The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1920-04-09
u. s. PLANNED
WARFARE IN '15
Navy General Board Had
Made {" Comprehensive "
Outline, Says Fletcher
TO USE AGAINST A
central POWER"
Testimony Declared That
Navy Was as Well Pre-
pared as Any Could Be

Washington, d. c., April 9.--Tw'
years before the United States joinet
| the allies in the World war the nav,
general board prepared comprehen
sive plan for war against "centra
! power" of Europe, Rear Admiral f. F
Fletcher to-day told the Senate inves
tigating committee. He was replying
to Rear Admiral Sims charges that
when the United States entered tn.
war the navy department had no "wel
considered" plans or policies for fight
ing Germany.
Many such plans had been made in
the past, Admiral Fletcher said, but
the plan referred to covered every
phase of naval operation under the as
sumed conditions of war" II dealt, he
said, with the mobilization, organi-
zation and composition of the feet, its
disposition and employment, protec-
tion Of the coasts, bases of supplies on
the United States coast and in the
West Indies, routes across the Atlantic
and the enemy's forces and probable
courses of action, and compromised
nearly 800 typewriter pages.
Admiral Fletcher was member of
the general board during the war, but
engaged for the most part with his du-
ties as member .of the war industries
board. the priorities board and the
council of national defense.
Explaining that he wished to com
ment on certain specific charges made
by Admiral Sims before testifying re-
garding his duties as member of these
various boards, the witness first took
up Sims criticism that the navy was
not prepared for war in April, 1917.
No navy ever was or ever will be
fully prepared for war in the eyes of
everyone. the admiral declared, but the
American navy when il entered the
war was Just as well prepared as any
other navy in the world when the great
war burst forth" he asserted.
Admiral Sims declaration that the
navy department should have immedi
ately sent all available destroyers and
small craft abroad to fight submarines,
sounded plausible and convincing" the
witness said, but such course Of ac,
tion would have left the American
coasts and ports full of invaluable YES
sells and cargoes open to attack by Ger
man submarines that had demon
strated in 1916 their ability to cross
the ocean, menace the United
States coast and return to Germany
unaided. Such an attack. he asserted,
would have caused great alarm in this
country and would have prevented
sending any small vessel to the war
zone.
Admiral Fletcher characterized the
work of the war industries board A.
one OF the greatest achievements OF
the war" and declared that the men,
bers OF the board complimented high
" the efficiency with which the navy
iepartmen conducted the business end
of its participation in the war.
No loss of shipping or failure OF the
navy to transport troops 20 France
prolonged the war for a single day. the |
admiral asserted. Admiral Sims asser-
ion that .the navy department is re-
,ponsible for the loss of two and half /
million tons Of shipping, the prolon-
yation OF the war for four months, IF |
cen billion dollars of debt. and the loss /
II 100000 lives was based upon as
and had no foundation in
act. the officer declared.
"The whole conclusion reached in the
oundation Of the Hypothetical oondi-
oundation of a Hypothetical condi-
ion and is wholly without value he t
aid.