New-York tribune., 1920-03-11
Refusal to Accept Advice
and Withholding of
Convoy System Almost
Lost War, Says Admiral
loss of 100000
Charged to Delays
Rr;t;sh Had but s Weeks
Food When Page Urged
Help in U-Boat Crisis

r.,,s The Tribunc's Washington Burcom
WASHINGTON, March 1o.-Resum-
,, his testimony to-day before the
Ms subcommittee of the Senate
v.,sl Affairs Committee, Rear Admiral
\ william, S. Sims charged that the re
s.s.l Of Secretary Daniels to accept
,I,;ral Sims recommendations and
.,ose OF the Allied Naval Council for
uonths after America entered the wal
,.srly made possible a German vic.
.,-v The witness offered evidence to
.ynnort his assertions that there was
efficiency and lack of cooperation in
,hs early days of American naval par
Substantiating his charge that he
x,s incessantly urging upon the Sec
,,,sry and the Department recon-
nsndations which were ignored until
nonths after the United States de-
cared war, the witness read into the
,scord voluminous extracts froan the
ascia! correspondence which passed
between him and the department. dur
Inc that period These exchanges
showed that:
In spite Of recommendations in
dorsed by the British and French
Adrniraltess that the maximum aum-
ber Of American destroyers be dis
patehed at once to the war zone.
Secretary Daniels failed to order
more than six across, until the aD-
real was carried over the Secretary's
L.sj 20 tho praSiIer+
Delay in Definite Policy
1t was not until June 90, two
months and half after the United
States entered the war, that Secre-
ury Daniels agreed TO send as many
as thirty-two destroyers. Or under
took to advise the Allies OF any
definite policy Of aid
For months the Secretary refused
to indorse plans proposed by Sims i
for the establishment of the convoy
system, now recognized as the most
effective measure against the Ger
nan submarine menace, placing his
personal opinion not only against the
advice of Sims bat the Endorsement
Of the British and French Admiral
ties, whom Sims had converted to his
plan.
Secretary naniels persisted in
holding badly needed anti submarine
craft on this side of the Atlantic for
he protection of the American
coast, in face Of the assurance that
# the submarines won out on the
ether side America could not pos
:!5iy have transported any consider
able military force overseas, and the
Allies would have been forced to ac-
ceps Germany's terms.
During the time when the Allied
Naval Council was urging the con-
eentratlon of all available destroy
ers IN the submarine war zone Sec
fetary Daniels proposed to divert
some OF the available American de
stroyers and patrol boats TO the
Arctic Ocean to protect the Russian
ports.
100000 Lives Sacrificed
Had the Secretary yielded on the
recommendations in those first
months the war could have been end
ed IN July. 1918, instead Of Moven-
Der, 1913, at q saving 10 the Allied
cause Of 500 600 lives. $500 600 tons
Of shipping and $4,000 .000,O 900,
,hird CT which amount OF money the
iurnlsh in her own expenditures and
IN loans to the Allies.
During the time Secretary Daniels
was ignoring these recommendations
oI ialllng TO respond to them he was
ADVISING Sims of various schemes
and devices which department ex-
psrts were at work on 10 invent p
means near of combating the submarines.
l, Inc witness drew from the files of
as correspondence confidential mes
ages which he sent to the Navy De-
pnns'ment or to the Secretary person
ny curing that period, disclosing the
..sperate straits in which the Allies
. I.'e nnolng themselves as a result of
ms s'eadIly increasing success Of the
s;aeMy submarine campaign. Included
~ these messages was information
..vM tne inner recesses of the Allied
nsas!rles ~. s! which these powers dared
.us uisclose to the Germans. 1t showed
sa.as ssa.ous other things that England's
WV w. supply was reduced to a six
Imports.
Hoover May Be Called
m eorroboration of these statements,
,,L 10 -. Ine intention of Admiral Sims to
| Hoo 'c'ilAilllee TO summon Herbert
ISuset ISu former United States Food
"eTraa'histrator, Ta to testify.
,,n Ine sltuatlon as it stood was graph
my my pictured in the confidential COM
Il 3Sisalion a;Sn which Ambassador Page,
s,,, s'mss s; request, sent to the Presi-
Sss Sx.'' ~; ms cable, the text of which
WINES vi, aaseiosed to the committee by the
'asnness, ans, follows:
rom: rom: Ambassador Page,
80: Secretary of State.
sTnt; gent; 81 April, 1917.
p,..;ay ,s;,y confidential for Secretary and
rrss.as1 sss.aent. There is reason for the
mr 49, es aiarm about the issue of the
II - ,ssaused by the increasing success
i. .t'au sns German submarines. have
sesS lvn oihc!al sources that during the
.i,' ended April %, eighty-eight
ol $4,000 tons, Allied and
zelSs1s----z-s...s 81 Ss.s3a