Great Falls daily tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1895-1921, 1920-03-14
Admits, However, That
German U-Boats Were
on Point Of Winning
Till u. S. Butted in.
Sims Adds to Charges
Against Daniels; Says
Plans Were Made With
Allies Behind His Back.

Washington. March 49, - Herber
Hoover. called into the senate investiga
ton OF the navy's conduct of the war g.
the request of Read Admiral Sims. re-
fused today to discuss the navy's policy
or its work during the war. He tolG
the committee on inquiry that he hat
little knowledge of the subject
Mr.. Hoover said, however, that the
allies were on the verge of starvation
from April to September, 1917, and that
only the defeat of Germany's ruthless
submarine campaign prevented col
lapse. The anti-submarine campaign, he
added. was one of the most important
contributions of the United States in
the war.
Sims Kept in Ignorance.
Documentary evidence in support of
his charge that the navy department
failed to keep him informed as to it's
pole es and plans was presented today
by Admiral Sims to the senate inyestiga-
tion committee.
Because of his ignorance of the de-
partment's plans, the admiral continued.
the allied admiralties carried on direct
negotiations with the navy department
in Washington. Allied team work was
impaired and American interests suffer
ed as a result he said.
Made Ridiculous in Azores.
The navy's failure to keep him in
formed Of important developments and
changes in policy caused his associates
on the allies naval council to believe he
was not in the full confidence of his
government Admiral Sims said. He
criticized particularly the assignment of
vessels to the Azores islands without
first informing him of the departments
plans, asserting that Washington of
ficials played into the enemy's hands
by permitting a submarine attack on an
Azores port to cause diversion of Ameri-
can naval forces to those waters. He
characterized the incident as a violation
fare" and an indication Of the effect
iveness of German propaganda
Uncovers Plans by Accident.
Admiral Sims said the first intimation
She had that be was not in the full CON
'fidence Of the government came soon
after he submitted his first reports
from London. He learned then. by ac-
cident he said. that an agreement had
been reached by the navy department
and British and French naval officers
in Washington, early in April. regarding
the disposition of American naval forces.
The terms of this agreement were cabled
to Admiral Jeilicoe by the British repre-
sentative on April 13. 1917, he declared
Vessel Arrived, His First Hint.
The officer also charged that without
notifying him before hand. the depart
ment arranged with the French naval
attache to send ten Or more yachts to
combat submarines off the French
coast; arranged to establish two naval
bases in France; sent naval aviation
forces to that country; dispatched six
destroyers from Boston: sent hundred
cann0ns to France on naval golfers: |
started a campaign in the newspapers
for North sea mine barrage; dispatch |
ed the fifth destroyer squadron from St. |
Johns to Queenstown and sent four adj |
ditional destroyers from New York to
join his forces.
Some of these vessels, he SAYS. ar
rived overseas before he knew Of their
ALLEGATION to his command.
Aids Also Kept In Dark
The admiral said he received a letter
in August from the officer assigned to
command the Bordeaux base, saying s'the
in France is not clear TO me"
and that when he had asked upon being
ordered to the command of the base
what his duties were, he had been unable
to obtain full information.
After waiting about four weeks |
received orders to proceed with a party
Of eight persons, but still no instruc-
tions,' the officer said
A similar condition existed with re-
gard to American naval aviation forces
sent abroad, Admiral Sims said.