Norwich bulletin., 1920-05-11
Daniels SCat|1ing'
 in Reply to Sims
Secretary Asserts the Admiral Did Not Measure Up to Expectations = Accepted Views of British Admiralty As Superior to Those of American Navy Dept.

Washington, May 10.-Secretary Dan iels launched vigorous counter -offen sive against Rear Admiral Sims today when ne appeared before the senate in vestigating committee to answer charges made by the. officer against the navy de- partment's conduct of the war.
 Sweeping criticism of Admiral Sims occupied MT. Daniels most of the day, devoted to reading a carefully prepared statement. His attack came as a pre- face to his answers to the Sims charges of failure and lack of cooperation and he unsparingly arraigned the admiral for 'pro-Brtish idiosyncracies, viola tion of naval regulations and criticism of the ''self-sacrificing and successful ef forts of his fellow officers.
 So far as he dealt today with Admiral Sims charges that delay hy the depart nlent had prolonged the war unnecessar- fly, Secretary Daniels declared the navy's war record stood untouched to- day and for all time regardless of criti- cism from within or without"
 As the American naVy's part in the great war 7" he said, 'tLcre are no two opinions at home or abroad"
 The most serious charges made by Admiral Sims are without foundation and the others are unjusehed Upon his assumption of what he calls errors and
 
 | Sims has erected q towering structure of eXaggeration and misrepresentation"
 Admiral Sims did not wholly measure l up to expectations during the war, MT 1 Daniels told the committee He emu merated six, points in this respect, in- | cluding charges that the officer placed 1 too great stress on the importance of protecting Cargo vessels and had failed | to appreciate that the protection oi American soldiers enroute to France was the navy's paramount mission. The sec retary also said Admiral Sims had lack 1 ed vision to appreciate the navy depart ments North Sea mine barrage proiec to bottle up the German submarines FI naliy Admiral Mayo had to be sen ] abroad to obtain the British admiralty, 1 cooperation in the plan, MT. Daniels as serted
 Secretary Daniels scored Admira
 Sims for having made public his lette | entitled Some Naval Lessons of tn
 World War" which brought about tn | investigation. The letter should neve
 have been made public until the genera
 board had passed on it, he said, addin , that Admiral Sims could not hay
 chosen more ostentatious and well
 planned manner of securing publicity The fact that not one life was lost i U iansporelhg the army to France Wa i, answer to most of the criticisms hear ,i py tne committee,s Mir. Daniels declar
 ed, and added laat had he known fact
 Ge yeioped dGrlng the investigatien h "oun not have recommended Sims f congress for life commission as flu admiral " AU 5 Admiral Sims statement that ius
 prlor to sailing for London he receive I the explicit admonition. .u .ar.,. :,
 the British pull the wool over your eve l We would as soon fight them as the Ge, 3 mans received considerable attentio rom the secretary. If the admiral co, sidered the words as an "expj;c;t s, 5 monition," he violated three se,ti,jns
 naval regulations in making t,ep publi t Mir Daniels declared. P-' r Admiral Sims criticism that Adr,i,. l Benson formcr chief of naval nnnr,
 sons. was anti-British, was entirely II, e founded and unjust, the witnezs ais