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The story in The Atlantic about Trump's refusal to visit the WW1 Belleau Wood cemetery mentions that the weather was so bad that his helicopter could not fly.

Were other American dignitaries expected to visit too? Did they make it?

I found Who organised the Belleau Wood cemetery visit on November 10th 2018? but it does not mention if other dignitaries were able to visit despite the weather.

It might be hard to find out who might or might not hear Trump's remarks disparaging the fallen marines, but visits by others at the same date are knowable and should not be subject to opinion, so it might be a good place to begin to attempt to unravel the controversy.

The controversy is about if he really asked aides: 'Why should I go to that cemetery? It’s filled with losers.' as mentioned in the linked article in the Atlantic.

Rick Smith
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Peter M. - stands for Monica
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  • Perhaps a bit more research (and rephrasing) would make the question more clear. For example, "Were other dignitaries expected to visit too?" Are you asking whether foreign dignitaries visited an American cemetery? Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visited Canadian National Vimy Memorial. Or, are you interested in only the American delegation to Belleau Wood cemetery. – Rick Smith Sep 07 '20 at 18:57
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    @RickSmith - feel free to rephrase. Current answer gave me lots of insight. Not sure why so many close votes: does someone want to suppress the truth coming out? Is it a forbidden question to ask? – Peter M. - stands for Monica Sep 07 '20 at 22:25

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From what I can see on the web, then White House Chief of Staff John Kelly and Joint Chiefs of Staff Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford both attended; there are pictures here of them and their wives at the cemetery on November 10th. Undoubtably there were others in attendance as well, including the typical raft of photographers and media members. This was not the full ceremonial event at the cemetery, which was held previously on May 27 (and which Trump also did not attend), but was clearly a planned, official visit.

This article from Reuters, written at the time, states there was "light steady rain and a low cloud ceiling" which prevented helicopter travel, and that 'logistical difficulties' prevented the president from traveling the 50 miles to the cemetery by car. No foreign dignitaries that I am aware of had planned to attend the Belleau Woods cemetery on this date, but both French President Macron and German Chancellor Merkel attended an outdoor ceremony in Compiegne, France, which is roughly 40 miles northwest of Belleau Woods. This article says they stood "under grey clouds and persistent drizzle," though it's worth noting that all pictures of the event I could uncover lacked umbrellas, rain gear, temporary shelters, or any obvious signs that precipitation was significant.

I sincerely doubt a Marine helicopter pilot would have considered this weather too risky to fly in, though obviously the standards for conveying the President would be more conservative. However, I find it impossible to believe that the Secret Service did not have back-up ground-travel plans worked out in advance for just such an occurrence. And clearly the weather was not inclement enough to keep Kelley, Dunford, Macron, Merkel, and a host of other people at both Belleau Woods and Compiegne away, even though the first two had to make exactly the same trip Trump claimed as logistically impossible.

Per comments, here is an "Atlantic" article from November 12, 2018 that discusses the weather conditions in France on November 10th, down to the METARs (specialized aviation weather reports) for the day.

Ted Wrigley
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    This is a bit disingenuous. At issue is not whether a Marine chopper could have flown in (although it is not infrequent to read combat reports indicating lack of air assets due to weather). It is whether it would be considered a good idea to fly a POTUS under low-visibility conditions - chopper accidents in bad weather are by no means infrequent. Note also, that the POTUS Secret Service detail is extremely paranoid by nature and moving this by car on short notice might be above their tolerance. Given normal trust in POTUS, I'd be inclined to believe. Given Trump, I dunno what to believe. – Italian Philosophers 4 Monica Sep 07 '20 at 20:54
  • So Kelly, if he decides it is worth it, either prove or disprove the circumstances of the non-visit. Confirming what Trump said would be easy and rewarding. His silence speaks for itself - telling us it DID NOT happened. Thank you. – Peter M. - stands for Monica Sep 07 '20 at 22:21
  • No, Kelly is not the POTUS. If he gets killed somehow, this is nowhere as problematic as POTUS getting killed. The security detail would not treat both risks as equivalent so this tells us absolutely nothing and claiming otherwise is dodgy. I'm afraid that, until we get some hard corroboration either way, the whole Atlantic article, which I've read, is a he-said/she-said situation. Trump did, shamefully so, badmouth McCain. But he would have to be daft to openly call veterans "losers" in front of witnesses, esp as the Secret Service folk are always present. Too easy for it to come out – Italian Philosophers 4 Monica Sep 07 '20 at 22:34
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    @ItalianPhilosophers4Monica: As I said, I'm not qualified to second-guess a helicopter pilot, so I'll grant your first point (even though I don't really believe it). But the idea that people who regularly plan important presidential events would not have a ground-transport back-up plan in place long before the day of the event is patently absurd. This isn't like you and I deciding not to go to a restaurant because we can't get an uber. – Ted Wrigley Sep 07 '20 at 22:38
  • @ItalianPhilosophers4Monica: I've edited the article to link a 2018 Atlantic piece which goes into flight conditions in some detail. make of it what you will... – Ted Wrigley Sep 07 '20 at 22:49
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    (+1) That's a small detail but regarding the lack of rain gear in the pictures, French presidents have recently made a point of not wearing any when honoring fallen soldiers and some other official events. You would obviously still see some signs of precipitation on pictures usually. – Relaxed Sep 07 '20 at 23:31
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    @Relaxed: I can see that; getting rained on while honoring the fallen is a small price to pay, and is well-suited to the pathos of the event in any case. But in heavy rain I would have expected awnings or shelters for dignitaries to retreat to. But maybe that's just me... – Ted Wrigley Sep 07 '20 at 23:39
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Were other American dignitaries expected to visit too? Did they make it?

In addition to President Trump, the dignitaries mentioned are:

White House

  • Chief of staff John Kelly

Military dignitaries

  • Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Joseph Dunford

  • Army Chief of Staff, General Mark Milley

  • Supreme Allied Commander Europe, General Curtis Scaparrotti

  • Air Force Commander Europe, General Tod Wolters

  • Major General William Matz (Ret), Secretary, American Battle Monuments Commission

Congressional dignitaries

  • Rep. Ralph Abraham (R-LA 5)

  • Rep. Anthony Brown (D-MD 4)

  • Rep. John Carter (R-TX 31)

  • Rep. Paul Cook (R-CA 8)

  • Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX 28)

  • Rep. Richard Hudson (R-NC 8)

  • Rep. Bill Huizenga (R-MI 2)

  • Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger (D-MD 2)

  • Rep. John Rutherford (R-FL 4)

  • Rep. Steve Stivers (R-OH 15)

How many of these individuals went to Belleau Wood is not clear. All were present the following day at Suresnes American Cemetery.

White House chief of staff John Kelly and Gen. Joseph Dunford, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, made the roughly 50-mile long trip to the [Belleau Wood] cemetery in a small motorcade of vehicles. The drive took about 90 minutes each way. NBC News

This suggests other dignitaries may not have gone to Belleau Wood.

Attending in Trump's place were the White House chief of staff, retired Marine General John Kelly; the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Marine General Joe Dunford; and several members of the White House staff. Stuff NZ

Rick Smith
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