Albuquerque morning journal., 1920-03-26
NAVY NOT UP To
PEACE STANDARD
At OUTBREAK Of
WAR, IS CLAIM
Witness Alleges There Was
a Shortage Of Reserves
Officers and Enlisted Men
When Conflict Began,
RESPONSIBILITY UP
TO DANIELS, CLAIM
Congress Not To Blame, As
It Gave Everything the
Department Asked For,
Says Capt, |, 0, Palmer
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Washington, March 25.-" Pro-
crastination on the part of Score
tary Daniels" was responsible for
serious shortage of personnel
which proved" the initial handicap
of the navy in the war" Captain
Leigh c.. Palmer, wartime chief of
the bureau of navigation, testified
today before the senate committee
investigating the navy's conduct of
the ware
The secretary, Captain Palmer
declared, was unable to appreciate
the necessity for obtaining and
training men in advance of an ac-
tual declaration of war. even
after war was declared" the wit
ness said, che used to say we have
too many reserves now Just be-
fore the United States joined the
allies, when the bureau of naviga-
ton was striving to recruit naval
reserves, the witness continued, Sec
retary Daniels ordered enrollmen:
in the reserve stopped.
did you stop" asked Chairman
Hale.
mo, we needed the men, and
went right ahead"
II talked to Mr. Daniels the other
day and he doesn't remember any
thing about that" said the witness,
but he did order me to stop enroll
ment then and several other times, :"
Captain Palmer told the commit
tee that when war was declared the
navy was short $1,000 regular and
reserve enlisted men and about g.,
600 officers from its peace time re-
quirements and that at least 20,-
600 additional enlisted men and
many more officers were needed
for destroyers as soon as war waA
declared.
The witness said congress was
not to blame as ii gave everything
the department asked for.
Replying to a question by Chair
man Hale, Captain Palmer declared
that Secretary Daniels did all he
could to help get men "in the criti-
cal days of the spring Of 1917
"The secretary" he said back
ed up all efforts to get enlisted
men. He was anxious to get them"
Captain Palmer said requests
from Rear Admiral Sims for addi-
tional officers to assist him were
granted whenever possible. He did
not remember that Admiral Sims
had made any requests for addi-
tional officers early in the war
enlisted men were sent to Ad-
miral Sims as fast as we could
train them" said the witness. 81 did
not know he did not get all he
wanted until this Investigation
came up. When the enlisted men
did get abroad they didn't have
barracks for them"
Admiral Sims previously had told
the committee that failure of the
department to provide him with
adequate assistance early in the
war was one of his greatest diff
culties.
Asked by Senator Trammell,
democrat, Florida, if great diff
Guilty was not experienced in get
ting young men to enlist in the
navy before the war Captain Pal
mer said:
Yes, that is true. Secretary DAN
iels was very anxious about it. He
used to say Can we do anything
more toward getting enlistments?
The captain explained that his
statement applied to the secretary's
attitude toward the enlistment of
regulars and not reserves.
Washington, March 25.-Capt
Leigh C. Palmer, who as chief of
the bureau of navigation during
the war was responsible for obtain
ing and distributing Officers and
men, testified today that a short
age of personnel was the American
"navy's initial handicap in the
war."
Appearing before the senate
committee investigating Rear Ad-
miral Sims charges against the
navy department, Captain Palmer
said Secretary Daniels was re-
sponsible for the alleged shortage
because of his "procrastination"
prior to the entry of this country
into the conflict.
Mr.. Daniels consistently opposed
the building up of a strong naval
reserve force before the war, the
former navy chief asserted, al |
though naval officers had warned
the secretary that after war was
declared it would be too late to OBJ
tain and train the men necessary. |
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