Josephus Daniels to Woodrow Wilson
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My dear Mr. President
I have the honor to quote below for your information two despatches which have been received from Rear Admiral Sims, in command of our naval forces in European waters.“London, May 22, 1917. 5 P.M.
From Admiral Sims,Queenstown.21117, 22017, 27017. General operations and plans are conformed to patrol in the area westward and southwestward of the southern islands as far west as necessary to oppose enemy's submarines with British destroyers and other patrol craft.
The Vice Admiral at Queenstown has direct control of all this area.
Unfailing secrecy concerning details of operations and the results thereof imperatively necessary as shown by experience. Mails and secret codes are never used for communications of this nature. They are sent to the Admiralty by courier.
The tour of a patrol is about five days with two days for rest and refuel. Tours of patrol duty alternate at the base and the advance base with about six days overhaul every five hundred hours of steaming. As necessity arises patrols are interrupted for convoy of valuable cargoes and to meet enemy developments.
Vessels of the Eighth Division have seen three enemy submarines but outside of effective range. Three torpedoes have passed near our ships from unseen submarines.
All offensive equipment used by British vessels is being supplied and fitted to our ships. The co-operation between the British and American forces is excellent.
The British War Cabinet decided in favor of a general announcement regarding the presence of the American flotilla without giving numbers or locations.
Secret Service information indicates that the departure of our forces from the United States was known in Berlin four days thereafter and the harbor entrance of Queenstown was mined the day before their arrival.
I will request that the Admiralty shall advise the Department before publication of any further announcement concerning our forces. The Department will be informed of important facts or prospective changes of general plans.
Except for very important messages of special secret nature between our forces and the Department, the Staff here is entirely inadequate to handle special Navy codes. So far, the necessity has not arisen for such messages. Our Embassy has an expert coding staff with various State Department codes, and has had extensive experience with long and difficult messages during the war. Moreover, as their codes are adapted to long and complicated messages, except for special secret messages, except for special secret messages it is urgently requested as recommended in my previous despatch that State Department codes and staffs ne utilized in order that our Staff Officers may be available for important military duties.
Messages of special secret nature will be sent in the Department Navy codes and handled only by commissioned officers.
British Service secret codes are used by our forces afloat.Captain Pratt is urgently needed as Chief of Staff.”- - o o - -“24 May, 1917.From Admiral Sims:Three American destroyers escorted the U.S. “Melville” through the dangerous areas. She arrived in excellent condition after an uneventful passage on the evening of the 22nd May. Military operations are proceeding very satisfactorily, and the relations and cooperation between our forces and the British are excellent in all respects. As I previously reported, all the destroyers present are on a regular patrol with British forces. Our destroyers encountered and drove under six submarines, and convoyed four specially valuable ships with munitions, and four valuable ships during the period of the 9th to the 21st May, in addition to numerous others. The crews of four merchant ships were rescued by our destroyers after their ships had been sunk by submarines. Torpedoes have been fired at four of the flotilla from unseen submarines, and evidently from long range. For the first time during the war Berehaven was mined on 15th May. In this area submarine attacks have been well below the average for the past week, but in view of past experience it is difficult to draw conclusions therefrom.
(THE MESSAGE HAS BEEN MUTILATED HERE. I AM ASKING FOR A REPITITION, BUT THE SENTENCE IS TO THE EFFECT THAT THERE WERE NO MATERIAL CASUALTIES INTERFERING WITH MATERIAL DUTIES OF DESTROYERS.)
It is imperative that there should be six officers to each destroyer, and that the proportion of experienced personnel previously requested for duty as reliefs arrive at the earliest possible date.
Better binoculars for both night and day work and increase in the numbers, should be supplied to the “Melville.”There have been severe casualties in the glass equipment, and in the majority of cases the present equipment is not efficient. When may supply and (MUTILATED GROUP) ships be expected.
Captain Pratt's services as Chief of Staff are very urgently needed.”“From Paris,From Admiral Sims.To obtain maximum efficiency and avoid friction and delay in French ports like that suffered by the English during first two years of war I have to make the following recommendation. First: That all business of ships leaving U. S. for France with shipments of American Government to be centered in office of the American Naval Attache in Paris, such business being organization for discharge, transportation to destination etc. Second: That all negotiations with ministry of transport, ministry of revictualling and ministry of public works for dock and unloading facility obtaining empty cars for rapid discharge and transportation of these cargoes be handled by office of the American Naval Attache in Paris under supervision of Captain Asher C. Baker retired who has an intimate knowledge of the intricacy of French Bureaucracy, has command of the language and is “Persona Grata” with the French Government, he has extensive business experience in handling big propositions of this nature, is of vigorous health and active.
A working organization has already been prepared with French authorities for work of this nature as may come to the American Embassy; his experience should be utilized by American Government in this large field. Baker was in Paris in 1900 for exposition.
Josephus Daniels
The President
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