Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1917-07-23
DANIELS DEFENDS
SUB ATTACK STORY
Declares That News Received
From Admiral Gleaves
arranted Story.
Names of u. S. Boats not Men
toned, Fearing Enemy
Secure Information.

WASHINGTON, July 22-Secretary
Daniels In a letter made public To-Day
explains the information on which he
based his statement of July 3 regard
ing submarine attacks on the Ameri-
can expeditionary force and reveals
that inconclus!ve reports of the en-
counter had reached the navy depart
ment five days before the statement
was issued.
The secretary wrote in reply to Sen
ator Tillman, chairman of the naval
committee, who sent letter OF In
quiry after resolution had been in
troduced in congress requesting that
the department submit the text of
Rear Admiral Gleaves' dispatch on
the subject Several senators have
charged during debate that the secre-
tary's report was a greatly exaggerat-
ed paraphrase of the official report
prepared by the public information
committee. The resolution of inquiry.
however, was not passed.
Defends Report.
In his letter Mr. Daniels defends
the statement and assures the naval
committee that the text of the Gleaves
dispatch liz subject to Its inspection
public because OF the names Of YES
sells and other military Information 1t
contains.
Late in the afternoon of July g."
wrote the secretary" the welcome
news came that the last ship of the
conveys and transports carrying the
first American soldiers and marines to
fight in France had reached its desti
nation in safety without accident or
itNi, tn h hn To-
partment had known for five days
prior to their arrival that two attacks
by submarines had been ma 1e and
you can well understand the painful
anxiety lest torpedoes should have
caused the loss of some Of the brave
men who were carrying out this haz-
ardous enterprise.
you may imagine, therefore, of
the unspeakable relief to me which
the news announcing the arrival OF
the last ship brought. This reAef was
of course, shared by all others in the
department who had been apprehen-
sive every minute since June 2S when
Admiral Gleaves in brief cable had
reported that submarines had made
attacks upon two divisions Of the
transports.
"As soon as the news was communi-
Gated by officers of the department
apprise the secretary Of war of the
fact for knew he had felt the deep
est solicitude, as he, too, was in
formed of the attacks
Protects Admiral.
AT once a statement was prepared
and given out which | knew every
thing would intensely crafty Ameri-
cans. The message of Rear-Admiral
Gleaves, announcing the attacks, Of
course, had not been given to the pub
lie end consequently 1t had been
spared the anxiety.
THE statement which / gave to the
public conveyed the feeling of all who
had been waiting and hoping for the
reassuring telegram. The facts were
stated not in the very words Of the
Glcaves telegram, for II Is the I'M
memorial policy of the department In
time of war not to employ the
language of message coming In
code. otherwise it would he easy for
the enemy to learn the cipher. More
over, the message of Rear-Admiral
Glcaves contains the names of the
ships, which, for military reasons, are
never given out during q war.
All Landed Safely.
'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 safe
ty Two of the groups arrived with
out being attacked and two were un-
successfully attacked. IL the terms
battle and attacked in force are
open to criticism the fact still remains
that the rejoicing was warranted. II
the torpedoes In either Of the attacks
had sunk American ships, the criti-
cism made would not have concerned
itself with the difference Of what
might have been called an attack or
encounter or brush :. The cable
grams from the rear-admiral have not
been given to the public for reasons
stated above"