The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1920-03-16
HUNS NEEDED
BUT TO BLUFF,
CLAIMS SIMS
Germans Could Have Won
War by Well-Directed Feint
He Says - Would Have
Paralyzed avy Operations.
Department IN DARK
(RY Associated Prcssl

(By Associated prcSs)
WASHINGTON, March ia little
bluff" on the part of the Germans in
1918, at the crucial point of the war,
would have paralyzed transportation
of soldiers and war material between
this country and Europe, Read Ad-
miral Sims today told the senate naval
subcommittee.
Information from authentic sources,
indicating that the Germans were
building two heavily armored modern
ba tile cruisers for a desperate last
hope raid against troop ship conveys
was transmitted to the navy depart
ment, Admiral Sims said, and imme-
diately he was besieged with ca BILE
grams from Washington outlining var
fous plans of action, all of which he
testified, were impracticable, although
such a contingency had been under
discussion for nearly year and there
had been ample time to prepare.
IF the enemy had only known"
said Admiral Sims, "all he need have
done was to make series of bluffs.
involving little risk to himself and
we would have done the rest. Ship
ping would have been paralyzed."
Three Of Four No Good
Admiral Sims discussed at length
Aoot Pidho Piopoocu ny luS ucpdl
ment for defeating Germany on the
seas. They were: A protected lane
through the danger zone; the block
ing OF German ports by sinking ships
in the entrance; mine barriers Of nets
and mines of types then in use; mine
barriers Of mines of a new type. All
except the last were impracticable,
he declared, and much time was vast
ed by the insistence of the department
that they be tried.
The department wished to land a
solar plexus blow" against the sub
marine campaign, the Admiral said
and suggested many schemes long be-
fore rejected by the allies. Such a
plan was that of sinking old battle
ships and cruisers in the entrances to
all German submarine base harbors
Admiral Sims asserted, and only after
he had pointed out that the scheme
would require the sinking of 40 battle
ships and 43 cruisers, and six months
of preparation did the department
agree to abandon the plan. 1t took
seven months of effort to bring the
Washington officials to the final con-
clusion, he said.
First Suggested Mines.
On May II, 1917, the navy depart
ment first suggested the idea Of
barrage Of mines across the North Sea
to trap the German sea forces, Ad-
miral Sims said, and at that time he
opposed the plan because the allies
could not afford to divert the large
numbers Of men and ships and huge
amounts Of material necessary to
make the project a success, he de-
clared: and also because the old type
mines then In use were not practicable
for such purpose.
Later, when the submarine cam
ra'"n was wnll in hand and a new
type Of Antenna mine developed in
this country he approved the idea. he
said, and helped to expedite the lay
ing Of the barrage. The result, the
North Sea mine barrage, was a mag
nificent achievement the admiral said,
rejecting great credit on the navy
and the officers and men who were
responsible for the success of the pro.
ject.
Admiral Sims said he particularly
wished to refute an assertion wide
ly circulated" that the department
had proposed and from the first fav.
ored the barrage mine project and
that he was "about the only officer
in the navy that ever opposed it."
Did Not Have Information.
TF> navy department at the time
the United States entered the war,
Admiral Sims said, was not "verv
much better informed than the gen
eral public of actual conditions in the
belligerent countries and had but lit
tie trustworthy information regarding
such matters as submarine losses,
shipping losses. anti-submarine meas
ures or other matters concerning
which complete knowledge was essen
tial to the development Of effective
plans for combating the submarine
menace
Even after he arrived in England
and had access to the information he
could not place it at the disposal of
the department Immediately, he add
cd because Of the smallness of his
staff