Evening star., 1919-12-28
SELECTION
! OR RNOAWARD, VIEW
|. Of NAVY OFFICERS
Commanders Give Reasons
/, for Resenting Failure of
! Recommendations.

! Recommendations.
Though the forthcoming inquiry
by the Senate and House naval COM
mittees into the controversy over the
award of medals to officers who serv-
ed during the war may be interest
ing in developing the point at issue
between Secretary Daniels and Rear
Admiral William S. Sims, it is not
thought at the Navy Department that
any new feature of the dissension
will be brought to light
Secretary Daniels said yesterday
that he courted the fullest publicity,
and he shortly will send to Chairman
Page of the Senate naval AFFAIRS
committee a complete report OF the
compilation of the tentative list or
awards without waiting 1or the JOINT
committee to act Chairman rage re-
Quest ed such a report early last week
and it will be sent as soon as II can
be complied.
Report by Board of Awards.
The only thing in connection Wltn
the recomrne nda ton that has not
been made public to date is the re-
mort made to the Secretary by the
board of awards. of which Rear Ad-
miral Austin NJ. Knight IS chairman
and this, it was learned yesterday,
will be given out within few days.
1t is understood that the report when
made public will contain the name
Of every man in the Navy recon-
mended for a decoration. the aware
recommended by his superior ofhcer,
the board of awards and the COM
mander of the flees. and the decora-
tion finally approved by the Secre-
tary.
Ali of the voluminous correspond
Ance in connection with the recon-
mendation for decorations will be
turned over to the knight board
when it reconvenes January 5, at the
order of Secretary Daniels. to recon-
aider the entire matter, unless the
papers are required by the JOINT
congressional committee. which will
begin its hearings on that date or
shortly thereafter.
Ts BE Called by Committee.
Representative Lufkin, republican,
Massachusetts, a member of the House
committee on naval affairs, yesterday
announced the purpose of the two COM
mittees to conduct a joint investigation
OF the controversy, and said that Sec
retary Daniels, Admiral Knight. Admiral
Sims and other officers would be called
not need special authorization for it's
inquiry. Changes made by Mr.. Daniels
in the boards list of awards, as well as
the action of the board on each case,
will be examined. said Mr.. Lufkin.
When the second report is received
from the knight board by Secretary
Daniels it is understood that he will
forward it at once to the White House.
so that final approval may be given by
the chief executive in person
The Secretary said yesterday he hoped
the revised awards could be accepted
without change. He indicated that he
believed the principal reasons for diff
fereuces between the first and second re-
ports of the board would be based on
additional evidence concerning the war
records of some of those recommended
for decorations.
The names of Rear Admiral Henry
b. Wilson, who commanded the Amer
lean naval forces in French waters.
snd of Rear Admiral Henry T. Mayo,
who commanded the Atlantic fleet
during the war, were yesterday added
to the list of officers who have writ
ten to the Secretary regarding the
awards. Others who have made pro-
tests are Vice Admiral Hilary p.
the Atlantic fleet: Rear Admiral
Decker. commanding the seventh
naval district. with headquarters at
Key West. and Capt Raymond D. Has
brouck. who commands the battIeship
Minnesota Admiral Jones and Capt
&AoSpiouCh nave, With aQHlTdI Sims,
refused to accept the medals for which
they have been recommended.
Letters Made Public.
The Navy Department last night
made public copies of letters received
Mayo and Decker and Capt. Has
brouck. That from Admiral Jones
goes at some length into the service
he rendered during the war, begin
ming as commander of a squadron of
the patrol force; later of a squadron
OF the cruiser force; still later as COM
mander of the Newport News division.
cruiser and transport force. and final
1y as administrator of harbor floating
equipment in Hampton roads dis
trict.
"It is submitted" the letter said.
tnat II the discharge of these highly
Responsible and largely Independent
duties were so successful as to meet
the apartments approval, the re-
sponsable officer should be recognized
commensurately, and those subordi-
mates whom he recommended as hav-
ing contributed directly to that sue
cess should also be recognized II,
on the contrary, the duties outlined
above were not successfully carried
out to the satisfaction of the depart
ment there should be no award of
decorations"
IF,xiew of these considerations Ad-
mirt1 Jones said he felt it my duty
to the dignity and Importance of the
forces operated and the work accom-
plished by~them' to request that the
award to him of Navy cross be can
celeb.
Admiral Mayo declared it was evil
dent there had been "a misconcep-
tioH" in considering recommendations
for decorations he made as comman-
der: of the fleet. many of which, he
added. were not carried out. The let
ter notes that no member of Admiral
MaYo's staff received a decoration ex-
cept his chief of staff, and asserts
large extent upon the loyalty, initia-
tive and efficiency of his staff per-
sonnel
Failure to recognize adequately the
sertice of men on such duty, it said,
creates an impression that such duty
parable to command of a single ship
Such an impression, it said. would be
fatal to the development of the Navy
as a fighting machine"
Renevvs Recommendation.
Admiral Mayo renewed his recon-
nnendations and urged that recon-
sideration be given meritorious cases.
Admiral Decker's letter notes that
he had been awarded a Navy cross
under the published list in recognition
of his services as naval attache at
Madrid.
I'm my opinion" it says, this award
is entirely inadequate to the services
that were performed by the Office of
the naval attache and those who
worked with me. The effect of this
work was to keep Spain from entering
the war against US at the time of the
enemy March offensive of 1918. also a