Louis Globe-Democrat, and the New York Globe offers a detailed indictment of this "cruel policy."
"Six months ago the War Department gave solemn assurances that it would be frank with the American people. It has not been. No one will contend for an instant that it has not known, and long known, the truth, "Having been guilty of deliberate suppression, it does not lessen its offense by suddenly plumping out the gross figures of a tripled list. Giving no names and only stating totals, it has brought cruel anxiety to approximately 2,000,000 American households. Each is wondering whether its loved one is included in the unpublished list. Having deceived the country for several months, it would seem as if there might have been persistence in the deceit until the names were available and could be communicated to the bereft. Every family which has not heard from its absent members since the close of hostilities now sits in fear because the War Department, recognizing that the truth must soon come out, suddenly resolved to confess and was so desirous of escaping from its embarrassment that it did not care about anything else.
"Not an hour should be lost in collecting and transmitting casualty information. If the cables are clogged, the lists should be put aboard the fastest ship of the Navy. It is nearly two weeks since the last shot was fired, and even though there were no cables, the War Department by this time should know who have been lost." 