THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



U. S. Official Photograph 

 GENERAL PERSHING BESTOWING THE AMERICAN DISTINGUISHED SERVICE MEDAL ON 



A GROUP OP BRITISH OPPICERS 



When the United States departed from its policy of not allowing the members of its 

 uniformed services to accept decorations from foreign governments, except by special per- 

 mission of Congress, authority was also granted to bestow American decorations on citizens 

 of Allied nations who had distinguished themselves in co-operation with our Government in 

 winning the World War (see also illustration, page 469). 



decorations 011 military officers of allied 

 nations who are associated with them or 

 with their troops during the war, but 

 under our Constitution officers of the 

 United States Government are forbidden 

 to accept any rewards or decorations 

 from foreign countries without the ex- 

 press permission of Congress, and our 

 legislative body has been very reluctant 

 to give such assent in the past. 



CONGRESS AUTHORIZES AMERICANS TO 

 ACCEPT POREIGN DECORATIONS 



Very early in the World War some of 

 our Allies indicated their desire that we 

 should recede from our accustomed posi- 

 tion in such matters and grant to mem- 

 bers of our military and naval forces the 

 privilege of accepting foreign decorations. 



Several influential citizens, both in and 

 out of Congress, took up all these ques- 

 tions, and an agitation was started to 

 cover the points enumerated, with the re- 



sult that in January, 191 8, the President, 

 by executive order, established two ad- 

 ditional decorations for the Army, the 

 Distinguished Service Cross (No. 4), to 

 be awarded for extraordinary heroism 

 not justifying a Medal of Honor, and 

 the Distinguished Service Medal (No. 7), 

 to be ' given for specially meritorious 

 service in a position of great responsi- 

 bility. This action was confirmed by 

 Congress and enacted into law in the July 

 following. In February, 1919, by con- 

 gressional action, corresponding decora- 

 tions were adopted for the Navy (Nos. 

 22 and 24). 



Congress also gave its consent, by gen- 

 eral blanket provision, for the acceptance 

 of decorations conferred by governments 

 with whom we were associated in the 

 war, such permission to expire one year 

 after the close of the war, and the Presi- 

 dent was authorized to bestow American 



