Don Martin diary entry for Sunday, March 31, 1918, Easter : Easter and nothing but suggestions of war everywhere. American troops moving through Neufchateau in the rain and mud all day and most of the night. They are relieving the French in quiet sectors so the French can go up to help in the big fight. Indications are that the French have checked the advance of the Germans but the situation is still serious. It is all up to the French again. The British didn’t last. Gen. Foch, Frenchman, made commander in chief. I stayed in Neufchateau all day. Wrote some mail stuff – also letter to Dorothy. Sat around the club till 11 with Floyd Gibbons and some Hearst men. Weather rainy except for two hours of sunshine.           Don Martin was not permitted by General Pershing to write up the interview on March 30, so he wrote up and cabled an optimistic report of his interview with Secretary Baker. It was published in the New York Herald on Sunday, March 31, 1918. TROOPS

Don Martin diary entry for Saturday, March 30, 1918:  Went to Chaumont and saw [Newton] Baker, Secretary of War, and General Pershing. Had quite a talk with Pershing, but he wouldn’t release it for publication. Hung around Chaumont for 4 hours with Junius Wood [Chicago Daily News] and [Edwin] James [New York Times] . Baker seems a weak person to be head of our war department. Doesn’t know what is going on. Pershing is a “line one.” He apparently knows situation on the front is serious. Says the 1 st division of our army will start for the real front on Wednesday. I wired Mr. Bennett to make request for me to go with it. The more I see here the more I realize how infinitesimal our part in the war is and how different the present story might be if Wilson had gone into the war, as he should have done, when the Lusitania sank. All our soldiers in France wouldn’t last an hour in the furnace north and east of Paris. Meantime Germans are starting new attack. Weathe

Don Martin diary entry for Friday, March 29, 1918:  [Edwin] James [New York Times] and I went in auto almost to Verdun. Went to American headquarters in the Verdun sector. Were in danger zone for couple hours but no shells fell. Picked up [Henri] Bazin [Philadelphia Public Ledger] and brought him back by way of Bar le Duc and Gondrecourt. Got no news. Had no lunch but a big dinner at the officers’ club in Neufchateau. Indications are that German advance has been checked but situation is still critical. Weather miserable – rainy + cold.