New-York tribune., 1920-12-18
,JellicOe Admits
Superiority of
Foe at .Jutland
Admiral Says Indifferent
Armor Protection for Bat
tie Cruisers Contributed
to Losses by British Navy
Battle Fought in Mists
Beat,y's Appeal for Help
Sent Thirty-five Minutes
After Crisis Had Passed
By Arthur S. Draper

From The Tribuncs European Bureau
Copyright. 1920. New York Tribune Inc.
LONDON, Dec. 17.-After four years
the British government to-day made
public a large volume of dispatches
and reports bearing on the Battle of
Jutland For the public this mass of
evidence provided no sensation, but ex-
perts, who have been refghting the
battle in Parliament and in the press
for years, Will hnd in it new material
to help them N drawing a clear pic
ture of the situation before, during and
after that famous clash between the
German and British fleets.
The chief value Of the official rec
ords is their bearing on the contest be-
tween the offensive and defensive
schools of warfare. who have been wag-
ing a lively contest. They have in
sistently called on the government for
these papers on the Battle of Jutland
The Imperial Defense Committee has
Just begun an investigation, the result
of which will determine the kind and
extent of Great Britains future naval
building program.
The growth of the American and
japanese navies and the proposals for
a limitation of armament have given
this evidence on the Battle Of Jutland
a new and more powerful meaning for
the British.
Cruisers Armament Criticized
The outstanding features of the 800
pages of document given out at the
Admiralty Office are:
"Admiral Jellcoe's admission of
German superiority in night fighting,
his criticisms of the armament Of
British battle-cruisers and his con-
tention tina. the difficulties of telling
friends from foe in the msts and
darkness made continuation Of the
battle inadvisable.
The reve .ation that the German
feet, under Admiral Scheer. steamed
across Jellicoe's track and reached
safety behind a mine feld-all be-
cause Jellicoe never received Captain
Faulkner's message, The enemy's bat
tleships are in sight. My position is
ten miles astern of the first battle
ship squadron
"The evidence that criticisms lev
elled at Jellicoe because he didn't 20
promptly to Vice-Admiral Beatty's
assistance when the battle appeared
imminent were not justified"
1t is clear from the documents that
the Admiralty had informed both Jelli-
coe and Beatty, before they left Rosyth
and Scapa Flow that the German fleet
was out. A message to them, sent the
do not hn
should concentrate ready for
eventualties." Nevertheless Jellicoes
delay in coming south from Scapa Flow
caused his failure to meet Beatty at
the rendezvous they had selected.
Message Lost, Germans Escaped
The documents showed that Beattys
appeal for neip-it read: urgent.
submit that the van of battleships
should follow the battle-cruisers We
can then cut off the whole enemy's
battle feet"-was not sent at the height
OF the battle, as has generally been
or at 1850 p. m. Jellicoe wirelessed
back at $40 a. M: "The second battle
squadron will follow our battle-cruis-
ers." 1t was then that Captain Faux
ner's message was flashed out, but it
was never picked up by the Iron Duke
by some strange freak of misfortune
and the Germans escaped.
Commander CariyoN Bellars, M. P,
who is widely known as naval ex-
pert, said tonight in commenting on
the Jutland Documents:
Both schools of warfare know that
the solution Of the riddle CT Jutland
will determine the whole training and
leadership Of the navy in the future.
The battle Of Jutland was fought in a
sea Of mists, ard so far as historians
are concerned it has been fought in .
sea Of mists ever since"