The Washington times., 1920-05-13
Telegram Admiral Showed At
Probe Was Forged" Says
Secretary.
ENTITLED TO AN APOLOGY
Senate Committee Furnished
With Fiction Instead of
Facts, He Charges.
BY LEE ELLMAKER,
International News Service.

Rear Admiral Sims "unjustifably"
presented a forged telegram" as
part of his testimony before the
Senate subcommittee investigating
the conduct of the war by the Navy
Department, Secretary Josephus
Daniels today charged before that
committee.
Gives Lie to Sims.
The document in question was sub
mitted by Sims as being signed by
Secretary Daniels, and in substance
outlined policy on the convoy
question, which Daniels denied he
ever entertained. He read the letter
referred to by Sims, and said the
original, which he obtained from the
fles Of the British embassy, shows
the message was signed by A. p.
Carter. OF the Bureau of Operations. D..
"In his testimony" Admiral Sims
declared repeatedly, and that was
signed by Daniels" the Secretary de-
clared. "The statement is untrue. No
such telegram signed by Daniels
was ever sent to Admiral Sims. The
inference was that the civilian secre-
tary of the navy was resisting the
adoption Of the convoy system.
shows Original.
IT never entertained the opinion
stated in the dispatch he displayed.
I knew / never had sent such . tele-
gram. / knew that II my name ap-
peared on such q telegram II was
because revusboAy lsAd, fsre00 M,
name u Il. I found thst telegram
had been sent TO Sims about the time
of the one he referred to. It was
sent through the british embassy,
which had retained the original
copy" Daniels continued, presenting
the committee with the original copy
which was signed by Carter.
This shows that somebody. some
where. was guilty Of signing my
name TO an official dispatch, which
tho original here produced shows 1
never signed, or of altering the dis
patch by erasing the real signature
and substituting Daniels. You can
imagine my indignation when this
false signature was spread broadcast
and the country was told that 1 had
signed q telegram which made Ad-
miral Sims about ready to jump over
board" Daniels continued. 1.-THE per-
petrator of this attempt to fx upon
the civilian secretary a telegram
signed by another official ought to
be produced by Admiral Sims, who
produced the altered telegram, and
who owes an apology to me and the
country for the impression under
taken to be made by his testimony
based upon a false signature"
Praise For Benson.
Daniels said he would gladly have
taken the responsibility" for the act
Of the operations bureau official, be-
cause "the bureau OF operations was
given full responsibility during the
war" He praised Admiral Benson
for the success OF his administration
of the bureau" and attributed the
success to his Willingness "to adopt
new plans when they promised great
er success than the old ones"
Referring again to the cablegram
Daniels said: at is very materisl
question for this committee whether
IL IL furnished with facts or fiction
and I submit that nothing excuses or
justities the presentation of a tele.
gram no matter what its contents,
signed Daniels which was NOT
signed Daniels"
Tactics used by. Admiral Sims rela-
tive to the convoy of American troop
CONTINUED on Page IL. Column 3.)