The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-07-23
Exact Language of Cablesrams
Could Not Be Given for Mil
itary Reasons
OVERPOWERING JOY
FELT IN DEPARTMENTS
Message From Gleaves Reliev-
ed Anxiety Felt for Days.
When Authorities Already
Knew Attacks Were Made

Washington, July 22.-Secretary
Daniels today explained the alleged
elaboration of Admiral Gleaves' re-
port on the submarine attack against
the Pershlng transports 1t is con-
tained in letter to- Senator Tillman
IN response to the latters' inquiry
An overpo~ering sense of JOY in
poth war and navy departments upon
the arrival of the troops, says Score
tary Daniels, dictated the phraseol-
ogy o. the announcement of their
! encounter with the submarines made
ey Gieaves. His exact language was
not made public, the secretary saws.
because IL came in code
Mr.. Daniels assumed entire respon-
sibility for the version of the incident
which reached the public. He re-
| 1erred To the story coming from the
Creel bureau and generally supposed
to have been tn product OF the Creel
commission as the statement which
gave to the public"
II the terms battle and attack
IN force are open to criticism, Mr..
Daniels says. the fact still remains
that the rejoicing was warranted"
His letter to Senator Tllman fol-
lows:
Late in the afternoon of July 8.
the welcome news came that the last
ship OF the conveys and transports
carrying the first American soldiers
ard marines to fight in France had
reached its destination in safety. with
out accident or injury TO men or
ships. The navy department had
known for FIVE days prior to their
arrival that two attacks by subma
rines had been made, and YOU can
well understand the painful anxiety
lest torpedoes should have caused the
loss OF IF {,n
were carrying out this hazardous en-
terprise. You may imagine therefore
the unspeakahle relief to me which
the news announcing the arrival Of
! the last ship brought This relief
was, Of course. shared by all others
IN the department who had been ap-
prehensive. every minute since June
-. when Admiral Gieaves in A brief
cable had reported that subrnarines
had made attacks upon two divisions
OF the transports,
As soon as this news was commune
Gated by an officer of the department.
FASTENED 10 the war department TO
apprise the secretary or war OF the
fact, for knew he had felt the deem
est so!icitude. as he too was Informed
~ the attacks II was in no formal
manner. | assure you. that the good
news was given to Secretary Baker
and We shook hands in exultatjon
over the safety of our sailors and SOL
diers and the Accomplishment OF the
first stage Of giving present military
aid to the allies"
Mr. Daniels then quotes the formal
exchange of conCratulatory messages
which passed between him and Score
tary of War Baker. He resumed:
AT once statement was prepared
and given out that evening which I
knew would intensely crafty all
Americans The message of Rear
ACmiral Gleaves announcing the at
lacks. of course had not been given
TO the public and consequently 1t had
been spared anxiety. When the fore
hoding ended their rejoicing would
have exceeded anything I can express
The statement which gave to
the public conveyed the feeling or all
who had been waiting and hoping for
the reassuring telegram.
These facts were stated not in the
very words of the Gleaves cablegran1,
for it is the immemorial policy of the
department in time of war not to
employ the language of message
coming In code. Otherwise it would
be easy for the enemy to learn the
cipher. Moreover the message of the
rear-admiral contained the names of
the ships which. for military reasons
are never given out during war
The language used, as reference to
cablegrams will show, was therefore
not the identical language of the ca