The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram., 1920-03-11
HOOVER Will
|. BE CALLED ON
WAR CONDUCT
Former Food Administrator
to Testify as Result of Sims
Recommendation - Latter
Continues.
''NAVY KEPT AT HOME"
by Associated Press,

WASHINGTON. March 11.-Herbert
Hoover will be called to testify in the
senate investigation of the navy's con.
duct of the war.
Rear Admiral Sims told the inquiry
committee To-Day that Mr. Hover had
an Intimate knowledge of the situa.
tlon IN Europe at the time America
entered the war, and asked that he
be summoned to substantiate the ad.
mlrals testimony as to the gravity
OF the allies position at that time
Admiral Sims said he received a
| note from Mr.. Hoover saying he would
be here Saturday, and Chairman Hale
| agreed 10 call him on that day. Ad
| miral Sims said he would like to have
the former food administrator called
before he proceeded further in order
| that there should be no doubt in my
| mind that 1 have substantiated the
part of my letter in which escribed
| the gravity of the crisis which we
| faced in 1917 and pointed out how
near TO disaster the lack of action by
| the department at that time brought
u.s.
Victory Barely Won."
"The Allies indeed barely escaped
a peace without victory" said the
admiral.
Indications that the navy depart
ment withheld sending all available
American naval craft to European wa
tiers early in the war because of de-
sire to keep the main body of the ma
tion's sea strength intact for possible
eventualities, were contained in Ad-
miral Sims testimony today.
CabIeeram Outlines Policy.
He read cablegram from the navy
department, dated July 10, 1917, con
tanning an outline of the departments
policy and declaring that while a sue.
cessful termination of the present war
must always be the first allied aim
and will probably result in diminish,
ed tension throughout the world, the
future position of the United States
must in no way be jeopardized by any
disintegration Of our main fighting
fleet"
The same cablegram, Admiral Sims
said, contained this statement: The
| navy department announces as its gen.
eral plan of action the following: Its
willingness to send its minor fighting
| forces in any number not incompatible
with home needs to any field of action
Seemed advisable by the allied ad-
miralty council; its unwillingness as
a matter of policy to separate any di,
vision from the main fleet for service
abroad. although it is willing to send
the entire battleship fleet abroad to
act as unit, but cooperating unit
when the emergency is deemed to war.
rant it"
First Statement of Policy.
With regard to this message and
statement of policy Admiral Sims said
4 he
policy l had received arriving a few
days over three months after we had
declared war"
The astounding features of this
policy were however, that while il
stated our intention to cooperate to
| the fullest degree, still such co-opera-
| tion was conditioned first upon an
adequate defense of our own waters
and next upon the future position of
| the United States after this war was
| finished" said the admiral
Il am wholly unable to conceive OF
any war policy. particularly in a world
war of this nature, which was certain
to exhaust all of the participants with
| the possible exception of ourselves,
based upon the requirements of any
possible future war"
"Reaiized War at Last"
| A HeSSdSe received from the navy
department, dated July 5, to the effect
that several small vessels were being
sent to augment his forces, indicated
that they were at last beginning to
realize that there was a war being
/ fought in European waters" declared
Admiral Sims.
On July 80. Admiral Sims testified
he sent the Navy department a review
of the discussions of the allied naval
council. in which he stated that "it
was made apparent that closer co
ordination of effort should be inn
nlediately established between the
United States and the allies and
reiterated his previous requests for
more small craft with which to fight
submarines.
More Calls for Help.
Even as late as January, 1918. he
was still calling for more destroyers
Admiral Sims said, and by that time,
he declared. his predictions that the
allies would lose the war unless the
United States gave more complete
naval cooperation, were being justi
fled by results and the navy depart
ment was beginning to carry out his
recommendations of six and eight
months before
On April %, August "a, and Septem
Der 19, 1918, Admiral Sims said he
wrote the department expressing his
disappointment at the apparent non-
success of the destroyer building pro-
gram in the United States, and urging
the necessity of speeding up pro
duction of anti-submarine craft, and
sending every available small vesse.
to the war zone. even at the expense
of the protection of the costs OF the
| United States.
Situation Terrible"
81 am only introducing testimony 50
far along in 191s at thfs time to brins
out the accumulated effect of not hav.
ing thrown our full weight into the
war at the beginning" the admira.
said.
"The situation was so serious ane
the consequences of failure so terri
BILE that l went beyond the channel.
which the navy afforded me and en-.