New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-01-05
House Sub Committee
Agrees on Board of
Strategy" for Navy.
TANTAMOUNT TO
GENERAL STAFF
Appropriation Bill Will Provide
for Taking Fighting Force
Out of Politics.

Washington, Jan. 4.-Provision for
restriction of the dominance of the
/ Secretary of the Navy, through the
creation of a board of strategy, COM
posed Of a chief, appointed by the
President, and fifteen navy officers, Sc
lected by the Secretary of the Navy
and the establishment of permanent
Bureau of Operations, under the con"
duct of the Board of Strategy, has
been prepared by a subcommittee OF
the House Committee on Naval Affairs
and will be carried as a rider to the
naval appropriation bill.
The Board of Strategy will be tanta-
mount to the General staff for the
navy recommended by experts of the
Navy General Board to Secretary Dan
iels. That official refused to indorse
the project to the House committee at
the recent hearings. Il is believed that
the use of the term Bureau Of Opera
tions" and the designation of the con-
trolling officers as the Board of STRAIT
egy" is a polite fiction invented by the
legislators to keep Secretary Daniels
from feeling that the General staff
idea is being put over" in the face OF
his very definite opposition.
The basic purpose Of this change IS
10 take the administration of the sea-
fighting forces of the United States
out of politics. Under the terms OF
the bill, it is understood, the recon-
mendations of the two special boards
appointed, respectively, by Secretaries
Moody, in January, 1909, and Meyer, in
the late spring OF the same year, will
reappear in the form Of definite en-
actment These recommendations pro-
yided for the concentration OF the
military administration of the navy, as
separate from the civil administra-
tion. under a military council. The
Board of Strategy replaces this coun-
ell. Under it will be the following
functions Of the military administra-
ton:
Supervision of war plans, supervision
If naval policy, supervision of the war
college. the Office Of naval intelligence,
the Bureau Of Navigation, all educa-
tional institutions, the marine corps,
naval discipline. the Office Of Judge
advocate general, trial of ships, IN
spection Of ships, inspection or divi-
sions. sausdrons and fleets; inspection
of navy yards, inspection Of naval sta
tions. inspections and recommendations
as 70 sites for naval stations and other
kindred subjects.
Little Left for Secretary.
This arrangement leaves under the
personal supervision Of the Secretary
of the Navy only the non-military ad-
ministrative features of the work of
the Navy Department, including the
business of the Bureau of Yards and
Docks, the Bureau of Supplies and the
Bureau of Medicine, the general ac-
counting system, Office Of the Solicitor
for the Navy Department, employment
Of civilians and library Of the navy.
together with supervisory charge Of
the business Of the four technical
bureaus of Construction and Repair.
Engineering, Ordnance and Equipment.
Every naval officer examined before
the House Committee on Naval Affairs
acknowled that the General Staf. or
some organization carrying the powers
OF a General staff. was needed for the
navy, but Secretary Daniels refused to
approve il. he expressed the view that
in a republic the functions Of perma-
nent organization similar to the Brit
ish Admiralty would prove unsatisfae-
tory.
Exponents OF the General STAFF idea
Continued on page 3, column 8