Omaha daily bee., 1920-01-18
A D N |RAL SIMS
BARES ERRORS OF
U. S. navy IN WAR
Home Office bid Not Back
Him Up, Commander Of
Overseas Forces Tells
Committed
Continued From Page One3

"As usual in such cases." it con-
tinued, "the policy was academical-
ly sound. but that il was not carried
out or, understood by the depart
mcnt is shown by the fact that 10
months after its receipt / was urg-
entity recommending an increase Of
forces-still trying.to convince the
department. that the war was in the
east Atlantic. that the United States
naval force waAoff the European
coast and not off the United States
coast" ~
Admiral Sims letter declared he
was much embarrassed in his rela-
tions with other allied commanders
by reason OF the fact that although,
after all allied naval conference. It
was recommended on July Il, 1917,
that iour coal-burnng American
battlcships be sent to guard the
English channel against German
cruiser raids, there was long delay
before the request was even ac-
knowledged and finally it was re-
fused, In the following November,
the letter said, the chief of naval op-
erations arrived in Europe with
Colonel Houses mission and imme-
Giately thereafter cabled instructions
to send the battleships. Two to six
months could have been saved, Ad-
niral Sims declared, if he could have
appeared in person daily in Wash
ington, as little attention was paid to
his cabled recommendations.
Violation of Principles.
"The recommendations of the
Navy departments representative,
based Upon conferences with the al
lied commanders. should have been
accepted and Immediately acted
upon" the letter said, and ollarac-
terized the Navy departments policy
in this respect as violation of the
fundamental principles of warfare
which continued throughout the war.
Admiral Sims declared that failure
to heed his early plea that destroy
c-s and light craft be hurried and to
assign him any staff officers except
the aide who accompanied him
abroad, which continued for four
months, caused him serious diff
ccuttv.
"The o,ilv information received up
10 April 81, 1Ql7, was that six de-
astroyers would be sent" Admiral
Sims said The situation was then
so very critical that | appealed to
the American ambassador i'll Lon
Con, who sent most urgent mes
sage to the president. and on May s.,
1917, the first definite information
vas received of the departments in
ten.ion to send more than six de-
s.royers, and that ultimately SO and
TWO repair ships would be sent"
Too great desire to protect the
coast Of the United States at The i'm
nlinent risk Of losing the war was
manifested by the Navy department,
the letter declared.
Assurances Were True.
"The de..artment was repeatedly
assured that the allies at all times
had remarkably accurate informa-
ton as to the movements of sub
marines" Admiral Sims said, and
that it was practically certain that
thew could not reach our coast or
even leave European waters without
advance information being sup
Piled" the letter said. Subsequent
events proved this assurance to be
true. No submarines visited our
coast until May, 1918, and the de-.
partment was in all cases informed
when thew started across and often
as TO their exact destination.
Il tried to induce the. department
TO view the campaign as whole; to
consider our naval forces as one rel
ativelv small item OF an allied naval
team: that our mission was the pro-
lection of all allied lines OF com,
munication and not the United
States line of communication alone;
that it was quite possible to give our
relatively small commerce quite sY.
rerior protection at the expense OF
losing the var hv denying essentia!
protection TO the vastly greater all'ed
comme~ea upon which the success OF
tho common cause chiefly depended.
Coulda't Select Aids.
Enticine the German submarines
to the coast of the United States
would have been greatly to the ad-
vantage of the allied cause even
though Ameican shipping suffered
more heavily thereby. Admiral Sims
said he told the department, urging
that every vessel capable OF steaming
across the ocean. be sent to the war
zone. Risk of public condemnation
of such a course, based on inaccurate
information and fear, would have
been a negligible factor, the letter
declared.
"At no time during the war was /
pcrmitted to select my subordinate
aac commanders and but very few of
nv subordinates."
When the house naval committee
asked for complaints he had made,
Admiral Sims said he received a
cablegram from Admiral Benson,
chief of ations, telling him that
Strong positive statement was
highly desirable. Knowing that his
reply must become public informa-
ton and that any criticism therein
would give aid and encouragement
TO the euerny. Admiral Sims said. he
framed an answer on the basis that
those at the front must take what
those at home send.
Recapitulating his criticisms. Ad'
miral Sims, in his letter. said "Ad-
miral Mahan had described interfer-
cnce with the commander in the field
or aAoatta zone of the most COM
non temptations to the government
The Navy department" he added
did not resist this temptation and it:
'requent violation of this principle
was the most dangerous error conf
mitted during TIE war"
e fn. A -.