The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1920-03-24
Captain Laning Says That
No One Knew What to
Do After a Plan of Ac-
ton Had Been Disap-
proved After Being Sub
mitted by the Bureau of
Operations.

tual chaos existed in the navy depart
ment at the time the United States
entered the war, Captain Harris Ian
ing, assistant chief of the bureau OF
navigation during the war testified to-
day before the Senate investigating
committee
Captain Laning said no one knew
what to do after plan of action sub
mitted by the bureau of operations had
been disapproved and that the person
al characteristics of the secretary of
the navy often made it IMPOSSIBLE to
get approval of really important pol
icies.''
The American navy not only was
not prepared when the United States
entered the war but it did not carry
on" in the early days "as efficiently as
it could and should have" Captain Ian
ing testified.
Captain Laning, who followed Rear
Admiral Sims on the stand, said his
statements were based on his expert
ence at sea with the fleet just before
theTnited States entered the war and
in the navy department at Washington
afterwards
The witness said that at about the
time the United States declared war
the officers of the naval operations had
prepared plan outlining how the
navy's first efforts should be directed
hut that it was disspproved by the
department with the result when
plan of operations was needed the navy
was without one.
: He charged that during the war il
always was difficult and frequently i'm
possible to obtain the departments ap.
provsl to essential plans and policies.
making it necessary for subordinate
officers to go far beyond their author
ity to get things accomplished, thus
increasing the difficulty OF carrying on
the war and decreasing the effective
ness of American participation.
No Co-ordinated Effort.
Captain Laning also told the com.
mittee that the various units Of the
department could make no co-ordinated
effort TO carry on the war for lack of
q definite general plan; that the feet
was not ready for operations when the
war began, and that in the years imme.
diately preceding 1917 the department
did not take an attitude toward legis. |
lation and policies that would have |
prepared the feet.
Whenever a plan or policy was pre-
4oA II. L II.
variably delayed action on it," Cap
tain Laning declared. "The personal |
interest he took in all matters con
nected with the department absorbed /
so much of his time that he never had /
much left to give to the more impor-
tant affairs"
When important policies and plans
were submitted to Secretary Daniels,
Captain I.aning said, directions would
be given to leave the papers for con
sideration" and usually these instruc
tions meant that the matter would not
he heard from again until the officer
interested looked the papers up and
then frequently the papers could not
be found.
Conditions finally became so bad"
the witness said. that officers used
every means possible to put their plans
and policies through without obtaining
the required authority.
Il was and still am amazed that the
navy was able to accomplish the re-
markable work il did, but il is certain
that what it did accomplish could have
been done much more quickly and eff
ciently If we could have had a plan
from the start"
Laning Offers to Furnish Confederation
Cassain Laning said many officers
found this condition to be true and he
offered to furnish the committee the
names of other officers who. he said,
would corroborate his testimony in
this respect
Captain Laning said that just prior
to 1917 the department gave out such
glowing accounts Of the navy and il
splendid condition and efficiency that
few. il any. outside the navy rea,izCd
the true cond ion"
The witness said be id not criticize
TIE departments policy a. 70 building
programs, az it aiwavs advocated an
increased uunhcT 4 ships but wheth-
er the numts ard typos were corret
uas = matter of e->onal 9n.rion Sc
retary D1r e1s ~ - 4 - das
~ the uavvs fre- rs f5ta' uum-
bJr of shifs Fstter ar q their lln.
dition o. v ter t..cF wese properly
--r-~r.f.T frr ua~