Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to Admiral William S. Benson, Chief of Naval Operations
CABLEGRAM Sent -- 22 January 1919 Y-21
To--Amnavpar Paris Serial No. 899
Prep. by--CS RHL D.R. Clear.
899 PRIORITY. For Benson. Inorder to expedite the turn-around of ships of the Food Commission, to avoid delay and thereby save large sums of money for the Government, it has be necessary to establish naval port officers at Rotterdam, Triest[e], Fiume and Zeliniki [Salonika], and in very short time such offices will have to be established at Antwerp, Danzig, Constantinople, and a port in the Black Sea. The personnel for a port office consists of an officer in charge, a doctor, a paymaster, and as occasion demands one to three assistants, three yeoman and a hospital apprentice. In general the living expenses at these ports are beyond the <means> of the officers. It is absolutely necessary that immediate relief be provided either in the form of allowances or by making these officers assistant naval attaches, with the usual funds. I have no funds necessary for allowances and urgently recommend that all these officers be made assistant naval attaches of the London office with authorized allowances accordingly. I have authority to provide enlisted personnel with necessary funds for their expenses. In some cases the expenses of these officers are more than their salaries and manifestly officers should not be permitted to run into debt, nor is it just that they should be required to perform duty demanding expenses so out of proportion to their salaries, especially when the whole purpose of their duty is to save money for the Government and expedite Government business. 165522. 899.
Sims.
Action copy filed 31-6-25
Source Note: Cy, DNA, RG 45, Entry 517B.
