Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1920-05-11
BRITISH DECORATION
COVETED BY SIMS,
DANIELS DECLARES
admiral Protected Shipping
More Than Transports,
Naval Secretary Charges
in His Long-Awaited Reply

w ASEllNGION, May lU.-Secre-
tary Daniels, before the senate in
vestigating committee today. made
his long awaited reply to the crit
icisms of Rear Admiral Sims oa the
navy's part in the war.
The navy secretary let go a broad
side which included charges that
Admiral Sims lacked vision, belit-
tied the work of the American navy,
in contrast to the British, coveted
British decorations and aspired to
become an honorary member of the
British admiralty. He declared that
officers supporting the Sims charges
were largely people with griev-
ance." ~
The testimony of other officers in
possession of first-hand knowledge.
Secretary Daniels testified, Should
be accepted by all open-minded men
as an absolute refutation Of prac-
tically all of Admira1 Sims
charges"
Admiral Sims, Secretary Daniels
told the committee, did not measure
up to expectations in various ways,
of which he mentioned six, as fol-
lows:
"He lacked vision to see. that
great and new project to bar the
submarines from their hunting
grounds should be promptly adopted
and carried out, no matter what the
cost or how radical the departure
from what ultra prudent men re-
garded as impracticable.
HE seemed to accept the views of
the British admiralty as superior to
anything that would come from
America and urged those views even
when the navy department proposed
plans that proved more effective.
"In public speeches and other ways
he gave maximum of credit to Brit
ish efforts and minimized what his
country was doing.
"He coveted British decorations
and seemed to place 81 higher value
on honors given abroad than on
honors that could be conferred by
the American government.
Wanted British Honors
"He aspired to become a member
of the British admiralty and wrote
complainingly when the American
government declined to permit him
to accept such a tender by the King
of England.
|. "He placed protection of merchant
shipping as the main operation OF
our forces abroad, failing to ap-
tot nrnt RRf101
transports carrying troops to France
was the paramount naval duty
until I felt impelled to cable him
peremptorily that such was our main
mission
Secretary Daniels testified that
had he known that in October, 1918,
Admiral Sims had made statements
rejecting upon the contributions OF
the United States army and navy to
winning the war to members of con-
gress visiting abroad, he would
never have recommended his promo
ton.
"He had not then attacked the
Irish people," Secretary Daniels
testified. 81 thought then he had on
lv defended American sailors,
proper thing to do, when attacked
uniustly by what he termed law
less element in Cork. If I had known
that he proposed, under the permits
sion granted him, to tell the story
of what the navy had done over
seas, to denounce the Irish people
as he did in his articles in The
Worlds Work. the permission would
not have been granted"
Secretary Daniels said he had
never publicly or privately criticized
Admiral Sims for lack Of early vision
in connection with the North sea
mine barrage project cor his other
mistakes or wrong views" Admiral
Mayo succeeded in convincing the
British admiralty of the soundness
Of the barrage scheme where Ad-
mira1 Sims had failed, he said.
although the department had dis
approved of some of his recommen-
dations and denied some OF his de-
sires," said Secretary Daniels, u
mistakenly supposed until the letter
of January that he had accepted
and acquiesced, with more or Jess
grace, in the departments d1spos1'
ton of ships and it's other official
actions, as a loyal officer accepts the
decisions of his superiors ever
though he might personally hol6
other views"
Public Nauseated
The investigating committee, Sec
rotary Daniels said, had been Wear1eo
and the public nauseated with Ear
abortive attempt to ferret out the
molehills of mistakes and exag'
gerate them into mountains, to make
a noble and notable accomplishment
appear as the dim and fading back
ground of a frontispiece of compare.
lively unimportant errors Of judg'
ment."
"The navy's record in the wal
stands untouched today and for al
time despite criticnsms from within
or without" said he.
No such troop movement over SO
great an expanse of water had ever
been attempted as the transporting
of Americas legions to France, Sec
rotary Daniels declared, adding that
sin comparison to that essential to
winning the war nothing else count
ed. 1t was well and expeditiously
/ done. That fact alone is answer to
most of the criticisms heard by your
committee"
THE only man injured in public
| esteem nv his charges is Admiral