The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1920-05-21
DANIELS SAYS HIS
NAME WAS FORGED
Declares the Document Display
sd by Sims Bogus
SAYS IN APOLOGY IS DUE HIM
Secretary Charges That The Admiral
Withdrew Destroyer Escort From
Fi~vt Convoy AS Soon As It
Arrived Abroad.

Wa ington-Charge that cable
gram produced before the Senate
Naval Investigating Committee during
the testimony of Rear Admiral Sims
bore a forged signature were made by
Secretary Daniels. He referred to a
mess1ge which Admiral Sims had pre-
senrAd as part Of his criticism Of the
May Department and which purport-
ed to have been signed by the Secre-
tary.
Somewhere somebody was guilty
of signing my name to an official dis
patch which the original, here pro-
luced, shows never signed Mr..
Daniels told the committee, cor Of
altering dispatch by erasing the
real signature and substituting Dan
iels'n
The concluding paragraph Of the
cablepram read
I'm regard to conveys consider
that American vessels having armed
guards are safer when sailing indie
pendently."
Mr.. Daniels testified that immedi-
ately upon reading the Admirals tes-
timony he knew he never sent such
a cablegram and he started an in
yestigation.
II knew" he said, that if my name
appeared on such 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 the name signed to it was
A. F. Carter, ''by directions of the
chief of naval operations"
The statement that it was signed
Daniels is untrue, said the Secre-
tary. mo such telegram signed
Daniels was ever sent to Admiral
Sims. In his testimony he reiterated
over and over again that this dispatch
made him about ready to jump over
board and that it was signed with
my name, conveying the impression
that the civilian secretary of the navy
had personally passed upon the ques-
ton of particular method to pro.
tect shipping and was resisting the
adoption of the convoy system.
knew never entertained the opinion
stated in the dispatch he displayed"
Admiral Sims should produce the
person who changed the signature,
Mr.. Daniels declared, adding that the
Admiral owed can apology to me and
to the country for the impression I'M
dertaken to be made by his testimony
based upon false signature"
Much of the secretary's testimony
was developed to the controversy over
conveying troop ships. He insisted
that Admiral Sims had not agreed with
the departments views as to the nee
essity for protecting transports and
told the committee he had found it
necessary to remind Admiral Sims sew
eral times during the war that the
first duty of American destroyers
abroad was to protect these vessels.
The Admiral's course regarding the
protection Of troop ships caused the
department much anxiety" the Sec
rotary declared, and finally he "blunt-
ly' told Sims that everything was
secondary to the safeguarding of YES
sells carrying American soldiers.
Mr.. Daniels charged that Admiral
Sims withdrew the destroyer escort
from the first convoy as soon as it
arrived abroad, leaving THE transports
no protection for the return voyage
Admiral Gleaves. in charge of the
convoy system, doubted the ,authen
ITCHY of Admiral Sims order directing
the destroyer force to proceed tc
Queenstown and made an investiga
ton both through the American EN-
bassy at Paris and the Navy Depart
ment. Admiral Sims, he said, finally
was instructed to project the ships
when they left France.