New-York tribune., 1920-02-08
Disclosure of Confidential
Order Called Breach:
Regrets Award of Med
al and Urging of Rank
Shift of Officers
Is Laid to Willard
Secretary Is Silent
About Instructions as
Quoted by Admiral
rom The rribune's Wosh;notor Bureau

From The Tribune's Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON, Feb. IA bitter
attack on Rear Admiral Sims for hav-
ing undertaken to disclose the verbal
instructions he had received on the
eve of his departure for Europe was
made to-day by Secretary Daniels be-
fore the Senate committee investi-
eating the alleged discrimination in
the award of naval decorations.
Although not admitting the accuracy
of the instructions as quoted by Ad-
miral Sims, to the effect that 'the
United States would as soon fight the
British as the Germans" Secretary
Daniels said:
"Had known then what know now
about Admiral Sims l never would
have awarded to him the Distinguished
Service Medal nor indorsed the bill to
make him permanent admiral. No
officer in the world was ever sent on
such confidential mission. We were
then still a neutral nation, and the
Navy Department, up to the time that
Congress declared war, had no bust
ness to consider who was to be the
enemy. That was for Congress to de-
eide. So confidential were the instruc-
tions given to him that we would not
commit them to writing, but gave them
verbally, and for Admiral Sims to un-
dertake to disclose the nature of these
instructions is inexcusable. l raise no
question at this time as to the accu-
racy of his' memory concerning them"
Willard Is Accused
A new sensation was sprung toward
the close of the hearing late this after
noon, when Chairman Hale introduced
letter from Carlos V. Cusack, a former
lieutenant commander in the navy,
charging, in effect that he had been
called to this country because of false
accusation made against him by United
States Ambassador Willard while he
was serving as assistant naval attache
at the embassy in Madrid.
According to Cusack, Willard
brought about his recall through
telegram to President Wilson accus-
ing him of having falsely informed
the editor of a Spanish newspaper that
tablish naval bases in Spain, and there
by endangering the relations between
the two countries.
Secretary Daniels admitted that both
Cusack and Admiral Decker, the naval
attache, had been called home and as
signed to other duties because of per-
sonal differences with Ambassador Will
lard. He denied, however. that this
circumstance had caused him to refuse
them decorations. Decker was recon-
mended for Distinguished Service
board Of awards changed this decora-
tion to Navy Cross, but Secretary
Daniels refused to give the officer
decoration Of any kind. Cusack is now
out Of the service.
Protest by Pittman
Protesting vigorously against the in
PRODUCTION of the letter, Senator Pitt
man of Nevada, declared that it was
not a proper matter for the committee
to consider, as 1t dealt with foreign re-
lations and certainly should not have
been introduced without opportunity
being given to Willard and the State
Department to answer 1t. He criticized
Chairman Hale for having withheld
knowledge of the letter from the rest
Of the committee until too late for
Willard to be summoned.
Further attacking Sims, Secretary
Daniels declared that he would not have
urged him for the grade Of admiral
had he been advised of the allegations
recently made in Congress by Repre-
sentative Byrns, Of South Carolina, to
the effect that Sims had stated to
Byrns and former Representative Car
ter Glass, Of Virginia, while the two
were on the other side shortly before
the. cessation of hostilities, that the
Allies would be forced to accept the
German armistice because Of the failure
OF the American army to function.
Similarly he assailed the assertions in
a recently published book by Sims that
the American navy had performed only
an infhitesimal part in the war.
The Secretary also said that he
would not have recommended Sims for
the higher rank had he been advised Of
the attacks made by the naval officer on
the Irish in connection with the Sim
Fein agitation.
The bitterness of the whole contro-
versy was further emphasized when
Secretary Daniels refused absolutely a
request made by Sims in a letter to
Chairman Hale that the Navy Depart
ment summon a number of officers to
Washington to assist Sims when the
latter resumes the stand in connection
with his charges of lack of cooperation
by the Navy Department with the AL
lied governments during the war.
81 will order to Washington" he said,
"any and all officers which the >con-
mittee itself desires to examine in
connection with the controversy. But
I will not order officers here simply
for the purpose of assisting Admiral
Sims to make up his case. The navy
has more important things to attend to,
and do not propose to disrupt it in
order that Admiral Sims might have as
sistance in his efforts to make good on
his charges"
The examination of the Secretary by
Senator Poindexter, of Washington,
was spirited at times and tinged with
Continued on p4ke to,w