The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1919-12-27
DANIELS ASKS
KNIGHT BOARD ! |
TO REC0NvEllE
Secretary Of Navy Announces
Intention Of Recommend;nQ
Additional Awards Of Naval
Honors. .
FOLLOWS SIMS ACTION
(By Associated Press,


during the war. the Kuight board,
Secretary Daniels said today, win b
instructed to follow in general Tia
same policy Adopted BY the aecretAry
In revising the ORIGINAL lists.
At the same time. Mr.. Dan1als said
the board would give full conSioosn-
ton 70 the views expressed by Rear
Admiral Sims and other high Officials
who have objected To- the manner 81
which the decorations thus Tar an
nounced wero awarded.
The secretary Odds that he hoped
the new recommendation of tho beard
'eould be approved BY him without
amendment The revised report eth
Sr win be sent to President Wilson for
finA ectton, or acted upon by the
secretary on behalf OF the prAGjd0nf
Other ofslesee objoet Z.
In discussing his order Of last
night. reconvening the board to n.
view cases already coosidered and to
|act upon additional recommandaAions
made recently Mr.. Daniels disclosed
that Admiral Henry B. Wilson ana
Rear Admiral Henry =. Mayo had
written him calling attention 10 what
they described as inequalities In the
awards recently announced. qAdmiral
Wilson now commands the Atlantc
fleet, and was In charge Of American
forces in French waters during the
war. = e--.s 80 -.
Admiral Mayo commanded the At.
|lantic fleet during the war n now .
member OF the naval board
The action following closely upon
the public announcement Of Rear Ad.
miral Sims. commander Of American
naval forces in European waters dur
|1ng the war, that under present con-
('dit1ons" he would decline the disting.
uished service medal he was recom-
mended for, seemed to forecast : sen.
eral revision of the navy's honors TOR
wartime service.
Other Officers Concur.
The officers reported to have FOL.
lowed Rear Admiral Sims lead were
Vtce-Admiral Hillary p. Jones, COM
mandruf cuuadrun . or the Atixutics
Eneet with the battleship Connecticut
a. his flagship. and Captain Raymond
eD. Hasbrouck, commanding officer OF
tfhe predeadnsught battleship Mime
sofa. . -
Captain Hasbrouck confirming ad-
vices from Newport, r. I. to the ef.
feet that he had decided to take his
stand with Rear Admiral Sims said
that he thoroughly concurred'' With
the view of his brother officer that
officers who lost their ships should
not be decorated and declared that
therefore having lost q ship himself
during the war. he could not consist.
entity accept the navy cross for which
he was recommended. ,vice.AdmiraI
Jones was recommended. for the DIS
elgutahed Service Medal.
Secretary Daniels, in his order re-
convening the knight board on Jan.
8, said: While approving I'm the
main the recommendations Of the
board OF awards, my examination into
the subject has convinced me that
| there are q number Of cases requiring
further examination and there have
Hbeen additional recommendations since
your board adjourned which REQUIRE
Termination by a board OF officers."
The order was directed to Rear Ad.
miral Austin M: Knight. senior mem
Der of the board. ~
May Reopen Entire subjeet.
Following receipt Of Rear Admiral
/. Sims letter criticising the secretsry's
action in changing recommendations
for awards made by commanding OF.
ficers and particularly the award OF
decorations to officers who lost their
ships. Secretary Daniels said that the
communication would be treated as
any other official letter ana e suffic-
lent merit were found IN the admiral.e
contentious the entire subject OF
awards Of honors would be reopened
for further consideration and every
opportunity given interested persons to
submit evidence and data bearing ON
the subject. - 80
He particularly accented the state
ment that the honors lists were not
complete and would not be closed un,
til every recommendation and claim
had been carefully weighed.
A tremendous amount Of data, sub.
mitted by commanding officers who
served abroad and In homo waters dur
ing the war, has been accumulated
at the navy department It was ea
! pected that all the records. already
| reviewed by the knight board. would
be again carefully considered.
Refused 70 Comment asl,,
/ First hint Of . disagreement regard
i ing the distribution Of war hopors ID
naval officers came with the an
nouncement that Rear AdniEal Sims
now head Of the naval war colleee Il
Newport, r /. had written 8 sletteI
to Secretary Daniels decliuing The
medal offered him on the ground that
Recommendation he had made fos
officers on hts stair had been dare
II garded ana that the secretary hv tAia
Ing to follow the otionasd
commanding officers and awarding
i decorations to suit himself had csuoe1
widespread Injustice and . WeakspiA6
OF morale among n4Sal offlcer1.. ;
Secretary Daniels cnnslstently ro
fused to comment IN any ispeoafA
points in the Sims letter: contantijl1
himself with pointing out that -
named the KNIGHT beard q. r9xiew q
recomm4ndations fnr hnn1ss ana tkal
he himself further Feviswed IN
boards awards ana. h conformity vitl
the authority Owen HIN bys IN
changed the awards whSre hesesw IL
He declared that IN arriving at fil1