Evening star., 1921-05-07
BY JOsEPHUS DANIELS,
Former Secretary OF the Navy.
ARTICLE %,

ARTICLE %.
What became Of the lost ''black plan
Is still a mystery. Made out by the
general board. guarded with the
greatest care. handled by the proper
authorities, it was carried into effect
'and then it vanished utterly.
The discovery that one of our Sc
.cret naval plans was missing came
when 1t was too late to have any ef-
feet on the situation.
None would ever have heard it was
missing, nor would we have known it
was missing. had we not looked it up
Tor the purpose of proving to certain
clamorouS critics that We had not
gone to war without plans. Long ago
1t had served its purpose as plan,
and, as We supposed. had been filed
away with thousands of other docu-
ments for purposes of record. But
there we were wrong. The plan had
not been filed away, nor could any
trace of it be found. To this day it
has not been found.
And 1t was an important plan-at
the time it was used. 1t was plan of
vital Importance.
Navy's ..Black Plan"
The Navy. for many years, has had
SET Of plans to cover possible Situa-
tions which might develop in the At
lartic. the Pacific. the Caribbean sea
: or other open waters. These plans
, originated with the general board, OF
which Admiral Dewey was chairman
until his death in January. 1917, and
were kept up-to-date by frequent re-
vision.
The plan dealing with possible hos
Utilities in the Atlantic was known as
the black plan" In February, 1917.
I'm its revised and up-to-the- minute
form. 1t dealt, of course, with the
probability of war with Germany.
February 4. the day after Bernstorf
was dismissed, the general board had
recommended in detail the principal
steps to be taken in case of war with
the central powers-mobilization OF
!&he feet, naval districts and auxihary
vessels; large increase of Navy and
Marine Corps personnel; nets and
mines to guard ports and home wat
ers against submarines, arming of
, merchant ships. and other measures,
and, most important, arrange. as
, soon as possible, plans of co-opera-
tion with the naval forces oSfhe AL
/ Atlantic commerce and for Offensive
naval operations against the common
enemy"
"Sofution of Problem =.
The general war plan was compre-
hensive; special recommendations had
been made as to the various steps we
should take. But I wanted also a
and general policy we should pursue
upon the declaration of war. These
studies are called problems" and
February 10 addressed this letter to
the general board:
TO: The General Board
subject: Solution of Problem
I. The department desires the gen.
eral board to consider the following
problem and submit its solution as
soon AZ practicable:
PROBLEM
General Situation-Conditions as at
present except that war with Ger
many il declared.
Special Situation-The allies do not
desire our batdeship force at pres
ent
"Required-Navh estimate Of the
-iFrst. az to the grand strategy de-
manded by the situations.
Second. as to disposition Of battle |
ship force.
ing in maintaining communications |
with Europe, including scheme for |
cooperation with allies.
Fourth. as to the methods Of drfv- |
ing submarines from the sea.
Assume-Mobilizatio Of all naval |
vessels and possibility OF mobilizing
merchant vessels as required.
JOSEPHUS DANIELS"
The board made a careful study OF
the whole situation. and a week later
made q report covering all the mat
ters set forth. and sent it to noe. with
the following note OF transmitt2l:
Problen Ii Solved.
General Board. Navy Department.
washington. February II. 1917.
TO: Secretary OF the Navy.
Subject: Solution Of Problem, Black
Reference (a) Navy Department
Confidential Letter Of February 10,
1917.
Il. In accordance with reference (al