Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1920-01-17
SIMS ATTACKS
MEDAL AWARD
TODANIELS KIN
Admiral Who Criticised Navy
Policy First to Testify
at Hearing.
GIVES HIS STAFF CREDIT

WASHINGTON, Jan. IA man who
lost in battle should not receive a spe-
clal award due those who were victorl-
Gus" declared Admiral william s. Sims
yesterday before the senate subcommittee
Investigating the award of naval medals
of honor.
Admiral Sims was referring to the
award of a medal of honor to Com
mander David Worth Bagley, brother
in-law Of Secretary Daniels, who CON-
manded the destroyer Jacob Jones, which
was sunk.
At the outset of the hearing Senator
Pittman, democrat of Nevada, proteste6
against Admiral Sims being permitted
TO testify before Secretary Daniels was
allowed to present his side of the con-
troversy. Secretary Hale declared that
inasmuch as Admiral Sims was the COM
plainant that he should testify first. A
vote was taken and Senator Hale was
sustained by the subcommittee.
SAYS HIS STAFF
DESERVES CREDIT.
Admiral Sims declared he had taken
the facts upon which he based his protest
against the naval awards from the an
nual report of the secretary of the navy.
He said be considered those recommends
tions final. He stated he had written a
letter of protest to the secretary, but 1.-The
secretary did not answer my letter; he
replied to it by saying the recommended
lions were not inal.'
The American people kneIy less about
their navy than any other great mari
time power" Admiral Sims said. "Other
navies permit their officers to make an
nouncements concerning the navS public
Ito l. i
sary for the good of the service"
Admiral Sims said only nineteen of POP
officers of his staff received naval med
ais. 81 say this to answer some criti-
cism I heard that all members Of my
staff received the award" he added.
whatsoever praise, acclaim and ropu-
larity / might have obtained from the
war Is due to the work of my staff. All
claim credit for is selecting the men
of my staff" Sims said.
''I think the entire system Of awards
is wrong" Sims said. Il believe that
most of the trouble could have been
avoided had the commanding officers been
further consulted.
81 requested the navy department for
the policy to be followed by the RE
partment It was impossible for conf
manding officers to get together and we
had no policy defined to guide US.
II did everything I could when I saw
this trouble coming to ward It off Prece-
dents of. the service were violated by
changing the awards. ! recommended
three men for D. S. NJ. They were re-
fused. That was three out of 40, 900 men
The only man under me who received The
D. S. NJ. was a man named Isaacs. All
he did was to be captured by the
enemy"
Senator Hale asked If Sims was IN
able to get any definite policy from the
department on awards.
Il wrote to Admiral knight relative
to the policy and he told me the awards
board had no policy"
CHARGE SECRETARY
CHANGED THE LISTS.
Admiral Sims, in a letter to Secretary
Daniels some weeks ago, charged the sec
rotary with having altered the list Of
naval awards Of honor medals as sub
mitted TO him by the board and redis-
tributed the decorations in a way preju-
dicial to the morale OF the navy and
tending to bring the service into ridi-
cule
Notably Secretary Daniels was criti-
cised for having given high honors to
captains Of vessels whose ships were
sunk by the enemy than recommended,
h4'OH5 0U~H O44NcAS peluS the secretary
brother-in-law, Commander Bagley.
A second letter from Admiral Sims. at
Newport, r. /, 20 the secretary OF the
navy, dealing, 1t is understood, with les
sons taught by the war, will likewise be
one Of the exhibits at the hearing. OF
this communication. Secretary Daniels
remarked:
again the pipe line from Newport
seems to have given out information con
corning the letter before, or as soon as
It reached my desk. / have not yet had
chance to read 1t ALL but as far as I
have gone 1t is critical in spirit"