merica with unblemished reputations. I wish every soldier in Northern
Russia to know that I fully appreciate that his hardships have
continued long after those endured by our soldiers in France and that
every effort is being made to relieve the conditions in the North at
the earliest possible moment."

The Americans had let go the tail holt. The spring defensive had been
surprisingly easy after the desperate winter defensive with the
persistently heralded threats of Trotsky's Northern Army to punish the
invaders with annihilation. In fact, there was a suspicion that the Reds
were content to merely harry the Americans, but not to take any more
losses going against them, preferring to wait till they had gone and
then deal with the Archangel regiments of some twenty-five thousand and
the British troops coming out from England. Probably if the truth were
known Kolchak and Denikin were in the spring of 1919 taking much of
Trotsky's attention. They were getting the grain fields of Russia that
the Reds needed, which was of more importance than the possession of the
Archangel province.

Then there was the political side of the case. The Peace Conference was
struggling with the Russian problem. Lenine and Trotsky could well
afford to deal not too violently and crushingly with the Allied troops
in the North of Russia while they were with both open and underground
diplomacy and propaganda seeking to get recognition of their rule.

Anyway, we found ourselves letting go that tail holt which in the winter
had seemed to be all that the Detroit News cartoonist pictured it, "H---
to hang on, and death to let loose." And we did not get many more bad
scratches or bites from the Bolo bob-cat.

[Illustration: Cartoon; American soldier holding on to the tail of a
large wildcat marked "Russia". An old man in the United States says
"Come on home, Yank! What did you grab him for in the first place?" The
soldiers observes "It is hell to hang on, but it's death to let loose."]
The Hard Job Is To Let Go
From Detroit News

XXV

THE 310TH ENGINEERS

Engineers Busy Right From Start--Seen On All Fronts--Great Aid To
Doughboys--- Occasionally Obliged To Join Firing Line--Colonel Morris
Gives Interesting Summary Of Engineer Work--General Ironside Pays Fine
Tribute To 310th Engineer Detachment.

The 310th Engineers went into quarters at Bakaritza, September 7th,
where it was said German agents two years before had blown up Russian