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Nothing in this is to be quoted without permission of Mr. Seligman.

Summary of interview by Forrest C. Pogue with Mr. Germain Seligman in New York City, March 12, 1962. Mr. Seligman was a French liaison with the 1st Division in 1917-18 during the time Captain (later Major and Lt. Col.) Marshall was with it. (These are rough notes as I took them. They are intended to aid my rather than to be complete statements by Mr. Seligman).

The 1st Division was the first American fighting division which landed in France. In view of my knowledge of the language, I was chosen as a liaison officer. I had been in the fighting since the beginning of the war, starting as a second lieutenant. I had been with an infantry regiment and had been through three or four years of war. Thus I was assigned as the first French liaison  officer to the first American forces which landed in France--which was the 1st Division. The division at that time was under the command of General William Sibert of the Engineer Corps. He had helped in the construction of the Panama Canal. He was a remarkable man I think. He was intensely interested in learning about the war. You have to bear in mind that the 1st Division was a very green one. My first job was as ADC to General Sibert. I had to take him around--to Verdun for example, where the front was still active. 

I started out with the division in Gondrecourt. Sibert had never been to any part of the front, so I took him around. WE visited several generals. I remember going to the quiet sector of the Vosges held by the forces of the famous general, de Castelnau. We next visited the Aisle sector.
General Sibert had no idea of the effect of artillery. He was perfectly startled when he saw a sign saying this was the village of so and so.

I became personally attached to Sibert. His eagerness to learn struck me. We called on Petain and lunched in his railroad car. I recall going closer to the front line to see someone--it may have been Mangin. Sibert was intensely interested in everything. I acted as interpreter. He asked many technical questions--logistical questions interested him.

I was told that Sibert's relief was a purely political