New-York tribune., 1920-03-11
tiffany &CO.
FIFTH AVENUE & 37mSrREHr
PEARLS DIAMONDS .JEwElRY
olLVERMARE STATIONERY

neutral, were lost. The number Of
sessels unsuccessfully attacked indi-
o@'ea great increase in. the number
practically q million tons lost every
lnonth until the shorter days of
autumn come. BY that time the sea
VIII be about clear Of shipping
Most OF the ships are sunk to the
westward and southwark of Ireland.
Inc British have in that area every
aValiable anti-submarine craft, but
their force is so insufficient that thev
hardly discourage the submarines. The
nfiNsn transport of troops and sup
pines is already strained to the utmost.
and the maintenance of the armies in
the field is threatened. There is food
enough here to last the civil population
only Eot more than six weeks or two
months. Whatever help the United
States may render at any time in the
future, or in any theater of the war.
our help is now moro seriously needed
IN TINS submarine area for the sake of
all 1he A'iies than it can ever be
needed again, or anywhere else.
After talking over this critical sit
uaton with the Prime Minister and
o0her members of the government.
cannot refrain from most STRONGLY
recommending the immediate sendnr
over OF every destroyer and all other
craft that can be of anti-submarine
use. lhls seems to me the sharpest
crisis OF the war, and the most DANGER
Gus situation for the Allies that has
arisen, or could arise. If enough slh-
marines can be DESTROYED in rhe navt
two or three months the war will be
Won, ana # we can contribute effective
help Immediately it Will be won direct
i by our aid
81 cannot exaggerate the pressing
ana INCREASING danger Of this situa-
ton Thirty or more destroyers and
o'her similar craft sent by us i'm
mediately would very likely be deci
siYe. There is no time to be lost.
Although this message was sent
April 27, Admiral Sims Showed that it
was not until June 20, almost two
months later, that Secretary Daniels
advised him that thirty-two destroyers
were on the way. In the meantime, in
message after message read to the
committee. Sims had been urging the
development of the convoy system,
whqresss Secretary Daniels was INSIST
on merchant ships and limiting this
measure to those vessels flying the
American flag. In this same message
announcing the sailing Of the thirty
two destroyers. Secretary Daniels
called:
ON regard to convoy, consider that
American vessels having armed guards
are safer when sailing Independently y"
You may imagine my despair on re-
cciving this" said the witness, by way
OF comment. when for weeks and
months | had been explaining how the
armed ship method was failing to meet
the situation; when the very first two
American armed merchant ships sent
through the war zone had been sunk, I
and when it would have seemed obvi-
ors to school boy that the task was
not merely to protect the infnitesi-
n aally na1le small number .S Of o,Y AYerican ships
civil populations; and that unless Al
lied shipping generally was protected
It would be impossible to get an Amer
lcan army to France in time to prevent
Allied defeat
Summing up what the failure of the
Navy Department to adopt the convoy
system when it was first urged on
Secretary Daniels had cost, Admiral
Sims said:
The figures which I have before me
show clearly that in April, 1917, the
count of the losses Of tonnage. In the
first four months OF the year there
had been net loss of more than g.
100000 tons, or per cent OF the total
Allied and neutral shipping, and the
rate Of losses had been increasing
every month. In April alone the net
losses amounted to 100000 tons, or
twice as much as the whole period of
the war before January L, 1917. 1T
was apparent that these losses, if con-
tinued, would soon reduce the tonnage
70 hot
ments and the requirements of the pop
ulations of the Allied countries could
not longer be maintained. The imports
already had been reduced by 40 pc, cent
from the pre-war figures. They could
not be reduced further without starving
the armies of the civil populations Of
the Allied countries. Any further re-
duction at the rate then existing would
have made it impossible to have trans
ported an American army or to main
tain it when once abroad"