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Naval History and Heritage Command

Naval History and Heritage Command

Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations

                          CABLEGRAM.         <April 12, 1918.>

To:  Opnav, Washington.

Date:  11 April, 1918.                           Ser. No. 6352

6352.  Your 4640.1 After consultation with Admiralty I can say unreservedly that they are in entire agreement with me in regarding as correct the Department’s present policy and in recommending against yielding to the Canadian desires. This same subject was broached some months ago before Vice Admiral Browning2 came home and it was decided at that time that there was no necessity for allocating destroyers to the port of Halifax, Nova Scotia, and furthermore that if such allocation were made there would be an immediate demand for similar allocation to United States ports such as New York and Hampton Roads. Such dispersion of force would be contrary to sound military principles and should be avoided at all costs.

     The department will be kept supplied with all information obtainable here as to probability of hostile operations on home coasts.  6252.  00112.

Sims.

Source Note: Cy, DNA, RG 45, Entry 517B. The date is hand-written at the top but corresponds to the time/date stamp at the end of the document.

Footnote 1: See: Benson to Sims, 5 April 1918.

Footnote 2: Adm. Sir Montague E. Browning, had served as Commander, North America and West Indies Station, until early 1918, when he was replaced by Adm. Sir William Lowther Grant.

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