Evening star., 1920-01-19
ADMIRAL SIMS MUST GIVE
PROOF, SAYSMR. DANIELS
AWARD HEARING GOESON
Officer to Face Tri-
bur,al, Secretary of
Navy Declares.
International Issues Forced
: Hin, to Act, He
Asserts.

Asserts.
Admiral Sims has got to prove al
Che assertions he made in his lette
on the 'socalled lessons of the war
before some proper tribunal. elthel
the Senate naval committee or som'
other tribunal, possibly a naval cour
of inquiry. as the matter now ha!
gone so far it cannot be allowed Il
rest" declared Secretary Daniels a
his regular conference with newSpa
per men today. The Navy did a great
job in the war and we are all PROUD
of it. Mistakes were made, of course
but what we did has received the
highest praise from all sides. includ
ing the British and French admiral
ties and all our allies"
Regrets the Controversy.
The Secretary said that he sincerely
regretted the controversy had arisen
= and explained that ne would have re-
manned silent but for the internauon-
al issues involved and also because
- some days may elapse before he is
before the Senate committee.
He said that Sims never was COM
ma mander-in-chief of the American
naval forces. but was simply COM
mander of the United States naval
forces in Europe. all the time being
under Admiral Mayo. who was the
actual naval COMMUNICATIVE chief. 1t
was Sims business 10 report ldCtS
and make recommendations, Mr.. Dan
iels said. but not to formulate poll
cies. According to the Secretary. Sims
was sent to London in response to a
request from the ambassador to Great
Britain. that an officer of the rank of
admiral be sent there to confer with
the admiralty. When he went over
the United States was a neutral, said
the Secretary. and he personally gave
him his instructions as to what he
was to do and what he was not to do.
The character of those instructions
was related. the Secretary said. in
his letter to Senator Page. That let
ter was written. he explained. mainly
TO avoid the possibility of miSund r.
standing abroad Of the United States
attitude, and was based on Admiral
Sims statement about the United
States being just as willing to fight
England as Germany.
Says Records Are Open.
Referring to the management of the
war, Secretary Daniels said that all
the records of the department are
open to the light of day.
we are proud of the Navy's record"
said the Secretary, and I'VE want the
people to know all about it. for the
more eney know what the Navy did
the greater will be their pride in it"
He added that there was not an energy
in the United States that was not called
on to help win the war, and said the re-
sponse was grand and generous on
every side.
Team work won the war" declared
the Secretary. land no better job was
ever done in the history of the war
No one man did it or is entitled to the
credit of it. 1t was the good work of
all. Benson, Taylor. Earle. Griffin, Nc
Gowan and all the others who gave
valuable help are entitled to Just as
much credit as officers stationed in
London or Paris"
Referring to Admiral Sims criticism
that his recommendations for more
submarine destroyers were not fol-
lowed, the Secretary said that the au-
thorities at Washington regarded the
protection of the troops being trans
ported to Europe as the paramount
duty of the Navy at the time. and that
hunting for submarines as secondary.
The transportation of the troops was
great job, and it was successfully
accomplished"
MI. Daniels Answers Questions.
A transcript of the conference to-
day between Secretary Daniels and
newspaper men was made by Mr.. Dan
iels' secretary. The questions pro-
pounded by the correspondents and
the answers of Mr. Daniels read in
part. as follows:
Press-In what capacity did Rear
Admiral Sims go abroad?
Secretary-Rear Admiral Sims
didn't go abroad in any capacity ex-
cept the confidential capacity to study
and report in which sent him. / gave
him very explicit instructions what to
DO and what he was not to do.
Press-"And you are responsible for
any instructions that were given
him."
Secretary-"Of course 1 am respon-
eible for the instructions given him
Press-"It is said Admiral Benson
a nd III
present when the instructions were
given Admiral Sims%'
Secretary-"Others may have beer
present at some part of the inter
view: l do not desire now to take ur
all these different items and discuss
them with you this morning / could
do this, but of course the first thing
is that Rear Admiral Sims must be re-
quired to establish every criticism hi
has made of the department This i.
perfectly satisfactory to me. If the
senate investigates, very we'll. If not
some other tribunal will take up tn.
question of whether the Navy did it!
1uil duty That will be taken up. Il
department will see that a tribuna
will do SO.
Has No Doubt as to Result.
Il have been Secretary of the NAVY
now nearly seven years and 7 have
never had any trouble at all since
have been here, but sometimes some
rear admiral has broken out. I think
"a bout two, but L never had any CON
troversy with rhe first one. But wher
the smoke blows away l have nc
doubt that the public will see thai
naval administration has been eff
cient. l have nc doubt about this.
II do not, of course. mean to convey
that the Navy was 100 per cent eff.
cient every day. but the truth is tina
all the things were done that wer,
possible. There wasn't any possibl,
energy in America to increase its eff
cheney that was not employed. Shops
were erected, ships were built. Al
during the war we did everything il
a strain and we did a job that tn
American people are proud of. =
When / was in France and Grea
Britain and Italy last spring. not onl!
the admirais, but the presidents and tn
rulers. all said they never coult
forget what the American Navy did dur
ing the war / am proud we did all w
could. but never at any time. of course
did we do all We: wanted to do. i shoul'
have liked to have had many more de
stroyers and other craft We gave or
deTs to build $50 destroyers, and we pu
everybody who could help to expedit
them and the world was astonisEed a
the tremendous Undertaking. They sai'
we could not carry out the unprecedente
building program adopted. 1t was tire
mendouS undertaking. We had all posi-
bic craft built and repaired at our owl
plants. and we kept all private plant
busy even before the declaration of wal
These things are all matters of record
The more peopIe know about the Navy
participation the more they will TAX
off their hats and say 1t was grea
Job"
Il invite the closest scrutiny O
everything we did, every movement
everything, with the perfect con
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