about the “spontaneous opinion” of the men in France on the question of a veteran’s organization proved to be equally true among service men on this side of the water.  Consequently, it wasn’t long after the armistice before several veteran’s organizations and associations were in the process of formation.  As it was a pertinent news topic, the newspapers gave a great deal of prominence in their columns to several of these organizations.  They were of various types and characters.  One was for enlisted men only.  Another was for officers only.  There was an organization for officers who had fought in France, Italy, or Russia and there was one or more organizations which had the breadth of vision to see that men of all ranks and all branches of the military and naval establishments must be eligible.

Such was the situation confronting Colonel Roosevelt when he arrived home to help start the American Legion in its own country.  The fact of his arrival and his announced intention to aid in the organization of the Legion was duly heralded in the press of the United States.

At first the army and navy men were inclined to say, “Here is another of those mushroom Veteran’s Associations bobbing up.”  In fact I heard one officer make just that remark, but another was quick to correct him by saying, “Its bound to be a straight and honest organization or a Roosevelt wouldn’t stand for it.”  That was the crux of the initial success of the Legion, because just that was true.  Every man who wore the uniform had known Theodore Roosevelt, Sr., and although he may not have agreed with him in all of his political opinions still he knew that neither he nor any member of his family would back any organization or proposition that was not morally sterling.

There were those who did not like the American Legion.  There were those who were willing to let a past political prejudice deter them from aiding in the most important movement in American life to-day.  There were those who stated that Theodore Roosevelt, Jr., was prominent in organizing the American Legion for his own political advancement.  The answer to that misapprehension will develop later and will prove one of the most striking incidents in this story.

Colonel Roosevelt has a peculiarly happy faculty of keeping those who work with him cheerful and optimistic.  He gathered around him, to launch the movement in America, a set of cheerful, competent optimists, prominent among whom were Colonel Richard Derby, Colonel Franklin D’Olier, who figured in the Paris Caucus, Major Cornelius W. Wickersham, Assistant Chief of Staff of the Twenty-seventh Division, Captain Henry Fairfield Osborne, Lieutenant Colonel Granville Clark, Lieutenant Colonel Leslie Kincaide, Lieutenant Colonel Eric Fisher Wood and Captain H.B.  Beers.  One of Colonel Roosevelt’s first duties as temporary chairman of the Legion over here was to create the nation wide organization.  He needed committeemen in every