It was General Pershing's own idea to have the map displayed to the
public to show the people of the United States the actual military
results obtained by their armies. For instance, at the hour the
armistice was signed the United States forces were holding 145
kilometers of front, of which 134 kilometers were active. This is made
plain on the map by the colored pins and tags by which the different
allied and enemy armies are shown.
The map itself shows the location of all divisions, both the enemy and
allied, on the western front; the correct battle line, commanding
generals, location of headquarters and boundaries down to include
armies, and various other information concerning divisions, as, for
example, whether they were fresh or tired. The map was developed and
kept posted to date daily by the third section of General Pershing's
staff, and used by them and other superior officers during active
operations for strategical studies and purposes of general information.
It is evident that during the war the information which this map
contained was such that the enemy would have spared no pains to secure
it. Every precaution was taken to insure its secrecy, and to this end
the map was always kept locked up, and in addition was kept in a small
compartment formed by a closed screen. Furthermore, access to this map
was had by only the half dozen chiefs of the general headquarters staff
sections whose work was directly affected by the changes shown on the
map.
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