The Washington times., 1920-01-25

All over the English world that
speech was quoted. and the name OF
Sims established as the one Ameri-
can naval officer who could be de-
pended upon to play England's game
when the time came.
And when the time camy and Eng
lish influence put him where he could
play IL, he played IL. And he Is play
ing IL right now when he Is depreclat-
ing the work of our navy in the war
because TO say we did the lless IL 20
prove that England did the more.
Except as an instrument for some
body else's purpose we need not take
Sims too seriously. He Ii a subtle
politician anr has always been crazy
for publicity. We have in our navy
scores of Officers who are constantly
doing fine things to better the sery-
Ice. The public does not hear OF this
type, because il IL against the ethics
OF the service for naval officers to tell
the public about themselves
But the Sims type does not work
that way. Some years ago he was
one OF group OF younger officers
who were insistent on the adoption
of certain British ideas in gunnery
matters. Later the naval battles OF
Chile. Falkland and Jutland tended to
SNOW tHat VIC HHouiu nave phiu Hio'c
attention to what the German ideas
were: however. every officer l spoke
to at that time said the British ideas
were good and they were for them
wkiskers and Press Agents.
quite a few OF our officers worked
hard for better gunsery in our navy
at that time, but the only officers
name that | ever saw in print about
ii was that of Sims. Even In thoss
days | saw Sims name so often in
print that ] once asked two naval
friends OF mine who his press agent
was.
Later he did have press agents on
his staff know one of them quite
Well-but at this time / doubt IL ne
rad one regularly with him. He wore
a fine set of whiskers, which is all /
can remember OF his looks then, the
whiskers when every other naval man
IN the place was clean shaven, and
behind the whiskers an expression as
OF a man who would wear nose ring
if nee dbe to win notice.
He wore the nose ring later; he is
wearing one now.
The next time ] met Sims was In
London after we went TO war. There
were officers who ranked him, and
among them several who were better
qualified than Sims for the billet for
in chief of our naval
forces in European waters; but the
publicity for Sims had been framing
up for just this crisis and il was Sims
that Washington sent over.
Daniels has no use for Sims, nor
Sims for Daniels, and naval officers
generally are not in love with Sims;
than how did he come to get that
billet? Somebody could tell that.
Gorgeous F1unky mt Door.
When l first went into the Ameri-
can admiralty in London in 1917, and
the door was opened to me l stepped
back on the porch and took peek
up to make sure II was the American
and not the British flag that was over
the door.
Sims quarters were handy to Buck
ingham Palace, and / thought for a
moment when 1 was faced by this
gorgeous British flunky at the door
that l must have gotten into the
palace grounds somewhere. Sims
heard so much about that gorgeous
doorkeeper that later he put an Amer
lean Marine in his place.
However, there Sims was in Lon
don. with a press agency working
double tides for him. He was the
greatest fellow over there, yes. He
had once been in command Of the
combined British and American fleets,
which turned out to be, all bunk when
got over there: but it is interesting
now because Sims himself censored
American naval news from London,
and the bunk about his commanding
the British Great Fleet must have
passed through his own hands.
However, + did think he held some
naval authority over there. But the
English may tell man what a
great reinsman he is but they hold
the reins themselves always.
I came with all the needful ere
dentials as a naval correspondent to
cruise with the destroyers, but Sims
had to tell me-he confessed this in
the presence of n witness-that he
had no power to put an American
correspondent aboard an American
destroyer for a cruise in war time.
The British Admiral Bayly only could
do that.
The Great Admiral Bayfy.
This Admiral Bayly, who was then
in charge of our naval forces, was
certainy fine specimen to put over
anybody. 1t was OF Bayly they told
the story that early in the war he
was called into conference on the
U-boat threat. "U-boats?" said Bayly.
Gentlemen, it Is foolish for anyone
to say that the U-boats will ever
amount to anything. Disregard them
utterly"
Fine. 1t was because the U-boats
had them all on the run that our
destroyers had to hurry across. But
there was old Bayly running our
naval show and Sims subordinate TO
him.
have always discounted Sims
professional batting average about
100 points because of the press bu-
reau behind him, but he surely had
more brains than Bayly. When an
American correspondent arrived at
the naval base and Bayly's aide came
around to look him over II was not
of his professional qualifications that
the aide inquired: what the aide
wanted to know was how he stood on
the Irish question. A fine old moss
back, Bayly. but he was the boss.
No American destroyer could so
noucb ne ahift her nOorinpa In