Admiral Sims gave evidence that, with Germany's power crushed, all the nations could safely reduce their naval armaments by half. If the American Navy were a purely defensive weapon, the country would be safe with a navy half the size of that of any possible enemy a thousand miles away, but if the United States intended to rely on her Navy to carry out broad international policies, her sea-power should be equal to that of any other nation.
Admiral Sims supported the view expressed by General Pershing before the Naval Committee two days ago (favouring continuance of the American army and navy _programmes until the five Great Powers had reached an agreement), except regarding the inconceivability of an Anglo-American War, on the ground that ''you never could tell what would come out of Europe.'"? Consequently, Admiral Sims advocated continuance of the building programme.
The Admiral said the did not know whether aircraft displaced battleships, but, if aeroplanes proved as powerful as he believed, he would eventually abandon battleships.—Reuter.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.