The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1920-02-12


take was the appointment of Sims.
But the judgment of Daniels cannot
rest on a single appointment. Ben
son, as chief of operations; Mayo, as
commander in chief of the Atlantic
Fleet; Wilson, in France; Gleaves,
conveying our troops; Hugh Rodman,
with the Grand Fleet; Niblack; in the
Mediterranean; Strauss, Dunn, An
drews, and the others who served
abroad with Palmer, Earle, Griffin,
MCGOWAN, Parks, and Braisted, in
the department., unlike Sims, have no
press agents.
"They ask only the opportunity to
serve their country, but they made
the navy a fighting force of which
every American is proud. The breath
of scandal has not touched the Navy
Department, either in organization
or demobilization.
while Sims is fighting the battle
of the medals let me say that the
navy in this war so conducted itsel
that the uniform of the American
sailors today is the emblem of brav-
cry and efficiency of which every
American is proud.
Charged Transport Failure.
while in Paris, on Oct. 80, 1918,
Admiral Sims told Representatives
Glass, of Virginia, Whaley, of South
Carolina, and me that the armistice
asked for by the enemy would have
to be granted because of the failure
of Pershing to break through the
German ranks, due to the disastrous
breakdown in transportation behind
the American lines" added Mr..
Byrnes. with pathos in his voice
he pictured this failure of the army
at critical moment. We visited the
headquarters of the service of sup
plies and found that only a few days
previous Pershing had written the S.
o. S., congratulating them upon their
wonderful work in supplying the
forces in the field. His statement was
false and for his inexcusable SANDER
he must answer to the American
doughboy.
"He not only libelled the army but
he deprecated the work of the navy.
The London Times of Oct. IL, 1918,
quoted Sims as having stated the day
previous at luncheon at the Critic
rion Restaurant, that: Another idea
was sometimes in the American mind,
that the American navy had been do
ing the bulk of the business over here,
at least half. That was not correct.
There were about 5000 anti-subma-
rine craft operating day and night,
and the American craft number 100,
or per cent. The figures were
about the same in the Mediterranean.
Again Americans seemed to regard
it as miracle of their navy that they
had got million and a half troops
here in a few months and had pro-
tected them on the way. We didn't
do that said Admiral Sims. Great
Britain did. She brought over two
thirds of them and escorted one-half.
We escorted only one-third of the
merchant vessels that came here.
''This same speech he made day
after day. He made it to us in Paris
and again when we saw him in Lon
don. 1t was false from beginning to
end. Records of his office show that
instead of there being 5000 anti-sub-
marine craft engaged there were not
more than 1000 that could properly
be so described. He counted every
English bottom af1oat in order to
decrease the percentage of American
craft. :
Instead of our having only 100
vessels, he had under his command
on that day 323 vessels and on Nov.
II there were in foreign waters ?73
United States vessels, 262 Of them
being engaged in submarine opera
tions. Sims was so busy fighting the
war over the dining tables of London
that he did not know how many YES
sells he had under his command. =
His statement that we had trans
ported only one-third Of our troops
was false. Department records show
that we transported 1925 per cent.
of our troops in United States YES
sells.
ellis statement that we had escort
Continued on page 5, column g.