New-York tribune., 1920-02-04

recommendation he had made as to
medals for 'Bagley and other officers
OF the Jacob Jones and other destroy
crs that we're attacked | recall very
clearly writing that note of inquiry
late one afternoon after all the of
hcers in charge Of the reports had left
the departments The original reports
were volumlnous and were not in my
Office. Such reports of the Board Of
Awards as | had before me did not
specify by what admiral any medal to
an officer was recommended. The cita-
toms were made by the board From
their report could not tell what
recommendations Rear Admiral Sims
had made for the officers of destroyers
which had been attacked by the enemy
Just before leaving the department |
wrote note to Rear Admiral Sims
asking the simple Jucsticn: What
recommendation did you make as to
medals for Bagley and the other of
iicers of the Jacob Jones and other
destroycrs that were attacked? .? | re-
membered that he had given tho highest
praise to Ragley after his ship was
torpcdoed. and thought he could
quickly forward me copies of what he
had written and any Recommendations
he had made
Tells Sims's Praise of BagIey
Though not familiar at the time
with the vo luminous reports in the
department. dealing with the officers
who had been under Admiral Sims's
command, understood that he had
substituted later reports for earlier
ones, and that there was uncertainty
IN Some eases as. to just what his
recommendations were. The simples I
plan seemed to be to make = direct
INQUIRY, and it never entered my head
!i"' Admiral SIMS would consider tire
inquiry in any other LIGHT.
~ think the letter speaks for i4seif
as simply request fer information. I
was aware of the high commendation
OF Admiral Sims in his own hand writ
lng, when he said, 'Bagley's handling
CT the situation after his ship was
tofpcdoed was everything that I ex-
pcc'ed IN the way of efficiency. good
1uoSmeht. courage and chivalrous ac-
.ton' took IT for granted, n view Of
TINS, that he must have made some
recommendation
Il had already given orders for the
Distinguished Service Medal to be
awarded to all commanding officers
whose conduct when attacked bv no
enemy had been of distinguished
orter and approved by the board Of
officers who had passed upon them,
and the detailed information concern
ms such occurrences was then beinr
eoNected There was no question of
f2Foritism or relationship. Com
mander Bagley, as is we'll known to the
navy neither seeks nor desires favors.
Inc most superficial investigation will
brng out that his relationship to me
mas never, since ! have been Secre-
ta'N OF the Navy, resulted in special
consideration TO him in any way. He
has never been on duty in Washington.
out of sixteen years in the navy he
has been eleven years at sea. | have
had no mbre to do with his assign
ments to duty since | became Secre-
tary of the Navy than before, which is
nothing at all. There was no commune
caUon between US as regards medals
unit. after the list was published. On
January s, 1920, he cabled as follows
to the Director Of Naval lntelligence:
i request my name be considered only
Ter such decoration as may be awarded
al! captains of destroyers in the war
zone
Describing the circumstances under
which he had upset the recommends
tons OF the Board of Awards in the
matter OF decorations, Secretary Dan
!eis SAID he was "astonished" that the
boards report recommended only 1l9
enlisted men out of the 100000 in the
navy during the war for any decora-
non and had given scant recognition
to officers and men of the armed
guard crews on merchant ships and on
the mine barrage duty.
Similarly, the Secretary said, he had
been struck by the scant recognition