Lt.  Col.  Francis R. Appleton, Jr., 2d Army. 
  Lt.  Col.  G. Edward Buxton, 82d Div. 
  Lt.  Col.  Bennett C. Clark, ex 35th Div., now with 88th Div. 
  Lt.  Col.  Ralph D. Cole, 37th Div. 
  Lt.  Col.  D.J.  Davis, ex 28th Div., now att.  G.H.Q. 
  Lt.  Col.  Franklin D’Olier, Q.M., S.O.S. 
  Col.  W.J.  Donovan, Rainbow Div. 
  Lt.  Col.  David M. Goodrich, G.H.Q. 
  Maj.  T.E.  Gowenlock, ex 1st Div., now with 1st A.C. 
  Col.  Thorndike Howe, A.P.O.  Dept. 
  Lt.  Col.  John Price Jackson, Peace Commission
  Maj.  DeLancey Kountze, G.H.Q. 
  Lt.  Col.  R.W.  Llewellen, 28th Div. 
  Capt.  Ogden Mills, ex 6th Div., now att.  G.-2, S.O.S. 
  Lt.  Col.  Benjamin Moore, 82d Div. 
  Lt.  Col.  Theodore Roosevelt, Jr., 1st Div. 
  Lt.  Col.  R.C.  Stebbins, 3d A.C. 
  Maj.  R.C.  Stewart, 1st Div. 
  Lt.  Col.  George A. White, ex 41st Div., now att.  G.H.Q. 
  Lt.  Col.  Eric Fisher Wood, ex 83d Div., now with 88th Div.

At that dinner the American Legion was born.

Why not let this gathering—­the most representative in the history of the A.E.F.—­consider itself as a temporary committee to launch the movement?  Why not? everyone asked himself and his neighbor over the coffee.  All felt that their presence in Paris presented an unusual opportunity to initiate the first steps of such a movement, an opportunity unlikely to be repeated and one they ought not to let slip.  Another meeting was suggested to consider the matter.  It was held.  The result was that there were several more conferences and every such gathering was more enthusiastic than its predecessor.  At each of these informal conferences, some one was careful to emphasize that these self-appointed committeemen were by no means representative enough of the army or navy, nor sufficiently numerous to warrant their actually effecting an organization of any character whatsoever.  Yet it was believed that, nevertheless, the gathering was representative enough to act as a temporary committee so functioning as to get together from the whole army and navy two caucuses—­one to represent the troops in France, and the other those who had remained in America and who, through no fault of their own, had been denied the privilege of making history on a European battlefield.  The temporary committee realized that due care must be exercised in getting these caucuses started.  Every unit in the A.E.F. should be represented, if possible, at the Paris caucus, while to the one in the States, preferably to be held at St. Louis because of its central location, delegates must come from every Congressional District in the Union.

Thereby would be avoided, it was urged, the mistake of giving the impression that it was a small gathering of men, unrepresentative or serving some special and selfish end.