Republican farmer., 1920-03-19
SIMS HAS
 FINISHED
 CHARGES
There Are Thirteen Counts In Indict-
 ment.

Of the navy departments con duct of the war, Rear Admiral Sims laid before the Senate In- vestigating committee today thirteen specific counts in his indictment charging mistakes and costly delays.
 Reiterating his declaration that his criticisms were aimed at no individual but that responsibility for any fail ures'' rested upon 'The navy depart ment as an organization Admiral Sims said:
 ''If I have shown that there was ] lack of cooperation or clear under l standing on the part of the navy de- | partment as to where it's efforts should be directed-if have shown that the navy was hampered by a 1 lack of preparedness, by lack of es- sential plans, and by being held back in the beginning-if I have demon strated that victory was won not be- cause of these errors but in spite of them and that such errors were only nullified by commission of circum- stances which we would be foolhardy indeed to count upon in the future then I will feel that I have been fully
 justified in submitting my letter (to
 Secretary Daniels) of January 7.'' | If any individual was responsible, Admiral Sims said, the fact would necessarily have to be developed by persons who knew the inner work. ings'' of the department during the war.
 The adniraPs summary of the charges follow:
 That in spite of the fact that the ,-,Izf three years and our entry into it had been imminent at least from Feb ruaSs 2, 1917, the vessels of the navy
 were not ready for war service when the United States entered.
 That the first few months after
 America entered the war were ex- z oremely critical ones for the whole all
 lied cause, due to the success of en- eny submarines.
 That this critical situation was
 made clear to the Navy Department
 a few days after America entered the ; war and repeatedly thereafter by r cables and letters. supported by inde- :. pendent advicss to the government . from the American ambassador in g London and by MT. Hoover. e That the Navy Department SUD- I piled me with no plans or policy cov- ering our participation in the war for three months after our entry therein '"That having information as to the critical situation of the Allies the > Navy Department did not promptly assist them and thereby prolonged 2 the war by delaying the sending ol Z anti-submarine vessels, none reaching e Europe for nearly month after wal ,, was declared, and 2 F months clap = sing before thirty vessels arrived.
 fai IaC = to appreciate the military value o1 l, time.
 | That the navy department violated e fundamental military principles in at = ! tempting to formulate war plans O. s operation without having sufhcien o knowledge of the whole situation.
 'aThat the departments representa-
 tive with the allied admiralties wa:
 not supported during the most critica
 months of the war either by ade
 quate personnel or by adequate forces > that could have been supplied F F ''That the navy department violat A ed fundamental military principles il dispersing forces away from the criti
 cal area in order to meet diversions o l. the enemy.
 n 'srhat the navy department in thu Il first months of the war attempted if the direction of details althougl IS 5000 miles distant from the scene O " active opera tions where the situation $ was changing from day to day. , That the navy department, in no le clearly defining the responsibility ant l. delegating auth ority to it's representa- l. tive in Europe, failed to follow sount ,- principles, common alike to the busi
 ness and military professions. d That the navy department by con n trolling the operations and move
 ments of certain forces within tn
 war area violated the fundamenta
 military principle of unity of com
 mand.
 '"That the navy department faile
 to keeps it's representative abroa .R completely informed as to it's plan M affecting dispatch and disposition c ' forces in the war zone. and frequent
 Iy reported decisions in such matter
 through information gained fror ie sources other than it's representativ v in the war zone."
 " Admiral Sims said he was not in A' sensible to the splendid work don n by the navy at large or the variou Tt bureaus and other offices of the nav pr departm ent.'' His statements wer Id directed almost entirely to point
 ing out defects in the administratio r. of the navy department during tn a. first few months of the war, he sait Id '"The navy, if Loyalty and properl se supported and directed may be count ot ed upon to maintain the finest trad
 tions of the service,' he added, and (
 the officers and men of the naval mi
 itia and naval reserve. he said ths
 without their invaluable help muc
 of the work done by the navy in tn n war could not have been under U taken.
 ''The outstanding feature of the ,1e service was the cheerful and Joy; he support which they gave to the regr Int lar navy at all times and under a an conditions" he declared.
 h. The thought would occur to man nd persons, Admiral Sims said, ths rs. '.hindsight is. better than foresight an as that it is always easy in the light he hindsight to point out errors commit en ted in any undertaking" But the i'
 sue under investigation was too in