Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1920-05-13
ENGLAND HELPLESS
To POINT Of PANIC,
WILSON TOLD SIMS
Said Admiralty Was Slow to
Protect Conveys - Reply,
Daniels Says, Was Com
posed of GeneraIities

WASHIN GTON, May PA conf
Dental cablegram from President
Wilson to Rear Admiral Sims in Lon
don, sent during the war, was read
to the senate naval investigating
committee today by Secretary Dan
iels. 1t expressed surprise. that the
British admiralty had failed to "use
Great Britain's great naval superb
ority' effectively against the sub
marines and called on Admiral Sims
for comments and suggestions based
on independent thought and with
out regard to judgments of any one
on that side of the water"
The admiralty was helpless to the
roint of panic" in the face of the
submarine situation, the messag e
said.
Every plan we suggest the re-
ject for some reason Of prudence"
Mr.. Wilson added I'm my view this
is not a tine of prudence, but for
boldness even at the cost of great
loss"
In conclusion President Wilson
asked Admiral Sims to advise him as
he would give advice IF you were
running navy of, your. own
Admiral Sims reply, said Secre-
tary Daniels, who presented the
presidents message in connection
with his answer to Sims charges
against the navy departments con-
duct Of the war, was "a long te1e-
gram of generalitites of what the
British admiralty was doing"
President Wilson's message to Adj
miral Sims follows:
From the beginning of the war, I
have been greatly surprised at the
failure of the British admiralty to
use Great Rritain's great naval SUI
per1orlty in an effective way. In the
presence of the present submarine
emergency they are helpless to the
point of panic.
Every plan we suggest they re-
ject for some reason of prudence. In
my view this is not a time for prI,-
dence, but for boldness even at thu
cost of great losses.
Plans Not Good
"In nest of your dispatches you
have quite properly advised US of
the sort of aid and cooperation de-
sired from us by the admiralty. The
trouble is that their plans and meth
DDS do not seem to us efficacious. l
would be very much obliged to you
if you would report to me, conf
dentlally, of course. exactly what
the admiralty has been doing, and
what they have accomplished, and,
added to the report, your own COM
ments and suggestions, based upon
independent thought of the whole
situation, without regard to the
Judgments of anyone on that side Of
the water.
THE admiralty was\very slow to
adopt the protection of convoy and
it is not now, 1 judge (protecting)
conveys on adequate scale within
the danger zone, seeming to keep
small craft with the grand fleet
The absence of craft for CONVOY is
even more apparent on the French
coast than on the English coast and
in the channel. [ do not see how
the necessary military supplies and
supplies of food and fuel oil are
to be delivered at British ,orts in
any other way within the next few
months than under adequate con-
voy. There will presently not be
ships or tankers enough and our
ship building plans may not begin
to yield important results in less
than eighteen months.
II believe that you will keeE
these instructions absolutely and
entirely to yourself, and that you
will give me such advice as you
would give if you were handling and
If you were running a navy of your
own"
Mr.. Daniels also read a letter
from Admiral Sims to former Am
bassador Page at London, writer
I'm this con nection 1 have sug
gestion to make. L have received
word, practically directly from tn.
president, that he was much dis
pleased with my reply to his cable
opinion at all; that he regards me
as owned by the admiralty and sc
pro-British that he seriously consid
cred the adV1SabilltY of replacing me
by some other officer
zebrugge Plan
Admiral Sims reply to the presi
dent told also of plans for a com
bined sea and land attack 10 turr
the German right flank and cut Oft
Ieebrugge, as a, provisioning nase
Mr.. Daniels said,
That was the kind of bold anC
audacious' thing the President anC
the navy department had been urg.
ing from our entrance into the war,
declared the secretary. But ever
then, Admiral Sims said, it had not
been definitely decided on by the
war council. though the daring anG
successful attack on Zeebrugge
been a very different story if il
had been undertaken earlier when
the navy department was frying
some such bold plan, all of which
Admiral Sims thought 'impractica-
BILE when urged by the navy de.
partment."
Admiral Sims told the president he
had been shown studies of the de-
|. partments plan to prevent the
egresS of submarines, Mr.. Daniels
said, and that he considered the
scheme impracticable. y
"He evidently sought to discredft
the navy departments plans by
saying that these same suggestions
made by people of all classes since
the beginning of the war" said Mr.
Daniels. INSTEAD of accepting the
departments suggestions of great Of
fensive plans or originating some