The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1920-03-24
GENERAL BLISS DENIES HE MADE
RECOMMENDATION TOBRICADE
AMERICAN TROOPS With BRITISH
Injection of War Department
Testimony in I o Naval In
vestigation Enlivened Day
TAKES HAND
Senator From Florida Tells Ad-
miral Sims that Early Delay
Was Question of Policy

Washington, Mar. 23.-The contro-
versy started by Rear Admiral Sims
criticism of the. navy departments con-
duct its war activities was broadencd
tonight by the entry of the war de-
partment to deny some of Sims state-
ments regarding, the land forces. Gen.
eral Tasker H. Bliss, American repre-
sentative in the Supreme War Council,
not only denied categorically that he
recommended brigading of United
States with foreign armies. as testified
by Sims, but declared "the truth is
exactly the reverse"
Cross examinations of Rear ADMIRAL
Sims was continued today With SEN
ators Pittman of Nevada, and Tram
nell of Florida. Democrats undertak-
ing TO show that the United States was
not wholly responsible for heavy sub
marine losses during the two months
| Immediately following the entry of The
United states into the war.
| Rear Admiral Sims said adoption OF
| the convoy system marked the turn
1 ing point of the war and that The al
| lies had to wait for United states CO.
| operation before the plan could be
\
made effective.
/, THE United States was asked to
furnish fourteen cruisers for escort
he said NO cruisers were furnlshea
for many weeks after that and then
only seven. | think the attitude OF tue
American system was very effective
lwhen finally offered. but that our de-
i lay was extremely costly.
..Of course we might say that If the
, United States had entered the war a
year earlier many lives and much prop
erty saved" said Senator Trammell.
; That involves a government pohcSa1
II What | mean is that our destroy
ers and other ships should have sailed
|, the night we declared war and there
! Twas no good reason why they should
; mot have done so" replied ADMIRAL
sims. If they had 100000 tons OF
shipping would have been saved the
: convoy system would have been ei-
> fectiva much earlier and the United
States WOULD have had an army OF j.
100000 men in France by May /, 1918.
The fact was that after we declared
! war many American ships had to be
placed in drydock and repaired before
, they could be sent to the war zone
, Senator Pittman and Admiral Sims
, eIashed several times again today par
ticularly when the senator in asking
questions pointed his finger at the Of
, ficer.
/. The Nevada senator told the admiral
he had not presented any evidence to
, support his assertion that failure OF
the navy to properly cooperate during
, the war had prolonged the struggle at
a cost of 10000 lives and great amount
of ship tonnage and cash.
Unless you can produce evidence 10
support that assertion. 1t falls flat
said the senator. Il notify you here
and now that at the proper time evi-
dence will be introduced to show that
the admiralty did not ask for ocean
transport that ii did not get"
IF you do you will have to disproye
iGeneraI Pershing's own report in
\ which he said that he could not get
troops to France when he wanted
them" returned the admiral. i think
/ have proved that the navy's failure
Ito cooperate fully early in the war
!, would have reduced the sinking OF
: merchant ships. thus provided ton
mage to take American troops abroad
and thus ended the war sooner and
saved 100000 lives and great treasure
replied the officer.
s There never was a time when ships
: weren't priyided to carry to France
\ iany American soldiers who We're prop
: erly trained and ready to go" replied
{ Senator Pittman.