 1914-1917 (Cambridge University Press, 2004) makes the argument that the primary reason for the outbreak of the Great War was due in part to the choice resting on single or at most small coteries of decision-makers. Though Greenwood’s editorial work of Gen. John Pershing’s war correspondence does not seek to affirm this or any other thesis relating to the outbreak of the First World War, it does draw parallels—it is shocking read just how few Americans were involved in the decision-making process that brought millions of doughboys to the battlefields of Europe. Unlike post-World War II military chain-of-command, kill-chain architecture, and bureaucratic entities of a Byzantine complexity, Greenwood’s work shows the relative simplicity of wartime policy and orders. Here we have Pershing, sometimes in casual dialogue, communicating with the president of the United States, secretary of war, and a multitude of intentional politicians and military leaders in a way that sometimes make him seem like the sole representative of the United States in Europe during the conflict.
However, there in an underside to so few men in control as well. In this volume’s introduction, Greenwood makes references to “bloated and inefficient” command structure as well as “administrative red tape and minutiae.”1 The correspondence in volume 3 highlights the challenges Pershing faced with these issues, and Greenwood adds, “One definite asset for Pershing in the new year was President Wilson’s decision to send the Chief of Staff, Gen. Tasker H. Bliss, to France in January to become the Chief, American Section, and American Permanent Military Representative to the Allied Supreme War Council in Versailles” and that Pershing “was now relieved of many extraneous and distracting diplomatic duties and allowed to focus his attention more narrowly on the more purely strategic and military matters facing the AEF’s preparation for battle.”2 The volume’s ensuing correspondence highlights this change in focus.
This book is admittedly no light read. Other than the most Great War or Pershing-interested individual, it is difficult to imagine anyone cracking this volume open for anything other than research, to which it provides the greatest aid. Its layout is meticulous and methodical, offering an easy digestion of a massive amount of material. The source of every piece of correspondence is provided, covering a wide range of collections and publications. There are also a multitude of accompanying maps, charts, and images, providing a breakup of the text and much-needed references to the content being discussed.
Notes
- John T. Greenwood, ed., John J. Pershing and the American Expeditionary Forces in World War I, 1917-1919, vol. 3, January 1-March 20, 1918 (University Press of Kentucky, 2023), 27.
- Greenwood, John J. Pershing and the American Expeditionary Forces, 29–30.