Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1920-01-18

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pe piaI.a;an pol ss this respect a.
th ge or warfare var are which continued
Admiral Sims declared that failur,
ana h9sd , ms sre early plea that DESTROYER:
sign him any stan officers except IN,
arg who accompanied him abroad
caused s sEn'i snlIdns for fGar months
The D. only information received UP tc
.xonia % 1917: was that six ,dsstroyers
Tho situation was then so very Crit
lSat that 1 appealed to the American
n mnst Maa, in London. who sent a
ana on May 3, 1917, the first definite
information was received OF the de-
sS ads,sG@aP. ana s2 s"
= mhaiteiy thirty-six and two repair
n fhiIs T1 ~ ,.I be Sent S.
coast of tho United States. at the i'm
I. ninent risk of losing the war. was
letter declared.
~ The department was repeatedly as
remarkahly accurate information as to
the movements of submarines" Admiral
SIMS SAID, and that il was. practically
certain they could not reach our coast
or even leave European waters with
OUT advance information being sup
s pied. Subsequent events proved this
. B.
rlnes visited our coast until May 1918
and the department was in all cases
informed when they started across and
+ o1ten as TO their exact destination.
II tried TO induce tho department TO
view the campai sn as a whole: 10 con-
slider our naval forces as one relatively
small item of an allied naval team:
that our mission was the protection of
All allied lines of communication and
cation alone; that it was quite posi-
Die to give our relatively small COM
merce quite superior protection a. the
expense OF losing the war by denying
essential protection to the vastly
4 greater allied commerce. upon which
the success Of the common cause chief
~ depended"
Urges War Zone acknowledgements.
Enticing of German submarines 10
nave been greatly to the advantage of
the allied cause. even though American
shipping suffered more heavily there
by. Admiral Sims said he told the de-
partment. urging that every vessel
capable of steaming across the ocean
be sent TO the war zone. Risk of public
condemnation OF such course. based
on inaccurate information and toar,
would have been Il negligible factor.
the letter declared.
was, told they were not available
Admiral Sims said, adding that the
than the direction of American naval
forces, in European waters. He. con.
= -
stan OF fifty officers his own one aid.
Apart from the resulting lack OF
i CO. operation 1t was very difficult.
fear at times impossible" Admiral
Sims declared, TO avoid the impress
sion conveyed thereby TO the heads OF
the allied navies that l was not being
supported or was not in the confidence
ot the authorities.
Not Permitted 10 Name Subordiuatcs.
AT no time during the war was
permitted to select, my subordinate
flag commanders and but very few of
my subordinates."
When the House Naval Committee
asked for complaints he had made,
ca6iegram from ADMIRAL Benson, chief
strong positive. statement WAS par
ticulariy desirable. knowing that his
reply must become public. information.
give aid and encourage cement to the
enemy Admiral Sims said he framed
an answer on the basis that those at
home send.
Recapitu!aung his criticisms, Ad-
mi Sns IN naa Ss cl ls5isr said Aa
ence with the commander IN the field
or aaoat as one ct the most COM
94 The HaTy bepartm me se ndGed
did not resist this temptation. and
its frequent violation OF this principle
was the most dangerous error com
mItted during the war
When Admiral Sims finished reading
me letter; Chairman hale announced
be asked either to empower the pres
emit subcommittee TO investigate Adj
miral Sims charges OF lack of CO.
operation or TO appoint a separate sub
committee TO conduct The inquiry
Calls Attitude Terrible Thing.-
,Shanraetsrizin the alleged attitude
81 the depaTtment as "a terrible
thing" Senator Mccormick, Republican,
Illinois. said:
u believe we will have to go TO tho
Naval Affairs Committee OF the Sem
ate FOR further instructions and au-
thority TO investigate this entire mat
nartment toward Admiral Sims mis-
All Do Not Agree with sims.
keplylng TO statements by Admiral
Sims that there was not a naval officer
In his force who was not criticiZing and
ridiculing awards of medals 10 com
tor Pitiman read letter from Admiral
+ Gleaves, who commanded the cruiser
highly COMMUNICATING Captain Graham,
OF the transport f+.nland.; which was
! torpedoed. but sayrd, land rcconn,cnd-
iing, him for Il Distinguished Service
Medal. Senator Pittman said this let
ter and others proved that some naval
officers did not agree with Admiral
Sims.
Explains Recommendations.
Rear Admiral Sims told the Senate
committee thai he had recommended
for decorations i've times as many
officers who served at sea during the
war as lie had officers who served on
shore He made this explanation, he
said. TO correct an impression appar-
emily widely helC that he favored Tie
. decoration or officers detailed 10 shore
duty more Gcaerally than these who
served at sea.
The admiral also read letter nc
wrote TO Commander u. w. Baglcy,
expressing great regret that Secretary
Daniels should Fave been so badly ad-
4 vised In the matter Of award. ng n
Service Medal TO Com
BaGley
81. Il am very sorry that you should
s he placed in such an unflVoraDir light
latter your fine destroyer service III the
I; war zone" the letter said. "and I feet
sure that If you had been consulted
lin the matter YOU would have taken
y9teps to avoid this.
~ "The criticisms in tho press attack
1.-THE secretary, particularly for award
ling the D. s. NJ. TO you. and about all
.sthose who commanded vessels that were
.%torpedoed during the war"
~ Had Already written Daniels.
~ Admiral Sims told the committee he
wrote this letter after he had written
u Secretary Daniels criticizing tho cir
- cumSiances of some of the awards
~ German submarines did not generally
ATTACK combatant vessels. the admiral
rDa M DO PA