The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1920-05-14
BOLDNESs WAS
ORDER To NAVY
Wilson Told Officers in 1917 to
Win by Audacity.
SHOW BRITISH, HE URGED
Throw Traditions to Wind and Crush
U-Boats by New Methods-Secre-
tary Daniels Reveals Speech
to the Public.


Wilson's hitherto unpublished war in
structiOns to the officers of the Allan
tic fleet, given in person on the quar-
terdeck of the flagship Pennsylvania
on August IL, and bidding them
"thrOw tradition to the wind" Strike
the word prudent from their vOcabu-
Iaries" and 'dO the thing that is auda-
ciOus to the utmost point of risk and
daring" were made public here by
Secretary Daniels.
In opening his address to the Off
GERS, Mr.. Wilson said:
admiral Mayo and Gentlemen:
81 have not come here with malice
prepense to make a speech, but | have
come here to have a look at you and
to say some things that perhaps may
be intimately said and even though
the company is large, said in con-
fidence:
"This is an unprecedented war, and
therefore, it is war in one sense for
amateurs. Nobody ever before con-
Quoted a war like this and therefore
nobody can pretend to be a profess
SiOnal in a war like this. Here are
two great navies, not to speak of the
others associated with us-Our own
and the British, Outnumbering by a
very great margin the navy to which
we are opposed and yet casting about
for a way in which to use our SUI
periOrity and our strength.
eve are hunting hornets all over
the farm and letting the nest alone.
None of us know how to go to the nest
and crush it, and yet l despair of
hunting for hornets all over the sea
when | know where the nest is and
know that the nest is breeding hornets
as fast as can find them.
Asks for Suggestions.
81 am willing for my part and l
know you are willing because [ know
the stuff you are made of am will
ing to secrifice half the navy Great
Britain and we together have to crush
that nest, because if we crush it the
war is won.
81 have come here to say that | do
not care whether it comes from the
youngest officer or the oldest, but
want the officers of the navy to have
the distinction of saying how this war
is going to be won.
81 am willing to make any sacrifice
for that. l mean any sacrifice of time
or anything else. | am ready to put
myself at the disposal of any officer
in the navy who thinks he knows how
to run this war. | will not undertake
to tell you whether he does or not,
because | know that l do not, but
will undertake to put him in commune
cation with those who can find out
whether his idea will work or not.
I have the authority to do that, and l
will do it with the greatest pleasure.
Only Way to Win.
eve have got to throw tradition to
the winds. AS 1 have said, gentlemen,
| take it for granted that nothing
that l say here will be repeated and
therefore l am going to say this:
Every time we have suggested any
thing to the British admiralty the re-
ply has come back that virtually
amounted to this, that it had never
been done that way, and [ felt like
saying, Well nothing was ever done
so Systematically as nothing is being
done now
Therefore, | should like TO see
something unusual happen, something
that was never done before and, in
asmuch as the things that are being
done to you were never done before,
don't you think it is worth while to
try something that was never done be-
fore against those who are doing them
to you?
There is no other way to win, and
the whole principle of this war is the
and stimulate America. America Is
the prize amateur nation of the world.
Germany is the prize professional ma
ton of the world. Now when it comes
to doing new things and doing them
well, 1 will back the amateur against
the professional every time. He knows
so little about it that he is fool enough
to try the right thing. The men that
do not know the danger are the rash
est men.
"Please leave out of your v0cabu-
larry altogether the word prudent.
Do not stop to think about what is
prudent for a moment. Do the thing
that is audacious to the utmost point
of risk and daring, because that is
exactly the thing that the other side
does not understand, and you will win
by the audacity of method when you
cannot win by circumSpectiOn and
prudence"