Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1919-12-24
SIMS WONT ACCEPT
DANIELS WAR MEDAL
Admiral Charges Secretary of the
Navy With Sighting Worthy
Officers.

Washington, Dec. 24.-Rear Ad
miral Sims, Commander in Chief of tho
American naval forces in Europe during
the war. has refused To accept the Dis
tinguishcd Service Medal conferred on
him by Secretary Daniels because of his
dissatisfaction with the Sccretary's meth
cd in awarding war honors.
This became known yesterday when an
official letter from the Admiral To the
Secretary on the matter was made pub
lie, in which Sims declared that descrv-
ing officers had been slghted and that
understanding men had received high
honors.
He SAYS that his recommendations
were ofton set aside. He cites the cases
of nineteen officers under his personal
command, all Of whom he recommended
for the Distinguished Service Medal. but
only six of them received that honor.
He tells of nine Rear Admirals sim
ilarly recommended, of whom only four
were so rewarded.
Probably tho bitterest item in Nd
miral Sims arrangement referred 10
the awards of medals to commanders
who were defeated IN action against
the submarines or whose ships were sunk
or disabled.
"i hose, says the Admiral. "are typical
examples not only of unsuccessful actions
but Of failures to iniure the enemy The
victors in these actions were the German
submarines. No blame necessarily at
taches to the commanding officers of
these vessels for their failures, but on
account should they receive special
award for this lack Of success.
"The commanding officer Of vessel
that IL sunk by submarine should not
receive the same reward as the command
ing officer Of vessel which SINKS sub
marine Yet, IL is precisely this which has
been done IN number ot instances.
The cases which navy officers here
think the Admiral had in mind partcu-
larly ~ being the subject nf service con
dcmnation and ridicuio" ARE those Of
Commander David Worth | aRley. MIR
Daniels hrnthcr-in-law, whose DESTROYER
was sunk by submarine, Commander
Percy Foote. his aid, who commanded
The armed guard Of tho President Lincoln
that was sunk by torpedo and apt
Victor Blue, who was IN command of the
hattleship Texas that went aground
All Of these got the -. s Nj SIMS, of
course. docs not mention these names
The case that he refers "a rs an injustice.
in that the officer received q lesser award
than his service entitled him a., was, It
il believed, that Of Commander / v,
Rabcock, who drew M the convoy plans
that took tho A f. Il safely tn Europe.
and Is credited hy SIMS with initiating
the most import ant tactical and straeicaI
mcasures governing the operations #
the fleet on the other side oi tho Atlantic
Babc0ck was recommended fer the
high honor nv suns Tho Board ~ Award
Of which Admiral Knight was tic head,
cut this down to Navy Cross
II followed the Recommendation If
the board. said Mr. DAM Is Wien ask, q
abort this spCcihc conrlaiut
The nineteen officers mentioned ly |
Admrsl SIMS az having keen recon /
ncndcd FOR the u. s Nj wcrc
Lieut. Commander " A. Edwards. |
Commander J. V Rabcock, Capt H.
T. Tobey. Commander Il. Thompson,
capt H. w Knox, Caot w n Sexton, |
Iie,.t. Commander T. G. Hlak.sles. Can't. |
4 r Yarncll. Command G. l.. schuyler.
Commander r. A. Thompson. Capt ;.
2. Smith, Capt r. 1T il Igh. Cart II.