Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1920-05-12
Daniels Clues Out Message
Sent By Wilson to Sims III (.
Regard to Work of British
President Expressed Great
Surprise Over Fact That
England Had Not Used
Her Naval Superiority in
Defeating German Sub
marines.

AAA0AA o00.
marines.
:, Washington, May IA s. conf
Dental cablegram from President
wilson to Rear Admiral Sims in Lon
don sent during the war was read 10
the senate naval investigating COM
nlittee today by Secretary Daniels IL
expressed surprise that the British
admiralty had failed TO "use Great
brltain's great naval superiority ef-
1ectlvely against the submarines and
cailed on Admiral Sims for comments
ana suggestions based on "independ-
ent thought and without regard 10
Judgments OF anyone on that side OF
| the water.,'
The admiralty was helpless 10 the
point of panic in the face Of tho
submarine situation. the message
said.
Wilson's Message
PRESIDENT Wilson's message to Sims
follows ''t'''"
From the beginning of the war.
| have been greatly surprised al the
| failure of the British admiralty TO use
Great Brltain's great naval superiority
IN an effective way In the presence
| OF the present submarine emergency
panic. - W
pidH we suggested they re-
EJect for some reason Of prudence. In
my view this is not a time for prl-
dence but for boldness even at the
cost of great losses
IN most of your dispatches Won
nave quite properly advised us of the
| sort or aid and cooperation desired
from 1l, US by the admiralty. The trou-
40 not seem to us efficacious; 7
would be very much obliged to YOU
II you would report to me, conf
, denually. of course, exactly what the
admlralty has been doing and what
they have accomplished and, added
10 the report, your own comments and
suggestions, based upon independent
thought of the whole situation with.
out regard to the judgments Of any
's " Admtrs!sy Adm 1aGs & xers s9s siaw. SassF.
The admiralty was very slow TO
ADOPT the protection Of conveys and
IT is not now, judge (protecting)
eonvoys on adequate scale within the
Danger zone. seeming to keep small
craft with the grand fleet. The ab
sence of craft, for convoy is even
more apparent on the French coast
than on the English coast and in the
channel. l do not see how the nee
essary military supplies and supplies
OF 1000 and fuel oil are to be delivered
Wltnln the next few months than
der adequate convoy. There will
presently not be ships or tankers
enough and our shipbuilding plans
may not begin to yield import results
IN less than 18 months.
believe that you will keep these
| instructions absolutely and entirely
, to yourself and that you will give me
such advice as you would give n
you were handling and if you were
running navy of your own"
Mr. Daniels also read letter from
Admlral Sims to former Am bassador
; Page at London. written August {.
1917, which in part said:
| In this connection l have a sue-
! gestion' to make. l have received
word. practically directly from the
|, president. that he was much dis
llpleased with my reply to his cable
gram. That it did not change his
opinion at all; that he regards me as
owned by the admiralty and so pro-
British that he seriously considered
the advisability Of replacing me by
some other officer.
! Admiral Sims reply to the prcs1-
dent told also of plans for a COM
blned sea and land attack to turn the
German right flank and cut off Zee
brugge as a provisioning base. MI
Daniels said
I al oiItlS lOlu prGSlQGnt ne
had been shown studies Of the de-
partment's plan to prevent the egress
or submarines, Mr.. Daniels said, and
that he considered the scheme i'm
! practicable.
Sims Cabled President.
! Sims cable TO the president sus-
! gested that the proper policy to pur-
sue was to adopt the recommend;l-
tlons he had made to the depart
ment. most Of which had been dc
| clded upon and put in operation be-
fore Admiral Sims suggested them,
Secretary Daniels declared.
He added" ,he4 secretary outlined.
that we should adopt an organic
ton similar in all respects to the
British squadron and virtually trans
i fer all, naval authority to his head.
quarters in London. He was careful
not to say. though, he regarded the
| Queenstown base and SURROUNDINGS
as the critical area that as rapidly
as American destroyers arrived the
British destroyers were removed to
another area. although he now makes
the preposterous statement that the
failure to have more deStroyers in
that critical area eve had "a a that
time out of our total Of SOD occa
stoned the loss of 100000 lives aud
fifteen billion dollars of money"
Two remarkable and significant
statements in Admiral Sims reply to
president Wilson We're cited by Mr.
Daniels as evidence that the. admiral
was SO hypnotized by British influ-
ences that he was willing to try to
lure the president of the United
States into the feeling that regardless
of future developments we can al
! ways count upon ahe support of the
British navy"
The first was that the views he
had expressed were in all IAN indo-
pendent opinion based upon specific
facts collected in the admiralty and
other government departments"
The second was as follows:
Depend upon the fact. which l be-
! lieve to be true, that regardless Of
any future developments we can al
ways count upon the support OF the
| British navy. have been assured Of
this by important government ofii-
Gals"
''1t would be interesting to know
what British government officials as
sured him that regardless Of future
Developments the United States can
/! always count. upon the support Of
the British navy" said Mr. Daniels
Admiral Sims was under the sheil.
OF influences that made him believe
that the British government could
be depended upon more to take care
OF America than that America should
depend upon her own strong rights
ARM ~ sald Mr.. Danieis. Fi Es
This attitude of acceptance Of Ell.