New-York tribune., 1918-06-06
Must Continue to Get Men
and Munitions Across
Safely, Says Daniels
Guarding of Coast
To Come Second
But Navy Will Do All 1t
Can to Clear Sea
of Raiders
By C. w. Gilbert
cial Dispatch to The Tribune)


WASHINGTON, June 5.-The open
road to France! To maintain that
is the policy of the United States.
Everything else is secondary.
Mr.. Daniels, Secretary of the Navy,
said this morning: "Our first business
Is to see that our men, our war sup
plies and food for the Allies get
across safely and to keep the road
for them open. This the navy has
done and will continue to be able to
do"
The Administration has had to
choose between making the first con-
slderation keeping the war traffic of
this country and the Allies safe on
the high seas and protecting our own
coastwise shipping. 1t has not hes
itated. 1t has made the election first
of all to maintain our lines of COM
munication. Secondarily it will do all
it can to make our own long coast
line secure against marauders.
In the German undersea raid is seen
two purposes: To interrupt our lines
of communication, that Is, to close the
open road to France; and to throw US
into confusion and divert us from our
main job of winning the war to the
subordinate one of pursuing raiders.
First Purpose Has Failed
The first purpose has failed; other
wise it is held the U-boats would have
sunk transport, supply ship or a
food ship. They only turned to minor
craft when they did not succeed with
the major craft. Sinking minor craft
is u diversion. 1t is foray, whose
purpose is to frighten us into pro-
tccting ourselves and forgetting to win
the war.
The decision of the Administration
to maintain the open road is militarily
sound. 1t is principle of strategy
rot to dissipa1e your energies, not to
send your forces upon minor electives,
but to concentrate them where the war
is to be won or lost, ignoring the
petty annoyances which the enemy
may inf1ict upon you elsewhere.
This is so good q rule that If these
German raids fail to impair our lines
of communication, fail to sink trans
ports or food ships or supply ships on
this side and bag only coastwise craft,
and fail by doing this to throw US into
a panic and make us forget what Mr..
Daniels describes as the main end to
be kept constantly in view, it is safe to
predict that Germany will soon give
up sending U-boats on the long voy-
age across the sea. The game will not
be worth the candle.
1t is probable, however, that in this
case she will not so stop until she has
made one more desperate effort to stir
mol inQ nf
ton. She will be likely to raid and she'll
coast towns in order to throw people
into a panic and make them demand
that the Administration shall recall
our ships and protect them, forgetting
the maintenance of the open road.
Likely to Test Americas Fortitude
Germany is likely before she gives
up the present effort to test bitterly
our national fortitude and resolution
and the courage of the Administration
in adhering to sound military policy.
The Navy Department can and will
do much to make our coast and our
coastwise shipping safe, while still
The patrol may be increased. Vessels
may be armed. Conveys may be used to
some extent. Camoufaging may be en-
ployed. In fact, all the devices may be
resorted to which have been profita-
bly, used abroad. But the main requi-
site is courage and patience on the
part of the country, and support of
the Administration in its policy of
first Of all winning the war, for our
coast is long and hard to protect when
our main naval job is elsewhere.
Germany's war policy is to try the
souls of the enemy peoples. She tried
Belgium with frightfulness, France by
the quick blow at her heart, at Paris
in 1914, England with air raids and
the threat of starvation by the SUBJ
marine. And now she means to try
the soul of America.