Evening star., 1919-12-27
JOINT COMMITTEE
WILL INVESTIGATE
NAVY CONTROVERSY
Will Be Selected From Sem
! ate and House Naval
Committees.
MORE PROTESTS COME
ON AWARD OF HONORS
Secretary Daniels Explains Method
to Be Followed by Knight
Board on Recopvening.

\ joint committee from the Seua.c
and House naval committees viii taxi
up the differences tha. have arisen be
tween Secretary of the Navy Daniels
and high officers OF the Navy over the
award OF medals to those who dis
tinguished themselves during the war
as soon as Congress reconvenes after
the holidays, according TO Representa-
tive Lufkin. republican, Massachu-
Setts, who conferred today with mem
bers of the Senate naval committee.
Secretary Daniels. Rear Admirai
William 5. Sims, who first protested
ret2ry: Rear Admiral Austin N
knight. chief of the board which
passed on Tie decorations. and otherS
involved in the controversy win b.
asked to state their positions TO this
pody.
Mr.. Luflsin made this announcement
after his conference with the sena
tors. He seid no resolution by either
house would be necessary TO bring
about the investigation, as il would
be considered a part of the routine
work OF the two committees.
More Protests Made.
Additional protests against the lis
OF awards as finally approved by
Secretary Daniels came to light today
when the Secretary let it be known
tildL fSSdI -AuINfTGi ffcnIN w llSOli
and Rear Admiral Henry T. Mayo haG
written him urging awards which
+ they had previously recommended and
which were not made in the approved
list.
Neither of the foregoing officers
went so far as Admirals Sims an.
Jones and Capt. Raymond ID. Has
brouck. who have refused for the
present to accept the medals awarded
them. Instead they again urged rec
ognition for certain officers under
their command and, according to Sec
retary Daniels. submitted additional
, evidence to support their claims that
these officers deserved higher honors
than they had received.
Admiral Wilson commanded the
American vessels in French waters
during the war, and Admiral Mayo
was in command OF the Atlantic feet
ON the high seas. Both were inferior
in rank to, Adlplral Sims, who was
stationed If LofGgA.
! Board Keeonvsnes January s.
The KnigBtiboard. which considered
all recokimendations so- decorations
and which submitted a report to Sec
retary Daniels that he revised in n
number of instances. will sconvenc
again January 5 by order OF the Sec
retary and VIII reopen the whole
services
| Secretary Daniels said today the
I board would be instructed to follow
1, in general the same policy be pursued
in revising the original lists. IL a
general way this policy is understood
, to have been as follows: When there
| was a doubt in the case OF a. officer
who served in the war zone lie WAS
/ given the benefit OF the doubt and the
! higher medal awarded him; when
! there was doubt in the case OF an OF
| Gcer who served ashore or in waters
"a rl,a |f-ar a given
| the lesser honor or no decoration
| whatever.
! At the same time, the Secretary said
! today the board would give tuii
! consideration 10 the views expressed
! by Admiral Sims and other high OH
I GERS who have objected to the manner
! in which the awards were made. He
expressed the hope that the new rec
concentrations could be approved by
! him without amendYcnt.
| Personnel of Board.
! The board on which the spotlight
! now has been turned includes Roa
Admiral Knight q the line; Rear Ac-
mirai VI. T. Endfcott, civil engineer;
Rear Admiral &. J. Badger of the
: line. Rear Admiral Dewitt Coffman %
the line. Capt. j. II. Linnard, construe-
! ton, Capt. %. II. Tribou, chaplaiiI
Capt. John T. Boyd. medical service;
| Cant. NJ c. Mcdonald, supply serv-
/ ice; Col. 2. ST. Clair Murphy of ths
| Marine Corps and Lieut.. Commando
JukeS. recorder.
+ All of the reconlnl ndations tl;f
| have come to hand touching on ths
/ award Of medals. and all Of the lea
/ tiers of protest, from whatever Soureek
! will be turned over to this board wheit
! il meets, a week from next Monday,
and il became evident today that the
! Secretary expects TO abide by thc
boards finding, If il is at ali compat-
hi .x-tt1, Ia ,.f rf,.,a VI
plasized that the honor lists were mol
complete and would not be closed u -
til every recommendation had Dec.
weighed Carefully.
May Faiiow FIRST Findings.
Opinion prevailed in many quarters
today that the Knight board would, u
its second report, follow to Z large 81
tent its original findings. except IL
cases where additional evidence had
been submitted to show why q change
would promote justice.
The recommendations made by thA
Knight board and submitted to Secre-
tary Daniels, have. never been mado
public, and in view of the forthcom-
ing revised report il is doubtful IL
they will ever be given out unless
Congress sees fit to ask for the list
and makes it public through the joint
committee hearing.
\ side issue of the controversy dc
veloped today when AIr. Daniels was
asked concerning reports OF diner
ences that arose between Admiral
Sims, while in London, and Admiral
Wilson, who Was I'm French waters.
Mr. Daniels would not admit that Ad-
miral Sims had charged his fellow
officer with lack of cooperation, bur
indicated that Admiral Sims had made
for certain action on
the part of. Admiral Wilson which had
not been approved by the Navy board
As the board woulc thus be RESPONSE
BILE for any failure to carry out Ad-
miral Sims ideas, the Secretary said
no criticism could lie against Admiral
Wilson.
Text Of Secretary's Order.
The Secretarys order TO reconvene
the board, addressed to Rear Admiral
A n. knight. chairman, foliows:-
while approving in the main the
recommendations OF the board .,
awards my examination into the cub
ject has convinced lnc that there arg
a number of cases requiring furthef
examination and there have been ao>
ditional recommendations since your
board ad journed which require eNami
nation by q board Of officers.
II felt in going over the list th5t
the board had been too liberal, par
ticulariy, as regards officers whose
duty during the war YVES mainly or
altogether on shore. / felt that re-
ports. some Of which had not come
TO your beard. particularly as to uaen