Gov's Expanding Power - Episode #60

Highlights

The Government's Expanding Power | @10:30

America Emerges: 1st Division learns tough lessons - Edward Lengel | @08:55

War in the Sky: First US planes get shipped to France | @13:15

GWP Blog: Wrapup on Tuscania  - Mike Shuster | @15:30

A Century in the Making: A busy week for the memorial project | @20:15

Remembering Veterans: the 370th Infantry Regiment - Colonel Eugene Scott | @24:00

Education: Poppy Program in middle school - Taylor Gibbs & Lyvia bartoli | @31:35

Speaking WW1: Camouflage | @36:55

WW1 War Tech: Depth Charge | @39:00

WWrite Blog: This Colored Man Is No Slacker | @41:00

Buzz: The flu then, the flu now - Katherine Akey | @42:05----more----

Opening

Welcome to World War 1 centennial News - episode #60 - It’s about WW1 THEN - what was happening 100 years ago this week  - and it’s about WW1 NOW - news and updates about the centennial and the commemoration.

Today is February 23rd, 2018 and our guests for this week include:

Dr. Edward Lengel, with a story about the 1st Division’s early encounter with gas warfare

Mike Shuster, from the great war project blog with a wrap up story of the sinking of the Tuscania

Colonel Eugene Scott - US Army Retired - with the restoration of the 370th regiment Victory Monument in Chicago

Taylor Gibbs and Lyvia Bartoli sharing their experience fundraising with the Commission’s Poppy Program

Katherine Akey, with the centennial of WWI in social media

All now -- on WW1 Centennial News -- a weekly podcast brought to you by the U.S. World War I Centennial Commission, the Pritzker Military Museum and Library and the Starr foundation.

I’m Theo Mayer - the Chief Technologist for the Commission and your host. Welcome to the show.

[MUSIC]

Preface

In October of 1917, Wilson signs the "Trading with The enemy" act into law giving him sweeping new powers to manage and control international trade.

We covered this in some detail during episode #42 and here are the highlights:

Enemy owned property can be seized

Enemy intellectual property can be ignored

The Treasury department gets extensive powers over the international movement of precious metals and securities

The postmaster General gets total censorship rights over international communications including telegraph

Interestingly - “enemy” is defined as someone we have declared war on OR a nation that the President simply proclaims as an enemy OR a company engaged in commerce with an enemy OR a company incorporated or operating in enemy territory OR a company that has ties to one of the many things above.

With free reign to seize and capture foreign properties - the administration sets up the Office of the Alien Property Custodian putting a guy named A. Mitchell Palmer in charge of “appropriating” enemy held properties.

This week 100 years ago - Using the “Trading with the Enemy” and the “espionage” acts as foundations - President Wilson goes the next mile and issues a series of proclamations including taking total control of all the foreign commerce of the United States.

With that that as a setup - it's time to jump into our centennial Time Machine and roll back 100 years to the war that changed the world.

World War One THEN

100 Year Ago This Week

[MUSIC TRANSITION]

It is mid February 1918. From the pages of the Official Bulletin - the government war gazette published by George Creel - the nation's propaganda chief comes the following:

[radio and telegraph sound effect]

Dateline: Friday February 15, 1918

The headline in the Official Bulletin Reads:

PRESIDENT ISSUES PROCLAMATIONS FOR CONTROL OF ENTIRE FOREIGN COMMERCE OF UNITED STATES

LICENSES REQUIRED FOR ALL IMPORTS AND EXPORTS

And the story reads:

The President has today issued two proclamations which will become effective to-morrow. After February 16, 1918, no commodities may be exported from this country or imported into this country except under license.

The administration states that:

“the military situation and the tonnage situation have made increasingly apparent