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Show 1 & . & uffli ' A js. l lll Secy, Daniels I Criticized By i Naval Officer I WASHINGTON, March 21. Virtual chaos existed in the navy department at the lime tl.e Unlfd States entered the war, Captain Harris Lanlng, assist 'jj ant chief of f.he bureau of navigation during the war, testified today before i y the senate investigating committee. , VUI Captain Lanlng sale, no one 1 new what to do after a plan of action submit- 5 ll ted by the bureau of operations had been disapproved and that the "personal a chracteristicr of the secretary of the navy often made It impossible to gel yj fl approval of rcal.y important pcllcles.,r j "Whenever a plan or policy was presented to the secretary he almost in- V variably delayed action on it," Captain Laning declared. "The personal in- )j ed with the department absorbed so 'lllil much of his time that he never bad iiPI much left to give to the more import- lul ant affairs." tMI When important policies and plans fnl were submitted to Secretary Daniels, liiil Captain Lanlng said directions would 'lll be given to leave the papers "for con- -ffll sideration" and usually these inslruc frl tions meant that the matter would not O'l be heard from again until the officer J 'H interested looked the papers up and i 'H then frequently the papers could not be found. "Conditions finally became so bad," j the witness said, "that officers used tj every means possible to put their plans ) it and' policies through without obtain ' ing the required authority. "I was and still am amazed that the M navy was able to accomplish the re 51 .H markable work it did, but St is certain I) H that what it did accomplish could havt iH been done more quickly and efficient II 'H ly if we could have had a plan frorc jH the start." f IH Captain Laning said many officers , fl found this condition to bo true and he j offered to furnish the committee the 'irH names of other officers who, he said, , j would corroborate his testimony in M this respect. rlill Sims Questioned llll WASHINGTON, March 24. Cross 'lH examination of Rear Admiral Sinu lj was concluded yesterday by the sen- j ate committee investigating his criti- r cism of the navy department's meth LI ods of conducting the war. rirl Admiral Sims was charged by Sena; m tor Pittman, Democrat, Nevada, with frl a desire to "turn over the whole Amer- h ican navy to the British during the ' m! war regardless of protection of the HiH coasts of the United States," and with ;IH having "favored the French or British ! ij) jH policy, certainly not tho American pol- ! .jj JH Icy, of sending raw untrained troops ; j lo France." j jj "The testimony before this commit- j) tee proves to my satisfaction that you lll relied very largely on the British ad- ! miralty for your opinions and recom- Ijil mendations," declared Senator Pitt- Ml IH man. "You talked freely to American! Jj 'H abroad during the war of your beliel that the American expeditionary jj forces transport system had been ' j broken down and on November 9, 191S 1 jH you still thought General Pershing's 1 supply arrangements behind the An ' gonnc front had broken and you nevei jj expected him to succeed there." Jj jH "Rot," Replies Sims '( "That is tho veriest kind of rot," re R', tortcd the admiral. No officer of my IL jH experience, not to say my record. A' would allow himself to be governed ly by any such policies." jlj Tho hearing today was confined ' j1 largely to technical questions regard Hi' 11 ing the placing of responsibility for al Jri leged failure to adopt the convoy sys K tern earlier In the war. Senator Pitt- i IH man asserted that tho blame did not 'ilH rest entirely with the United States. ; and asserted that Admiral Sims had been "hotheaded" in charging thG 1 f "murder of flvo hundred thousand , t men to the navy department," because , of the alleged lack of prompt naval co- ( operation by the United States. i Heated Verbal Clashes j Frequent heated verbal clashes be- tween Senator Pittman and the wit llH ness enlivened the hearing for tha spectators. At ono point the senator jj shook his finger at the officer. ' "Don't shake your finger at me," j jH admonished the admiral, "it won't do j any good." j "Your not on tho bridge of a ship, i retorted the senator. "We will folio hH senate proceedqre, not navy methods, , j here." "Well, you don't need to use pollct court methods " replied Admiral Sims liH Captain Horace Lanning, assistant j chief of the bureau of navigation dur ing the war, and for a time actina Pl head of the bureau, is expected to tes jH tify tomorrow. PH oo II |