Evening star., 1920-03-18
SIMS SUMMARIZES
| NAVY'S MISTAKES
Thirteen Specific Charges
Laid Before Senate
Committee.

Concluding his long arraignment of
the Navy Departments conduct Of the
war, Rear Admiral Sims laid before
the Senate investigating committee
today thirteen specific counts in his
indictments charging mistakes and
costly delays.
Reiterating his declaration that his
criticisms were aimed at no individual
but that responsibility for any fail
ureS' rested upon "the Navy Depart
ment as an organization Admiral
| Sims said:
"1f / have shown that there was
| lack of conviction or clear under
standing on the part of the Navy De-
partment as to where it's efforts
should be directed: if 1 have shown
| that the Navy was hampered by lack
! of preparedness by lack of essential
plans and by being held back in the
beginning; II l have demonstrated
that victory was won not because of
these errors. but in spite of them, and
idhat such errors were only nullified
! by combination of circumstances
which we would be foolhardy indeed
will feel that have been fully justi
fled in submitting my letter (to Sec
retary Daniels) of January ~
| II any individual was responsible
| Admiral Sims said, the facts would
| necessarily have to be developed by
! l'Ni suns WIZ hHt" lIit inner "ci ~
| ings" of the department during the
| war.
| Summary of Charges.
The admirars summary of his
| charges follow:
That. in spite of the fact that war
had been going on for nearly three
Years. and our entry into it had been
| imminent at least from February .,
| 1871 the vessels of the Navy were
| not ready for war service when the
| United States entered
| That the first few months after
America entered the war were eX
tremely critical ones for the whole
| allied cause. due to the success of
enemy submarines.
That this critical situation was
made clear TO the Navy Department
| few days after America entered the
war, and repeatedly thereafter by ca
bleS and letters, supported by indie
pendent adviceS to the government
! from the American ambassador in
London and by Mr.. Hoover
| That the Navy Department sup
piled me with no plans or policy COW
erlng our participation in the war for
! three months after our entry therein.
That, having information as to the
critical situation of the allies. the
| Navy Department did not promptly
assist them. and thereby prolonged
| the war by delaying the sending of
| Iantl-Submarine vessels. none reaching
! Europe for nearly a month after war
was declared and two and one-half
months elapsing before thirty vessels
| arrived.
| THAT the Navy Department failed
to appreciate the military value of
| time.
! THAT the Navy Department violat ed
fundamental military principles in at
| tempting to formulate war plans of
| operation without having sufficient
/ knowledge of the whole situation.
| THAT the Departments representa-
| tive with the allied admiralties was
not supported. during the most crit
| ical months of the war, either by ade-
Guate personnel or by adequate forces
| that could have been supplied
That the Navy Department violated
| fundamental military principles in
dispensing forces away from the criti-
cal area in order to meet diversions
! of the enemy.
THAT the Navy Department. in the
| first months of the war; attempted the
! direction of details although 5000
miles distant from the scene of active
| operations. where the situation was
changing from day to day.
That the Navy Department, in not
| clearly defining the responsibility and
| delegating authority to it's represen-
tative in Europe, failed to follow
| sound principles. common alike to
the business and military professions.
| That the Navy Department by con-
| trolling the operations and move
| ments of certain forces within the
war area, violated the fundamental
| military principle of unity of COM
mard.
That the Navy Department failed
to keep its representative abroad
completely informed as to it's plans
affecting dispatch and disposition of
forces in the war zone, and frequently
reached decisions in such meters
through information gained from
sources other than its representative
in the war zone
Splendid Work of Navy.
Admiral Sims said he was not in
sensible to the splendid work done
by the Navy at large or the various
Department" His statements were
directed almost entirely to pointing
out defects in the administration of
the Navy Department during the first
few months Of the war, he said
'The Navy, If loyalty and properly
supported and directed, may be count
ed upon to maintain the finest ira
ditions of the service" he added, and
of the officers and men of the naval
;militia and naval reserve he said that
without their invaluable help much
of the work done by the Navy in this
war would not have been undertaken
1.-The outstanding feature of their
service was the cheerful and loyal
support which they gave to the reg
ular Navy at all times and under all
conditions he declared.
The thought would occur to many
persons, Admiral Sims said. tha
"hindsight is better than foresight
and that it is always easy. in the ligh
of hindsight, to point out errors com
mitted in any undertaking." But the
issue under investigation was too i'm.
portant, he added, to be affected by
such theories.
"Hindsight must not be blindsight,'
he declared.
Admiral Sims direct testimony filled
nearly 200 large printed pages and il
took him nearly sixteen hours to reaC
it. His cross-examination by members
Of the committee probably will be
started Friday, after which members
Of his staff will be heard before Secre-
tary Daniels and officials of the Navy
Department are called