New-York tribune., 1922-10-26
Daniels Denies
Opposing Ship
Convoy System
Quotes From Diary i'm Reply
TO Franklin X. Lanes
Charge That He Warned
Wilson of Its Dangers

WASHINGTON, Oct. 25.-Declaring
wholly wrong impression" of i'm
portant historical facts had been given
In one Of the recently published let
ters of Franklin K. Lane, Secretary of
the Interior under President Wilson,
Josephus Daniels, who sat in the Will
son Cabinet as Secretary of the Navy,
telegraphed The Associated Press to-
night story of the events which he
said led him up to the adoption Of the
convoy system of protecting American
ships early in 1917.
Mr.. Daniels's message, sent from
High Point, N. c., made particular
reference to statement in one Of
the Lake letters saying that at a
Cabinet meeting on February %, 1917,
"Daniels said we must not convoy
that it would be dangerous The let
ter also attributed to President Will
son suggestion that this country
was not willing that we should take
any risks of war"
Quotes From His Diary
Fortunately, kept diary in those
days" said MIR. Danietss telegram.
"Here is exactly what happened at
that Cabinet meeting in February, be-
fore we had entered the war. Prasi-
dent Wilson turned to me and asked.
Daniels, why have the British not
conveyed xleir ships?'
"ln reply / informed him that the
policy Of the British Admiralty was
against the convoy, that after long ex-
perience in the war the merchant
captains preferred to take their
chances sailing singly than in convoy
formation, and thu they regarded it
as more dangerous in U-boat zones to
sail in company under convoy than for
| added that some of our naval of
ticers of high rank held this same view.
That gas the only use I made of the
word Dangerous.
"The President replied that he be-
lieved the British Admiralty was
wrong and those American naval of
ficers who agreed with them were
wrong also, and that the British ought
long ago to have conveyed their ships"
Tells Sims of Wilson's Views
"a few weeks later, / think it was
the last day of March, 1917, or about
that s date, when, before the United
States entered the war, in giving
Admiral Sims instructions, / told him
that President Wilson had long be-
lieved that the Allies ought to use the
convoy and did not agree with our own
naval officers, who took the same posi-
tion that the British Admiralty and the
other Allies had practiced Shortly
after his arrival In London, Admiral
Sims presented President Wilson'S
views on the convoy to Admiral Jelli-
coe, and a short time thereafter the
convoy system was put in practice with
good results.
chant ships before the United States
entered the war. The navy also fur
nished gunners' crew for such ships.
1t was dangerous and the hardest sort
of service. Neither before war was
declared nor during the war did /
hesitate to adopt and carry out any
policy, no matter how dangerous, that
promised protection, and the story of
how the navy dared pcrils and danger
proves this statement.
The American navy furnished the
larger part of the convoy. that pro-
tected the large amount of shipping
'Hat passed SinraItnr, and it conveyed
an its own ships across the Atlantic
a1ter we entered the war. In fact, but
1or the service rendered by the Ameri-
can navy, the convoy system could not
have accomplished the results which
made it successful. 1t owed its adon-
tion chiefly to President Wilson, who.
while observing strict neutrality while
that was the national policy, began
effective preparedness before we en-
tered the war and prosecuted it yiyor-
ousiy with force to the utmost"