Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1920-03-19
IS COUNTS ARE
IN INDICTMENT
LODGED BY SIMS
AGAINST CHIEF
Rear Admiral Lays Before
Senate Committee Specific
Charges Alleging Mistakes
and Costly Delays,
NO RECON- MENDATl0NS
REGARDING REMEDIES
Unwilling to Suggest Rene
dial Proposals Unless a
Full and Sweeping Probe
of His Charges Is Made,


! fsr MORNING JouwHsl SPECIAL LSksNc wtRGI
Washington, March lS.-Respon-
| sibility for conditions which
prompted Rear Admiral Sims to in
diet the navy departments conduct
of the war can be determined only
on full investigation of his charge.
the officer declared today before
the naval investigating committee,
concluding his direct testimony.
For that reason, Admiral Sims
said, he had no well founded"
recommendation to make as to
remedies. Until further investiga-
tion disclosed whether the errors
and mistakes he has charged were
due to faulty organization or inef-
! ficient personnel, no added, he
would not attempt to formulate
remedial proposals.
Cross organization of Admiral
Sims was postponed until Monday
on request of Senators Pittman, OF
| Nevada, and Trammell, of Florida,
democratic members of the COM
mittee Senator Pittman said he
had requested the postponement
that he might have time to read
Admiral Sims testimony.
40 point out violations of well
known and generally accepted
principles Of warfare such as have
been shown by my testimony Is in
itself to suggest the remedy which
is obviously to avoid such violations
In the future" said Admiral Sims In
closing his statement. Previously
he had summarized in thirteen spe-
cific counts the charges he made
against the navy department and
emphasized strongly his reiterated
assertion that he did not desire that
any of his testimony be understood
as charging responsibility for the
conditions he criticised to any In
dlvidual, His own knowledge OF
conditions In the department dur
ing the war was too limited to war
rant any such accusation, he de-
clared.
Captain Horace Lanning, now
commander of the destroyer force
In the Atlantic and assistant chief
of naval operations and acting
chief of the bureau of navigation
during the war. has been called by
the committee to testify following
the cross examination of Rear Ad-
miral Sims.
Concluding his arraignment of
the navy departments conduct of
the war, Rear Admiral Sims laid
before the senate investigating
committee today thirteen specific
counts in his Indictment charging
mistakes and costly delays.
The admirafs charges against
the navy department were summar-
lied as follows.
Failure to have vessels ready Tor
war mt Americas entrance.
Failure to supply him with plans
or policy during the first three
months of war.
Prolongation of the war by de-
lay in sending ships TO European
waters.
Failing to appreciate the military
value of time.
Violation of fundamental mill
tary policies In attempting formu-
Iation of plans without detailed
knowledge of the situation.
Attempting direction of details
while three thousand miles from
the scene of active operations
where the situation changed daily.
Failure to follow sound principles
In not clearly defining responsible
ity and delegating authority to its
I'M Europe.
Violation of the principle of unity
of command I'm controlling opera
tions I'm the war area.
Failure to keep It's representative
abroad informed rs to plans ana
dispositions of forces In the war
zone.
Failure 10 supply adequate forces
of men or Ships during the first
three months of war.
Violation OF fundamental primer
pies in dispensing forces from the
critical AREA In order to meet d.
versions of the enemy.