The Medical Department Of The United States Army in The World War
CHAPTER IV
THE ADMINISTRATION DIVISIONa
When the chief surgeon's office, A. E. F., was organized on July 28,1917, one of its divisions was that of records and correspondence. Thisdivision was charged not only with central control of all communicationsentering and leaving the office but also with certain elements of internaladministration of the office. The last mentioned duty later determinedthe name of this division.
The methods adopted for the care, control, and disposition of records,and for office administration, were not the result of preliminary plans,for to a large degree they were adaptations to necessities. It was soondetermined that a definite system of recording correspondence capable ofexpansion had to be established, therefore, the War Department filing systemwas instituted with such modifications as appeared necessary for its adaptationto the needs of the Medical Department in time of war. This system adoptedat this time was never changed in principle. The procurement of equipmentand supplies for the current work and expansion of the chief surgeon'soffice became one of the duties of this division, thus taking over services which had been performed by several officers prior to its organization.One of the earliest duties of the office staff had been to obtain officesupplies and equipment. The three small rooms at No. 17 Rue Constantinein which the office of the chief surgeon first was located in June, 1917,were furnished by the French Government with a few tables, desks, and chairs,which with several typewriters brought from the United States, constitutedthe initial equipment of the chief surgeons' office. The procurement ofthe additional furniture and equipment required when the chief surgeon'soffice moved, in July, into the six rooms allotted it in the Hotel St.Anne, was, in part, one of the earliest activities of the administrationdivision.
An exceptionally aggravating difficulty, which existed at first arosefrom the fact that at that time no American post office service was provided,and mail intended for personnel of the Medical Department was addressedin the care of the chief surgeon. All of this mail found its way to theadministration division, where its importance and value were fully appreciated,but where there was not force adequate to handle it. When the first officialsof the American post office arrived, some 10,000 letters had accumulated.
Another duty of the administration division was the improvisation ofsuch blank forms as were necessary, and provisions for the printing ofthese and other documents. Often the division was embarrassed by the demandsfor paper, and many expedients were utilized to conserve the supply. Oldenvelopes were used for scratch paper, letterheads were cut in half forshort letters and memoranda. Small pieces were used whenever possible andboth sides of each sheet were used in mimeographing, multigraphing, printing,etc., but despite all the efforts at economy the shortage in paper wasalways serious.
aEntire chapter based on "Report on the administrative section of the chief surgeon's office, A. E. F., undated," by Capt. R. A. Dickson, M. A. C. On file, Historical Division, S. G. O.
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Very early in the history of the American Expeditionary Forces the needfor clerical help in the chief surgeon's office became very urgent. Soldierclerks were drawn from the six base hospitals then serving with the Britishand a few others were enlisted from among American citizens resident inFrance. Difficulty in obtaining suitable clerical help continued afterthe chief surgeon's office moved with headquarters to Chaumont, early inSeptember of 1917. However, while the chief surgeon's office was locatedat Chaumont the need for clerks was gradually relieved, for during thistime base hospitals began to arrive in France; and as they could not promptlybe located, their personnel was available for transfer. Accordingly someof the stenographers and typists from these units were assigned to thechief surgeon's office.
As the work continued to expand other personnel, commissioned, enlisted,and civilian, were assigned to this office until their number eventuallyapproximated 500 persons. The officer in charge of the administration divisionsupervised the two officers who were in command of the two detachmentsinto which were grouped enlisted personnel assigned to the chief surgeon'soffice. One of these officers also was in general charge of the civilianemployees on duty in the office.
In his procurement and care of office furniture and equipment the officerat the head of this division was assisted by a property officer who wasimmediately accountable for all Government property in the chief surgeon'soffice. Other officers under his jurisdiction were those engaged in theservice of the record room and library, and the officers who served byroster throughout the night in the chief surgeon's office. Another of theduties discharged by the chief of this division was the procurement ofadditional office space. Work was increasing in a geometrical ratio anduntil after the armistice was signed progressively greater expansions inaccommodations were necessary.
It had been anticipated that the nine rooms assigned to the chief surgeon'soffice in one of the French barracks at Chaumont would be ample for prospectiveneeds, but they were soon outgrown and the problem of additional accommodationsbecame very serious. This was solved as an incident to the transfer ofthe chief surgeon's office to Tours, on March 21, 1918.
The extent to which personnel, records, office equipment, and supplieshad increased at Chaumont was evidenced by the fact that when the chiefsurgeon's office moved to Tours an entire train was necessary for theirtransportation, in contrast to one car which had been ample for the movementof the chief surgeon's office from Paris to Chaumont.
At Tours the chief surgeon's office occupied rooms in building No. 3of the French Barracks No. 66, but by September 1, 1918, it had so expandedthat the finance and accounts and the statistical divisions were movedto other buildings.
No record was kept in detail of the vast amount of correspondence, reports,and returns which passed through the chief surgeon's office. It was decidedthat the time necessary to count and tabulate the number of pieces of mailcould be used more advantageously otherwise. All these documents passedthrough the record office. Incoming mail was opened in one office, takento the desk of the officer in charge of records and correspondence, andthence
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distributed by him and his assistants to the different divisions ofthe chief surgeon's office. Similarly, mail from the different divisionsof the office, after being signed by the respective chief, was concentratedhere, examined, and sent to the mailing room. By this means all the informationpassing in or out of the office was so concentrated that the officer incharge of this division was able to answer many inquiries coming over thephone or otherwise, without reference to other divisions. This method alsoenabled him to follow up many papers that might otherwise have been misplaced.
All telegrams were numbered beginning with No. 1 on the 1st of eachmonth so that any reply could refer to the number on this telegram andthe sender could be located without delay.
PERSONNELa
(July 28, 1917, to July 15, 1919)
Lieut. Col. Robert A. Dickson, San. Corps, chief.
Maj. Arthur Morehouse, San. Corps.
Maj. Arthur W. Proctor, San. Corps.
Capt. William J. Fenton, San. Corps.
Capt. Henry W. Kelly, San. Corps.
Capt. Frederick W. Mueller, jr., San. Corps.
Capt. Frank Steiner, San. Corps.
First Lieut. Orin F. Hallam, San. Corps.
First Lieut. Harry C. Hanford, San. Corps.
aIn this list have been included the names of those who at one time or another were assigned to the division during the period, July 28, 1917, to July 15, 1919.
There are two primary groups-the heads of the division or the section and the assistants. In each group names have been arranged alphabetically, by grades, irrespective of chronological sequence of service.
