New-York tribune., 1920-03-25
Blanles
Daniels and
Upholds Sims
Delay and Mismanagement
Due to 1ncompetency of
Secretary During Critical
lime, Says Navy Witness

lime, says Navy Witness
From Tho Tribune's Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON, March 24.-Corrobo-
rating the charges of Rear Admiral
William S. Sins concerning delays and
mismanagement in the Navy Depart
ment in the early months of the war,
Captain Harris Laninc, who served
during the conflict as assistant in the
office of the chief of naval operations
and as acting chew of the Bureau of
Navigation, told the Senate sub-com-
lnittee to-day that the entire RESPONSE
bility for this state of affairs lay with
Secretary of the Navy Daniels.
"This is a matter" he told the com
mittee, "that speak of only with great
reluctance. l would not introduce it
were 1T not essential to clear un-
dcrstanding of the reasons whv plans
were not approved and why delays oc-
Cured in getting action on many u
portant matters.
"1n this case it was the personal
characteristics of the Secretary of the
Navy that often made it impossible to
get approval Of really important poll
cies. found this out myself and many
others made the same discovery. If
more information is desired on this
point | can give the names of such Of
| fcers.
Papers Often Mislaid
whenever plan or a policy was
presented to the Secretary he almost
invariably delayed action on it. The
personal interest taken by him in all
L 1,,o for n{oI l.
1absorbed so much Of his time that he
anever had much left to give to us on
the more important affairs. Therefore
when we would present something, per-
Maps urgent, we could obtain only a
low minutes to discuss it, We would
nnerally be directed to leave the
Mper with him for consideration. Now
tits remarkable but true that papers
lett for consideration were for the
MIST part not heard of again until
the. officer who presented the paper
hunted it out. Frequently when it was
tolhwed up the paper could not be
found. If it was found. there usually
would be some reason for not approv-
ing It or of further delaying action.
1--WE always considered it much cas-
Ter tt. get up sound plan or policy
than it was to get permission or au-
thor1ty to carry it out. 1t generally
took longer to get approval, when we
succeeded in getting it at all, than it
did to formulate the plan or policy.
This condition finally became so bad
that officers used every means possible
to put their plans and policies through
without obtaining the required author
ity."
!, rwas announced this afternoon that
The SimsDanicls controversy will be
a n ncf for, 70 TNor W.T. 4
to omorrow, when the court of inquiry
demanded by Rear Admiral w. P.
Fletcher, who was relieved from tuty
in French waters by Admiral Sims for
alleged ineficiency. will be convened.
The first witness will be Admiral
Fletcher, who will place before the
court details of his service as the
senior officer in command in French
waters. Admiral Sims will be present
Captain Laning, who is now chief of
, staff of the destroyer fotilla of the
Atlantic fleet, appeared to-day as a
. witness in support Of the charges of
maladministratio made b. Admiral
Sims. Just as Sims had related for
several weeks before the committee
the delays which he had encountered
IN getting action by the department
OH urgent plans mdorscd by the Allied
admlralties, Laniag undertook to show
why and how these delays occurred
Warnings We're Ignored
The witness traced matters bv docu-
mcntary evidence to the desk of the
Secretary Of the Navy, where: he said,
important decisions were held up for
, weeks, while officers chafed, or, over
stepping their authority, acted on their
own reSDOnSihilitv
; lie told how for weeks before Ger
many. proclaimed hercontenton of un-
restricted submarine warfare-a cam
, paign undertaken in face of the plain
threat of war by the United States
agents Of the department in Germany
Continued on ua,e~ four