The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-05-24
DANIELS ACCEPTS REINSTATEMENT
 PRESIDENT SAYS
Secretary Says He Doesn't Re call Having Read AdmiraPs
 Letter.

New York, May 24.-C. $. Thompson chairman of the executive committee of the American Defense society, mas received from President Wilson a let- ter which members of the society re- gard as a vindication of Rear Adnlra Bradley A. Fiske in his controversy with Josephus Daniels, secretary oi the navy.
 This controversy arose over letter written to Secretary Daniels by Ad- miraI F'iske on Nov. g, 1914, in which he declared the navy was not prepared fop war and should be made ready without delay. He insisted that the navy was short 1s,O00 men and that II will never be able to meet hrst-class power on an even basis until gen eral staff has charge of preparation for war. Secretary Daniels declared this communication had not been fur- nished to him. He subsequently, sent it to the Senate, in response to re- quest from that body.
 President wilson's letter to MT. Thompson follows:
 '"rhe White House,
 Washington, May g, 1916.
 My Dear Sir: I am in receipt or your letter of the 18th of May. I re- ferred it to the secretary of the navy and he has furnished me the following memorandum:
 Some days ago in response to a
 T6SOluEIOn the senate | ITd1lS-
 mitted to that. honorable body a
 copy of a communication written
 by Rear Admiral Fiske in No
 vember 1914. In transmitting
 the letter I stated that I had not
 seen it and did not know that it
 had been filed until long after it
 was filed with the chief clerk.
 In a recent letter to the Senate
 Rear Admiral Ffske stated that
 my statement showed a lapse of
 memory because he had present.
 ed the letter to me and had
 read it. have no recollection
 that his paper was ever presented
 to me or of reading it. lnas- much, however, as Admiral Ffske
 states that he did show it to me
 before it was filed I, of course,
 accept his statement.
 It was his custom while aide
 for operations to present to me
 scores of papers bearing upon all
 naval matters. It is utterly i'm
 possible for any Cabinet officer,
 in the multiplicity of papers pre-
 sented to him. to recall all of
 them I had talked with Rear
 Admiral Fiske several times about
 the subject matter of the com
 rnunication, upon which I had
 rather fixed views. But I did
 not, when my letter was written
 to the Senate, and do not now,
 recall that he had any time com
 mitted his views to paper, pre-
 sented them to me, or placed
 them on file.
 yssTnasrnuch as the difference referred , in your letter between the secre- ary of the navy and Rear Admiral Fiske is merely one of recollection of m incident which occurred in Novem- Der, 1914, and inasmuch as the secre- .ary says that, while he has no reco1- ection of having read the conmunica- ion by Rear Admiral F'iske, he is will ing to accept the admira1s statement, he matter does not seem to me to call .or any comment.
 ] Very truly yours,
 WOODROW WILSON Tn his letter to President Wilson, dr Thompson referred to the fact hat, upon request from the United States Senate, Secretary Daniels had made public a. letter written by Rear Admiral FHske on Nov. g, 1914, at which time the rear admiral was aide or operations.
 '.TIhe secretary of the navy MT Thompson wrote. has stated that his tide for opera Ans filed this letter with the chief. clerk of the Navy De- ,artment and did not show it to ths ecretary. Admiral Fiske stated that le handed the letter to the secretary f the navy as the latter was standing tt his desk in the Navy Department md he read it carefully. An issue of reracity has thus arisen between Rear Admiral Fiske and the secretary of he navy.
 Tn communication to the Senate lated April 21, 1916, transmitting to hat body the letter of Admiral Fiske, secretary Daniels wrote:
 EsThis communication was not fur lished me, and did not know of its xistence until long after it was writ en. I find upon inquiry that it was He'd with the chief clerk, without my that it had been written. Although Rear Admiral Fiske was in nv office daily he did not tell me that le had placed the communication on IIe.'
 WILSON'S GO TO WEDDING.