General Foch placed General Pershing's offer before the French war
council at the front, which included Premier Clemenceau, French
Commander Pétain, and Louis Loucheur, Minister of Munitions. An official
note, issued in Paris on March 31, dealing with the operation of
American troops with the French and British, said:
_The French Government has decided to accede to the desire
expressed by General Pershing in the name of the United States
Government. The American troops will fight side by side with the
British and French troops and the Star-Spangled Banner will
float beside the French and English flags in the plains of
Picardy._
Further information showing that the time had come for the active
participation of the American Army in the new campaign was contained in
the following British official announcement, issued in London on April
1:
As a result of communications which have passed between the
Prime Minister [Lloyd George] and President Wilson; of
deliberations between Secretary Baker, who visited London a few
days ago, and the Prime Minister, Mr. Balfour, and Lord Derby,
and consultations in France, in which General Pershing and
General Bliss participated, important decisions have been come
to by which large forces of trained men in the American Army can
be brought to the assistance of the Allies in the present
struggle.
The Government of our great Western ally is not only sending
large numbers of American battalions to Europe during the
coming critical months, but has agreed to such of its regiments
as cannot be used in divisions of their own being brigaded with
French and British units so long as the necessity lasts.
By this means troops which are not yet sufficiently trained to
fight as divisions and army corps will form part of seasoned
divisions until such time as they have completed their training
and General Pershing wishes to withdraw them in order to build
up the American Army.
Arrangements for the transportation of these additional forces
are now being completed.
Throughout these discussions President Wilson has shown the
greatest anxiety to do everything possible to assist the Allies
and has left nothing undone which could contribute thereto.
This decision, however, of vital importance as it will be to the
maintenance of the allied strength in the next few months, will
in no way diminish the need for those further measures for
raising fresh troops at home, to which reference already has
been made. It is announced at once because the Prime Minister
feels that the singleness of purpose with which the United
States have made this immediate and, indeed, indispensable
contribution toward the triumph of the allied cause should be
clearly recognized by the British people.
The action of the United States in thus merging its troops with
the other armies was hailed with gratitude and praise by the
press and official spokesmen of all the Entente nations.
The first mention of Americans in the battle of Picardy was contained in
the War Department's weekly review of the war situation, issued on April
7. American transport sections, it said, had taken an active part in the
battle, and the American Aviation Section was co-operating with the
British.