New Britain herald., 1917-07-23
DANIELS DEFENDS
 MUNCHAUSEN CREEL
Takes Time by Forelocks to Off,
 set Senate Inquiry

Washington, July 23-Josephus Daniels, secretary of the navy, in a letter sent to Senator Tillman, chair man of the committee on naval affairs, comes to the defense of George Creel. chairman of the committee on public information, concerning the charge that MT. Greet grossly exaggerated the official account of two encounters be- tween German U-boats and American naval vessels conveying transports carrying the first contingent of United States troops to France.
 MT. Daniels does not mention Mr. Creers name, but it is apparent that his letter to Senator Tillman is in tended ito show that any enthusiastic expressions on MT. CreePs part in de- scribing the encounters between the submarines and the American war ships were justified by the happy out come of the incidents. The letter is so worded as to carry the impression that MT. Daniels assumes full re- sponssbility for the statement fur nlshed to the press by Mr. Creel
 The letter is intended to be a sort of informal advance answer to a resolu- tion pending in the senate calling for the facts in regard to the engagements between the U-boats and the Ameri- can ships. The resolution directs the secretary of the navy to send to the senate the dispatches from Rear Ad- mlral Gleaves, commanding the con- voy, upon which the account of the engagements furnished to the press by MT. Creeps committee on public infor- nation were based. This account was in the form of a statement issued in the name of Secretary Daniels, Ad- oh tlons. and MT. Creel.
 MT. Daniels says in his letter that the cable messages from Rear Ad- mira1 Gleaves could not be given to the public because, to conceal the navy's cipher code, in which the mes sages were transmitted, 1t was neces- sary to employ different language in describing the encounters and the messages also contained the names of the ships engaged, which, for mili-. tary reasons. could not be disclosed. But MT. Daniels says that the cabled reports Of Rear Admiral Gleaves are open to the inspection of the senate committee on naval affairs.
 In the statement given out by MT. Creels committee, in the name of MT. Daniels. it was said that there had been " battle' between the U-boats and the American warship5 and that the German submarines had attacked "in force.'' MT. Daniels does not attempt to say whether these terms were justified by the messages from Rear Admiral Gleaves, but he does hold out that the rejoicing of himself and other officials over the safe arrival of the American troop ships in France and their escape from the U-boats was Justified in the cir cumstances. How MT. Daniels felt about 1t is told in his account of what happened when he went over to the war department to give the news that the troops had been landed safely "somewhere in France"
 Tt was in no formal manner. assure you," says the secretary of the navy to the chairman of the Naval Affairs committee, that the good news was given to Secretary Baker, and we shook hands in exulS' tation over the safety of our sailors and soldiers and the accomplishment of the first stage of giving military aid to the allies"