Such in brief was the plan. It was simplicity itself; yet was builded to measure to the necessities of the situation. And so it did measure--to the necessities of the situation. Time and experience proved that; also they proved the value of central bureaus, but did not segregate them as before under the separate headings of Military and Civilian. Instead there proved necessary seven "functional departments"--to be responsible for plans and programs and instructions for carrying on the work. The directors of those seven departments served as assistants to the administrative head of the American Red Cross, the Commissioner to France. Considering him as the commander in chief and his seven directors as his staff officers, the Red Cross in France began to take on a distinctly military form. The seven departments were as follows: Department of Requirements: Bureau of Supplies; Transportation; Personnel; Permits and Passes; Construction; Manufacture. Medical and Surgical Department: Bureau of Hospital Administration; Tuberculosis and Public Health; Children's Bureau; Reëducation and Reconstruction; Nurses. Medical Research and Intelligence Department. Department of Army and Navy Service: Bureau of Canteens; Home and Hospital Service; Outpost Service; Army Field Service. Department of General Relief: Bureau of Refugees; Soldiers' Families; War Orphans; Agriculture. Department of French Hospitals. Department of Public Information. So much for the general, or staff, organization. It covered, of course, all France. Yet for practical operations France was divided into nine great geographical zones which in turn were subdivided into districts. Each zone possessed its own warehouses and supply and transportation organization, and in each the entire operating organization came under a single head, the Zone Manager, whose responsibility for his own particular area was similar to that of the Commissioner's authority for all France. The Zone Manager had on his staff representatives of any of the headquarters departments which might function in his area. The scheme was simple, and it worked. Correspondence was free between headquarters at Paris and the individual workers in the field, but copies of all instructions were also sent to the Zone Managers--in some cases to district managers also--so that they might be properly informed and all the operations coördinated. The nine zones of military operations with their headquarters were as follows: Northern Havre Northwestern Brest Western St. Nazaire Southwestern Bordeaux Southern Marseilles North Intermediate Tours South Intermediate Lyons Northeastern Paris Eastern Neufchâteau