Title: THE PLATTSBURG MOVEMENT. A Chapter of ...
Publisher: New York. E.P. Dutton and Company
Publication Date: 1921
Binding: Hardcover
Book Condition: Very Good
Dust Jacket Condition: Fair
Edition: 1st Edition
x, 275 printed pages. Signed, dated ink inscription on front free endpaper from Charles B. Pike, a significant Military Training Camps Association (MTCA) influencer mentioned in the index and on page 103 of this book. 13.5 x 19.5 cm. Original blue cloth, (spine very slightly faded and with very slight rubbing to head and tail). Complete with original colour printed dustjacket (all edges slightly chipped, missing a large section at the foot of the central panel, creased with some minor tears and staining on the upper central section). This in depth account of the preparedness of America for World War One, has a generally critical view but analyses the significant part played by the Plattsburg movement. The inscription reads: "To C.S. Walker, the omission of whose name is the chief deficit of this book. From Charles B. Pike. Dec. 1922". Walker was State Chairman of the MTCA. As tensions increased and war broke out in Europe, some Americans concerned about United States participation organized the Preparedness Movement, made up of a group of influential Americans who supported the Allies of World War I. Before the U.S. entered into World War I, private citizens organized what were known as the "Plattsburgh camps", a volunteer pre-enlistment training program. The camps were set up and funded privately. The group recognized that the standing U.S. Army was far too small to help the Allies and would have to expand immensely if the U.S. went to war. The Movement established the camps to train additional potential Army officers during the summers of 1915 and 1916.The largest and best known camp was near Plattsburgh, New York. These camps were formalized under the MTCA, with the core of its membership principally alumni of Plattsburg training. " The MTCA soon gained sufficient political clout to influence congress's approval of a full appropriation for the 1917 camps. In April, however, the nation declared war against Germany, wiping out any possibility of summer camps for volunteer civilians. The MTCA quickly suggested to the secretary of war that the proposed civilian camps be converted into officers' training camps. Well preserved copy with a highly particular and rare association with two of the leaders of America's preparation for World War. WorldCat locates a single copy in the UK (Oxford University). Seller Inventory # 5137