8 November 1917 • Cable No. 276, Paragraph 15(B)
Facing a shortage of qualified male operators, Gen. John J. Pershing asks the War Department to dispatch 100 bilingual women to France, detailing grades, pay, allowances, and uniforms—an early step toward the Signal Corps "Hello Girls."
Paragraph 15(B) Request for Women Telephone Operators Speaking French and English Equally Well. Cable Number 276, Part 3 of 4, Headquarters, A.E.F., 08 November 1917. NAID: 209249206 Textual Records, M930 - Cablegrams Exchanged Between General Headquarters, American Expeditionary Forces, and the War Department, 1917-1919. | GGA Image ID # 237d9fbe20. Click to View a Larger Image.
On 8 November 1917, while building out the American Expeditionary Forces' communications network, General John J. Pershing cabled Washington with a practical request: send a bilingual cadre of women telephone operators—"all speaking French and English equally well." He specified a structure, pay scales, uniforms, and even a supervising officer. This is Paragraph 15(B) of Cable No. 276 (Part 3 of 4), the administrative spark that helped ignite the Signal Corps' women's telephone units later nicknamed the "Hello Girls."
Why it's important: The cable demonstrates how operational bottlenecks—"difficulty of obtaining properly qualified men"—opened doors for women with critical skills. It also reveals early thinking about rank, remuneration, and the need for fluency inside a multinational coalition. (For a later policy shift, see Pershing's June 1918 removal of the French-language requirement.)
Primary Source: NAID 209249206, M930, Cablegrams Exchanged Between General Headquarters, A.E.F., and the War Department, 1917–1919.
On account of great difficulty of obtaining properly qualified men, request orgonization and dispatch to France a force of Women telephone operators all speaking Frenoh and English equally well. Owens thinks they may be obtained in Montreal or Louisiana. Following our prosent requirements and suggested rates of pay to be authorized: 3 Chief Operators at 125 dollar per month, 9 supervision operators at $72 per month, 24 long-distance operators at $60 per month, 54 operators at $60 per month, 10 substitute operators at $50 per month. All should have allowonces of Army nurses and should be miformed. Also require one man with operating experience to generally supervise traffic. Recommend he be commissioned Captain.
Some of the Handwritten Comments on the Left Side of this Paragraph: 530-R-9 | 672-R-13 | 389-R-10
Cable Number 276, Part 1 of 4, Headquarters, A.E.F., 08 November 1917. NAID: 209249206 Textual Records, M930 - Cablegrams Exchanged Between General Headquarters, American Expeditionary Forces, and the War Department, 1917-1919. | GGA Image ID # 237dae2811. Click to View a Larter Image.
Cable Number 276, Part 2 of 4, Headquarters, A.E.F., 08 November 1917. NAID: 209249206 Textual Records, M930 - Cablegrams Exchanged Between General Headquarters, American Expeditionary Forces, and the War Department, 1917-1919. | GGA Image ID # 237e551483. Click to View a Larter Image.
Cable Number 276, Part 4 of 4, Headquarters, A.E.F., 08 November 1917. NAID: 209249206 Textual Records, M930 - Cablegrams Exchanged Between General Headquarters, American Expeditionary Forces, and the War Department, 1917-1919. | GGA Image ID # 237ed707e8. Click to View a Larter Image.
This Four-Part Cablegram Provides Complete Information about this Specific Cable Between Pershion and the War Department in Washington DC. Only Part 3 Specifically References the Women Telephone Operators.
"…request organization and dispatch to France a force of Women telephone operators all speaking French and English equally well… Following our present requirements and suggested rates of pay to be authorized…"
| Role | Count | Rate (per month) |
|---|---|---|
| Chief Operators | 3 | $125 |
| Supervisory Operators | 9 | $72 |
| Long-Distance Operators | 24 | $60 |
| Operators | 54 | $60 |
| Substitute Operators | 10 | $50 |
| Total Women Requested | 100 | $6,203/mo total payroll* |
*Excludes the separate pay of the recommended male traffic supervisor (to be commissioned Captain).
Provenance for all four images: NAID 209249206, M930, Cablegrams Exchanged Between General Headquarters, A.E.F., and the War Department, 1917–1919.
Note: John J. Pershing to War Department, Cable No. 276, para. 15(B), November 8, 1917, Headquarters A.E.F., in Cablegrams Exchanged Between General Headquarters, American Expeditionary Forces, and the War Department, 1917–1919, M930, RG 120, National Archives and Records Administration (NAID 209249206), digitized at Gjenvick-Gjønvik Archives, https://www.ggarchives.com/…, accessed October 11, 2025.
Bibliography: Pershing, John J. Cable No. 276, Paragraph 15(B), November 8, 1917. Headquarters A.E.F. In Cablegrams Exchanged Between General Headquarters, American Expeditionary Forces, and the War Department, 1917–1919. M930, RG 120. National Archives and Records Administration (NAID 209249206). Digitized at Gjenvick-Gjønvik Archives. Accessed October 11, 2025.
Pershing, J. J. (1917, November 8). Cable No. 276, Paragraph 15(B) [Cablegram, Headquarters A.E.F.]. National Archives and Records Administration (NAID 209249206). Gjenvick-Gjønvik Archives. https://www.ggarchives.com/MIL/HelloGirls/Docs/PershingRequestWomenTelephoneOperators-EnglishAndFrenchSpeaking-1917-11-08.html
Pershing, John J. "Cable No. 276, Paragraph 15(B)." 8 Nov. 1917. Cablegrams Exchanged Between General Headquarters, American Expeditionary Forces, and the War Department, 1917–1919. National Archives and Records Administration, NAID 209249206. Gjenvick-Gjønvik Archives. Accessed 11 Oct. 2025.
John J. Pershing, "Cable No. 276, Paragraph 15(B)," November 8, 1917, Headquarters A.E.F., NAID 209249206, M930 (RG 120), NARA; digitized at Gjenvick-Gjønvik Archives, page link; full-size image, accessed October 11, 2025.
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