Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1920-05-14
DANIELS CLAIMS HIS NAME WAS FORGED
 ID SIMS MESSAGE
Cable Which Admiral Used tO Criticize Him Is At-
 tackled
SAYS NAVAL LEADER
 SHOULD APOLOGIZE
Secretary Also Calls on Him to Pro- duce the Person Who Forged the Telegram-ConvOy Sys-
 tenn Criticized

" doiiIlS toll, Mdy Io.-Secfetafy Daniels told the senate naval lnves- tlgatlng committee today that he had not signed cablegram bearing what purported to be his signataure which was among those read to the commit tee by Rear Admiral Sims when the investigation began. The original of the message, MT. Daniels said, did not show his signature and he added that his name had been forged to the copy presented by Admiral Sims.
 Mir. Daniels declared Admiral Sims in his statement had stressed the words "signed" on commenting on the message, and had said that it's pur- port had made him feel like "jump- ing overboard"
 The cablegram concluded with the sentence: In regard to conveys, I con- sider that American vessels having armed guards are safer when sailing independently
 The original of the cable was found at the British embassy through which it was transmitted and was signed "A. F. Carter, by direction of the chief of naval operations" Mr. Dan iels told the committees, presenting copies of the original dispatach.
 He added that he had never held the opinion set forth and knew as soon as Admiral Sims read the mes- sage to the commiteee that he had not signed it.
 Somewhere, somebdy was guilty of signing my name to an official dis patch which the original here pro- duced. shows l never signed" said My onia1c U0r Of a1t patch by erasing the original sigma ture and substituting Daniels I knew that if my name appeared on such a telegram it would be because somebody had forged my name to it!"
 Convoy Service.
 Admiral Sims owed both the coun- try and himself an apology for the impression conveyed by testimony based upon false signatures, MT. Dan els said, and should produce the per son who altered the signature.
 Much of Secretary Daniels testi mony today was devoted to Admiral Sims criticism of the departments troop convoy methods. The admiral. Mir. Daniels declared, persisted in re- garding cargo ships as more vital to the allied cause than troop ships and took the attitude that the former should be protected, if necessary, at the cost of transports. This attitude caused the department. much anxi- etv. he added, and finally resulted in blunt admonition that the protec- tion of troop ships was the navy's first mission.
 MT. Daniels told the committee he did not know that Admiral Sims held such view until the officer testified recently before a court of inquiry or he would have recalled the officer from London.
 Somewhere somebody was guilty of signing my name to an official dis patch which the original, here pro- duced. shows I never signed" Mr. Daniels told the committee, Cor of altering dispatch by erasing the real signature and substituting Daniels"
 The concluding paragraph of the ca- bleeram read:
 "In regard to conveys I consider that American vessels having armed guards are safer when sailing inde- pendently." ..
 MT. Daniels testified that imme- diately upon reading the AdmiraPs testimony he knew he never sent such cablegram and he started an inves- tigation.
 'I knew," he said, "that if my name appeared on such a telegram it would be because somebody had forged my name to it."
 The secretary said he finally found the original dispatch in the British embassy. through which it had been sent and that te name signed to it was "A. F. Carter" by direction of the chief of naval operations.
 "The statement that it is signed Daniels" is untrue" said the secre- tary. "No such tetlegram signed