Republican farmer., 1920-05-21
.SIMS' OWN TESTIMONY
 REFUTED FALLACI0US
 UNF0UNDED CHARGE
ASSERTIONS MADE WITH RECKLESS DIS REGARD OF FACTS, SAYS DANIELS TONNAGE AT ALL TIMES AVAIL
 ABLE TO CARRY TROOPS.

Washington, May 14-Rear Admiral Sims "fallacious and baseiess" charges that the navy department delays prolonged the war for four months un- necessarily was practically the only charge of unmanufac- tured results from the many alleged sins of omission and commission" the officer has ascribed to the department, Secretary Daniels today told the Senate Naval Investigating Committee. Ii was fully refut- ed, he added by the Admiral's own testimony.
 The charge of proaonsation of the war was a definite and serious one" said the secretary "<rt was made with rockies disregard of the facts and the reasoning and statistics adduced in It's support are those which one might expect to find in the fantastic tales of Baron Munchausen-''
 Admiral Sims based his estimate of an unnecessary loss of 5e0,0oo lives on an average loss of the allies of s,soo men a day, Mr. Daniels said.
 ~The Joss of 5000 men a day for four months falls short of half a mil lion but of course half a million sounds more impressive than the fg- ure which would have been arrived at by correct arithmetic" the secretary declared
 
 the assum ption that had there been a million American soldiers in France by March, 1918, the war would have ended four months sooner, MT. Daniels said, and completed the reasoning by assuming the tonnage losses of 1917 prevented carrying that number of troops overseas by that date and that failure of the American navy to CO., operate heartily in the first months of the war resulted in the heavy tonnage losseA
 "It is not necessary to wander far into the realm of statistics or techni- cal questions to show the absolute fall lacy of Admiral Sims claim" MT Daniels said. He informed the com mittee that the net tonnage available for the allies May 1. 1917, was 27,- 00o,0 tons. It is a matter of com- mon knowledge that on May l, 1918, the tonnage was less than on May 1, 1917. Testimony given by Admiral Sims would indicate that the net loss during the var was about two million tons. This is probably a sufficiently close estimate for practical purposes. Now then, owing to the tonnage losses of 1917 and the early part of 1918 the net tonnage available to the allies had been reduced from 27,000,000 on May 1. 1917, to 25.000,O0O on May 1, 1918.
 Yet, it is admitted by Admiral Sims that in the spring of 1918 American troops were transported to France at the rate of nearly 300, GOO a month or more than ten times the rate to which he said transportation had been re- stricted in 1917 becaIlse of the destruc- tdon of tonnage. This simple fact re- flutes absolutely Admiral Sims state mont that the tonnage losses of 19f made it impossible to transport any considerable American army and made it necessary to limit the num- Der of American troops that could be sent abroad during the first year to an average of approximately 25,0oo men per month";
 There never was a time, the witness said. when tonnage was not available to carry troops and supplies to France as fast as they coal1d be landed and transported to the front although 1t was "oniy by extreme exertions that this was done during the rush od troops in April.''
 States by the allies always was the dominant feature MT. Daniels declar- ed.
 .As a matter of fact the American army materially shortened the war; said Secretary Daniels. Ut got tG the front as soon as it was humanly possible, not by a chance but as re- suit of careful plans involving com plete cooperation between the arm, and navy, carefully carried out"
 MT. Daniels quoted Field Marsha Haig as saying that the British armies were unable to intervene until nearE two years had elapsed in sufhcien strength adequately to assist the al lies The war was over 19 month; after the United States entered tn war, he said. adding. mo one cal deny that within Is months after ou entry the American army was in suf ficient strength adequately to assis the allies
 In this connection he asked tn committee to consider that Americal troops and supplies had to be trans ported across 5000 miles of sea while Great Britain was 'withi sound of the guns"
 MT. Daniels quoted from the tes timony of Admirals Rodman an Wilson, Rear Admirals Niblack, Nc Kearn, Straus, Fletcher and Badge and Captain Pratt to show that al these officers refused to support Ad miraI Sims charge of prolongation c the war.
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