Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-05-11
DANIELS RAPS SIMS
AGAIN; GIVES LIE
TO ACCUSATIONS
Says Admiral Tried TO Rob u. S.
Navy of Credit for North
Sea Barrage.
STROVE TO GIVE BRITISH
HONOR FOR GREAT WORK
" Associated PRESS 70 Every evening

BY Associated Press 70 Every Evening
Washington, May ia counter
charge that establishment If the North
Sea mine barrage was delayed sIT months
because Of the opposition Of Rear Admiral
Sims and the British Admiralty was
made before the Senate Naval Investigat-
ing Committee today by Secretary Daniels
in presenting the second part of his reply
to the officers IN charge that the navy
department had unnecessarily prolonged
the war through failure to cooperate
fully at first with allied naval forces.
The barrage Mr. Daniels said was the
most effective measure that had been
taken to check the submarines and was
wholly an American idea
WOULD GIVE CREDIT 70 BRITISH.
The Secretary also charged that sims
had attempted in his testimony 10 rob
the navy Of credit for this project and to
give it to the British.
The plan was conceived. he said, IN
the Bureau Of Ordnance at the Navy
Department and urged on the British
Admiralty for six months before u was
accepted During this time Admiral
Sims constantly discouraged and opposed
the idea, he added, and when admiral
Mayo was sent abroad and finally con-
vinced the Admiralty Of the worth oi the
scheme and the necessity for adopting i,
Admiral Sims attempted to convey the
impression that the project had been
DELAYED while the British attempted 10
10 get the American navy department
approval
WAS NOT ENGLAND : PLAN
Admiral sims tried to rob .Amerca
and the nlted states NAVY of the credit
for assisting this great achievement, and
10 give YOU the impression that ID was
British plan which our navy merely
assisted II carrying out. Though i
originated IN the Navy Department, Z
Vas proposed and Urged by Us for half
a year before We could induce the British
Admiralty 70 approve It, aud four-hIths
of 1t was composed Of American mines
designed and constructed IN America and
transported ), 400 miles overseas and lald
bv American vessels Mr. Daniels told
the committee close conlradeshJp had
existed between the American and British
navys during the war. despite tdmlr4l
Sims attempts - create ne impression
that there was lack of harmony and COZ
operation
The SIMS charges Of Lmpreparedness
before the war were not justified, MIR
Daniels asserted. declaring that in July
1918. he ordered the general board 70
study and recommend plans for . con
sistent and impressive development
IS result OF this study the policy vas
evolved. he SAID. that the nIted States
must. bv 1925, have 4 naYN equal 20
any other n the world lie approved
this policy and she direct result was the
FIVE wear building program q 1916, the
secretary said AN epoch making mea-
sure
Presiden, Nilsson f1iliN approved The
policy, the witness asserted
This i conclusive evidence hat she
Nav Department long before var was
declared Was alive 10 the Importance Of
preparedness and was taking every step
toward that end, he declared
The vision Of the President, Mr. Daniels
asserted, established the fact that he was
in advance Of some officers, vocal now
bat silent then