Norwich bulletin., 1920-03-25
LETTER CONTRADICTORY TO
 ADMIRAL SIMS CHARGES

LETTER CONTRADICTORY TO
 ADMIRAL SIMS CHARGES
 Washington, March 24.-After Cap tain Harris Laning, former assistant chief of navigation, had told the sen ate committee Investigating the Sims Daniels row today that the navy had been without a comprehensive plan for the war and that chaos vir- tually existed, Senator Trammell, democrat, of Florida, confronted the captain with a letter he had written to Admiral Sims on August 18th, 1913, saying he was mot convinced that the bureau of operations had erred in it's general plans and say ing also that had some of Sims rec concentrations been adopted they would have been disastrous
 Senator Trammell contended that LanlngS letter was a. complete con- tradiction of some of the Sims charges and also some of the charges in Laning's statement of today, but the captain eontended his letter re- ferred to period in the war later than that involved in the charges by Admiral Sims
 Personal characteristics of Secre- tary Daniels often made it impossi- ble to obtain approval of important plans and policies, Captain Laning told the committee, as the personal l interest taken by him in minor af- fairs occupied so much time that he never had much left to give us for ] really important problems
 1 Captain Laning testified that at the l time war was declared there was not l a sufficient reserve of 14-inch shells thoughts and that the bureau of ord nance had to obtain the aid of the i bureau of operations to bring the i matter to the secretary's attention ] impressively enough to get authority 1 to let contracts.
 1 In memorandum Admiral Bensor gave Secretary Daniels the admoni- tion that without shells for the guns battleships are worthless and that
 they not only cannot defend them
 selves but cannot fight to save tho ! country" After several weeks. delay l Captain Laning said, the shells wer,
 ordered.
 Other charges made by the witness 1 were that the department in the year,
 immediately preceding the war dic
 not advocate Legislation and policie
 that would prepare the navy for hos
 tntleS. that when it was apparen
 war could not be avoided the depart
 ment still refused to prepare: tha lack of co-erdination in the depart 1 ment during the early months of tn
 war reduced the. effectiveness o , American participation and added t the cost and that when war was de ctafed the navy department told tn l country that the navy was read , when in reality it was known tha
 it would take at least 10 days to pre- pare even the latest ships for actiy | service.
 Senator Trammell, democrat. Flor s ldai read a letter written by the cap 1 J tain to Rear Admiral Sims in Angus Is1N apparently in answer to a iette : from the admiral criticising the. de : partment for not eaapefatifie nor : fully with the naval forces abroad. z. The Laning letter opened with tn ] statement that. the writer was "ne
 convinced" that the bureau of opera
 lens had erred in it's general plans and declared that suggestion mad . by Admiral Sims earlier that the bal . tleshlps be placed out of comnlissio : and their crews sent overseas woul d II adopted, have proved disastrous # The letter continued:
 0 "Over there you give us the dev = because we don't do all that you wal : us to do. You feel we are failing yo = Does It help the morale over the = or over here to do that? Criti d Ism IS easy and just criticism ben, 'e hcial, but there is nothing more loy l. erlng to the morale than unjust cri Il ici sm and criticism made without fl : knowledge and thought is apt to
 unjust
 After reading the letter senat
 Irammel asked Captain Laning if s did not think the letter answer
 many 0f 6rf1i,.aT It some of the criticisms made by ca oI tam Laning himself in his dire = statement. The officer replied that rs dld not believe so, that the letter r s, ferred to period much later in t y. war than that covered hy the Sir es charges, the first six monrns' and ! J. own testimony.
 l. At the request of Senator P;+tn,o te democrat, Nevada, the committee a r. mltted to the record General Bli
 denial that he had ever recommend m amalgamation of American troo ol with the foreign armies as Rear 4 E. mlral Sims testified
 y, Chairman Hale also read into f record his reply to Secretary Da to lois' request that the Bliss letter :, put into the record. saying that Tn considered it improper to insert r Id pers into the record at the reou,
 of persons not before the commits as and that MT. Daniels would be giv ne opportunity to present any docume, ey he desired when he was called to tt m. tify. '' st, The chairman's letter added tf as the papers have nothing to do W m the very definite criticism of lack ne preparedness and prompt suppert to the part of the navy departme made by Admiral Sims in his let oI. of January 7.'
 as Captain Leigh c. Palmer. chief m the bureau of navigation, will test III tomorrow.