Arizona republican., 1920-03-11
NAVAL METHODS PROLONGED WAR 4 MONTHS-COST. 5OO,000 LIVES iS SIMS CLAIM
rRepubuoa,, A. ?. Lcases WirrI


 WASHINGTON. March 1o. = Rear Investigating committee today what he asserted indisputa5ic evidence :Eat Inc Eav- department fe1, down almost completely during the first six months oI the Sar.
 Numerous messages sent ry the ad- Ditfal tc the navy department during the early Jays of Americas $ Iarticipa ton il the conflict and other GccE- rGents Were offered as proof that de- spite the officers urgent and reiterated requests tI;a- every available vessel he sent to tie critical area of sub iIarLne activities, the department neither followed his recommendations nor informed hiEl cf it's plans and poli- cies- Six months after the United States entered the war, the admiral said the department adopted many Of the policies he had urged from the rsrst-
 Claims War Prolonged
 The lack of whole hearted
 American cooperation with the
 said, resulted ;n proiongatior of
 the WET until November, 1918.
 when it could have been ended
 in July; needless sacrifice of
 5O0,0O0 lives; expenditure of fir
 teen billion dollars which might
 have been saved and gain of D.
 OO,0Oo tons of shipping. If the
 navy department had acted
 promptly, he asserted, the United
 States would have had million
 instead of 100000 soldiers in
 France by the time the Germans
 began the great drive on the west
 ern front in March, 1918.
 Explaining that his recommenda- lions many times were made after conferences with the allied naval com manders, Admiral Sims, said the fail ure of the department to keep him properly informed as to it's plans and policies was a source of great embar- raSsment to him. Instead. most of his information regarding American naval plans, he said, was obtained accident ally at the admiralty or through visit ing armed guard officers. When he posed by the British admiralty be put into immediate operation, Admiral Sims said he received a cablegram from Secretary Daniels stating that ''in regard to convoy, l consider that American naval vessels having armed guards are safer when sailing inde- Dendently." Later, adoption of the convoy system, he said. indicated the wisdom of his recommendation.
 Taking up the situation created by the submarine menace, the admiral said that in June 1917, he told the de- partment the efforts than being made to curb the U boats was not succeed ing and the necessity again was pre- sented 'tof sending all destroyers, tugs. yachts, and other craft which can reach the critical area. by themselves pr be lowed part way"
 Appealed to Ambassador
 The department in reply, he said, stated that 'the department recognizes the necessity of sending all anti-sub- marine craft which can be spared from home waters into active European waters and when such craft become available will send them" and an nounced willingness to cooperate in every way" and that it would "con- sider the question of supplying addi- tional naval forces other than anti submarine craft whenever the advis- ability of so doing is justified"
 This reply, the admiral said, con- vinced him that the department en- tireIy misunderstood the situation and caused him to appeal to Ambassador Page for assistance. Tn a letter to the ambassador on June 9, 1917, he made most of the assertions that through the present investigation, reviewed the entire situation quoted from mes sages exchanged with the department and closed with the statement that the ''war will be. won or lost within the next few months for if the ship ping losses continue at the present rate it must be lost because the allies ca mot win.'
 The admiral did not say what was the result of the letter.