The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-04-04
ADMIRAL FISKE
TOO MILITARY
FOR DANIELS
Resigned as Aid Because of
Friction With Secretary
over Navy Policy.
URGED STAFF SYSTEM:
DANIELS OPPOSED IT

WAsHtNGToN, April 3--Information
obtained to-day in official quarters leads
irresistibly TO the conclusion that Rear
Admiral Bradley A. Fiske was con-
strained to resign the office OF aid for
operstions as result OF strained rela-
tions ensuing between himself and Sec
rotary Daniels after the Admirars In
dictment Of the condition Of the navy
before the House Committee on Naval
Affairs on December II last.
Admiral Fiske spoke before the Naval
Committee In the light oI testimony
previously given by Secretary Daniels,
and he told story that differed In
every detail from that related by the
head of the department.
The Admiral testified that the Ameri-
can feet is not in shape to wage battle
and that It would take at least five years
to nut the warships in shape to make
showing against an enemy. The testi-
mony caused bad impression In Ad-
ministration circles and was regarded
as n criticism OF Secretary Danicls's
policy.
As a result. the relations between the
aid for operations and the Secretary
reached a pass where the former re-
sarded II as his duty to vacate the office
in which he WAS supposed 10 serve as
an expert adviser to the head OF the
department.
star system Opposed.
Secretary Daniels Is opposed 60 the
staff system and believes that as a mat
ter of policy the navy should accept
programnes as laid down by Congress
Admiral Fiske IL said to entertain the
view that the navy should take more
aggressive position In relating lis neeus
TO Congress and direct attention 70 de-
velopment in other first class naNies
In his testimony before the House
Naval Committee Admiral Fiske COM
mended the naval policies OF Germany
and Great Britain and praised the stan
system in terms that were not reiished
by the Secretary Of the Navy.
There is a great nation OF when the
head is military man.. said Adfnira'
Fiske to the House committee. IL was
made plain that Admiral Fiske spoke
of Germany, although he did not Men
tion that nation by name. CONTINUING
Admiral Fiske said:
..Ue was trained from youth and his
father and grandfather were military
men. His mother was the daughter OF
o military man.
.'Nhere all the people throughout the
country are people of that kind-where
the Emperor goes out to fleet maneu-
yres and carries on the operations ny
means of his stan where the plans are
laid in the staff office years before ana
changed from year to year where the
staff GOES out with the fleet to see now
ard ~ ~
der that they may be always kept up
70 date. where the whole Admiralty Is
orranized as effectively as ship Itself
is--can we equal that nation In organ
izng. developing and operating a navy
IL would seem very hard--very hard IN
deed
Admiral Fiske contributed other re-
marks that excited bad feeling in Ad-
ministra1ion circles.
Plea for q star.
eve have no machinery for handling
the navy in the way in which l may say
ali the other principal navies are
handled" he said. The British. Ger
man, Austrian. French. Italian. Russian
Japanese, and, am pretty sure the Ar
gentine, are handled with what amounts
to general stan.
"1-here ought to he close relation
between the fleet and the Department
itself so that we can approximate In
measure the German star. 1t Is no sur
prise TO naval officers who try to keeI
in touch to see the wonderful WORK
which they have done within the last
four months
"In order that we shall Aght effec
lively we must have coherent plan anc
organization from top down and from
bottom up in every ship, in every fee
and in the Department sself Ever,
navy except ours has started with wha
think is practically the foundation o.
the whole thing-an organization whici
IL, to use term many people do no
like, military
"The commander OF the fleet does no
have much time TO prepare plans Hi
time Is taken up largely with admins
tration. He carries out manpuvres will
zeal and care. My impression Is tina
the trouble is with the underlying sys
tenn.
There would be a long time required
TO prepare the United States for war
due to two things. One is the lack o
trained enlisted men The other is thu
lack of this so-called Admiralty or gen
sral staff"
Praised the German Navy.
Admiral Fiske eulogized the thorough