Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1922-10-28
LAVE LETTER GIVES
WRONG INF PRESTON,
DANIELS DECLARES

WASHINGTON, Oct. 27.-Declar-
ing wholly wrong impression" of
important historical facts had been
given in one of the recently publish.
ed letters of Franklin K. Lane. sec
rotary of the interior under Presi-
dent Wilson, Joseph Daniels. who
sat in the Wilson cabinet as secre-
tary Of the navy, telegraphed the
Associated Press last night story
Of the events which he said had
led up to the adoption of the con-
voy systemic protecting American
ships early in 1917.
Mr.. Daniels message. sent from
High Point. N, c.. made particular
reference to statement in one OF
the Lane letters saying that at ii
cabinet meeting on February 25,
1919, Daniels said we must not con-
voy-that it would be dangerous. 4"
The letter also. attributed to Presi-
dent Wilson a suggestion that this
country was not willing that we
should take any risks of war"
Fortunately, 1 kept diary in
those days." said Mr.. Daniels tele-
gram. Here is exactly what hap
pened at that cabinet meeting in
February before we had entered the
war-President Wilson turned to me
and asked, Daniels, why have the
British not conveyed their ships?"
"In reply 1 informed him that
the policy of the British admiralty
was against the convoy formation,
and that they regarded it more
dangerous in u-boat zones to sail in
company under convoy than for
each merchant ship to go on it's
own. I added that some of our
naval officers of high rank held
use / made of the word dangerous
1.-The president replied that he be-
lieved the British admiralty was
wrong and those American naval Of
ficers who agreed with them were
also wrong. and that the British
ought long ago to have conveyed
their ships. A few weeks later, ]
think it was the last day of March,
1917. or about that date, when be-
fore the United States entered the
structions told him that President
Wilson had long believed that the
allies ought to use the convoy and
did not agree with our own naval
officers who took the same position
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 Jel-
licoe and a short time thereafter the
convoy system was put in practice
with good results.
Our navy placed gun crews on
merchants ships before the United
States entered the war. The navy
also furnished a 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
perils and danger proves this state
ment.
1.-THE American navy furnished
the larger part Of the convoy that
protected the larger amount Of ship
ping that passed Gibraltar, and it
conveyed all It's own ships across
the Atlantic after we entered the
war. In fact, but for the service
by the American navy. the
convoy system could not have &C
complished t he results which
made it successful. It owned
it's adoption chiefly to President
Wilson, who, while observing strict
neutrality while that was the ma
tional policy, began effective pre-
paredness before we entered the
war and prosecuted it vigorously
with force to the utmost"