WAR DEPARTMENT
OFFICE OF THE PROVOST MARSHAL GENERAL
WASHINGTON

February 19, 1919.

Honorable T. W. Bickett,
Governor of North Carolina,
Raleigh, North Carolina.

My dear Governor Bickett:

I have received your letter of the first instant with which you enclosed copies of your letter to the Secretary of War and its enclosures, in which you cite the cases of certain wilful draft deserters who have recently been sent to camp as such but who were honorably discharged by the camp commander after little or no investigation and without punishment of any kind.

There has recently been a tendency on the part of camp commanders to discharge alleged draft deserters without proper investigation and thus to dispose of the cases of such men promptly and without convening courts-martial. In order to meet this situation and in order that the cases of all draft deserters may be given careful attention by camp commanders to the end that the wilful shall be punished and the non-wilful shall be promptly discharged, the War Department issued an order on the tenth instant relating to the disposition of draft deserters, a copy of which is enclosed. You will note that this order directs that department commanders, commanding officers of camps, and other competent authorities will make careful investigation into the case of every draft deserter, through the medium of an officer or officers familiar with the Selective Service Regulations and procedure; that the charge of desertion will not be set aside unless such investigation has been made, and a report in writing has been submitted, and that all draft deserters, in respect of whom the charge of desertion is not set aside as a result of such investigation and report, shall be brought to trial before a general courts-martial.

Very truly yours,

E. H. Crowder
Provost Marshal General.

RHD-Omh.

Encl. copy circular 1919, Feb. 10. Cir. No. 75