The Oskaloosa herald., 1917-07-26
DANIELS MAKES
FULL Statement
TAKES ALL RESPONSIBILITY FOR
SUBMARINE" DISPATCH.
"REJoICING WAS WARRANTED"
Inference is That Safe Arrival Of the
Transports Caused Officials to
Lose Something Of Their
Ordinary calmness.

Washington, July %. - Secretary
Daniels has explained the alleged
elaboration" of Admiral Cleaves' re-
port on the submarine attack against
the Pershing transports. 1t Is con-
tanned in a letter to Senator Tillman,
In response to the latters inquiry.
An oyerpowering sense of JOY In both
war and navy departments upon the
arrival Of the troops, says Secretary
Daniels, dictated the phraseology of
the announcement of theirencounter.
The exact dispatch of Admiral
Cieaves was not made public, the Sec
rotary says, because it came in code.
Mr.. Daniels assumes entire respon-
sibllity for the version of the incident
which reached the public. He refers to
. the story, coming from the Creel bu-
reau and generally supposed to have
been the product of the Creel commit
tee, as ''the statement which gave
to the public" ......
IF the terms battle and attack in
force are open to criticism" Secre-
tary Daniels says, "the fact still re-
mains that the rejoicing was war
ranted."
DanieIs' Letter to TilIman.
His letter to Senator Tillman fol-
lows:
Late In the afternoon of July 8,
the welcome news came that the last
ship Of the, conveys and transports car
rying the first American soldiers and
marines to fight in France had reached
Its destination in safety, without ac-
cfdent or injury to men or ships. The
navy department had known for
five days prior to their arrival that
two attacks by submarines had been
made, and you can we'll understand
the painful anxiety lest torped0es
should have caused the loss of some
tof the brave men who were carrying
out this hazardous enterprise. You
may Imagine, therefore, the unspeak-
able relief to me which the news an
lnouncing the arrival of the last ship
brought. This relief was, of course,
shared by all others in the department
who had been apprehensive every min
'uate since June g. when Admiral
Cleaves, in a brief cable had reported
that submarines had made attacks
upon two divisions of the transports"
| Baker Rejoiced over News.
Mr.. Daniels then quotes the formal
exchange of cOngratulatory messages
which passed between him and Sec
Rotary Raker. He resumes:
"At once statement was prepared
and given out that evening which /
knew would intensely crafty all Amer
leans. The message of Rear AdmirR,
.Cleaves, announcing the attacks, of
course, had not been given to the pub
lie, and consequently 1t had been
spared anxiety. When the foreboding
ended their rejoicing would have ex-
,ceeded anything 1 can express.
"The statement which / gave to the
public conveyed the feeling of all who
had be- waiting and hoping for the
reassuring telegram.
"'The important part of the state
ment given to the public was that all
our soldiers and marines and ships had
been conveyed to France In safety.
Two of the groups arrived without be-
Ing attacked and two were unsuccess-
fully attacked. The rejoicing over
their arrival was heightened by the
fact that far outside, the so-called dan
ger zone, they had been twice unsuc-
cessfully attacked. If the terms bat
tie and attacked in force are open to
criticism, the fact still remains that
the rejoicing was warranted. If the tor
pedoes, in either of the attacks, had
sunk American ships, the criticism
made would not have concerned itself
with difference between what might
have been called battle or an EN-
counter or a brush ....a
'The cablegrams from the rear ad-
miral, which have not been given to
the public for reasons stated above,
are, of course, subject to the insnec-