Show HOOVER ON STANO i- i N. N E I Tells Senate Committee Con e o of Critical l Situation in 1917 Washington March 13 l While refusing refusing refus refus- ing InS to comment nt on military plans or policies Herbert Hoover told the Senate Sea Sen at ate committe committee Investigating the navy flavy departments department's c conduct t t of ot the tho wt war that that thai owing g to tb shortage of ot food and heavy I sl sinking o of allied merchant ships by German Gex submarines conditions abroad were critical from rom rein April 1 1317 11 until September er Mr Hoover Hoo was waa called before the tho committee at tho the request of ot Rear Admiral Ad Ad- miral Sims who asserted th that t he was as best qualified to support his contention conten conten- Uon tion that the thc allies losing the war when hen th tho United States joined th them m and that only ony a 3 vigorous campaign n against the thc U bo boats ts could bring about vi victory ry D Decline lIne lIne-a to 10 Opinion Asked if it tho navy y depart department could not have hao offered more complete O cO-O cooperation op co by sending more mora vessels to tho the critical zone Mr Hoover declined d to express an opinion except to say ear that I ho ho supposed sUP everything was was done doo that I could be Ho told the committee that he ho did not consider himself competent to testify testily regarding technical military and naval matters and that his business business busi busl- ness was to get food to tho allies Mr Ir Hoover expressed the tho belief that American merican participation p turned th the scales in favor of or iho tho ho allies at tho the critIcal critical crit crit- ical period of or tho the war although It was Incorrect to sa say that tho the United States won the thc war Blinding Is Efforts to prove provo that tho the navys navy's failure tall fail ur ure to keep him informed of or important import Import- ant developments and changes In policy policy pol pol- icy caused his associates on tho the allied naval councils to ho he was not in full confidence of or his government formed the burden of Admiral Sims's testimony today Ho HI criticised particularly particularly Jarly tho the assignment of vessels to the tho Azores Islands without first Informing him of or tho the departments department's plans assertIng asserting assert assert- ing that Washington officials played Into tho enemy's h hands Ln 8 by permitting a submarine submarino attack on an Azores port to cause diversion of American forces to those waters Ho lie characterized the tho incident as a violation of or tho fun fundamental fundamental funda funda- a- a mental montal principles of or warfare an and an indication of ot the effectiveness of lt German G-cr- G r- r man an propaganda a. a |