Editing Chief of Naval Operations (section)

===Creating the position of Chief of Naval Operations (1915)===
[[File:Josephus Daniels 1.jpg|thumb|upright|Secretary of the Navy [[Josephus Daniels]]]]

In 1914, Fiske, frustrated at Daniels' ambivalence towards his opinion that the Navy was unprepared for the possibility of entry into [[World War I]], bypassed the secretary to collaborate with Representative [[Richmond P. Hobson]], a retired Navy admiral, to draft legislation providing for the office of "a chief of naval operations".{{sfn|Hone|Utz|p=14}} The preliminary proposal (passed off as Hobson's own to mask Fiske's involvement), in spite of Daniels' opposition, passed Hobson's subcommittee unanimously on 4 January 1915,{{sfn|Hone|Utz|p=14}} and passed the full [[House Committee on Naval Affairs]] on 6 January.{{sfn|Hone|Utz|p=14-15}}

Fiske's younger supporters expected him to be named the first chief of naval operations,{{sfn|Hone|Utz|p=15}} and his versions of the bill provided for the minimum rank of the officeholder to be a two-star rear admiral.{{sfn|Hone|Utz|p=15}}

{{blockquote|There shall be a Chief of Naval Operations, who shall be an officer on the active list of the Navy not below the grade of Rear Admiral, appointed for a term of four years by the President, by and with the advice of the Senate, who, under the Secretary of the Navy, shall be responsible for the readiness of the Navy for war and be charged with its general direction.{{sfn|Hone|Utz|p=15}}|title=Fiske's version of the bill}}

In contrast, Daniels' version, included in the final bill, emphasized the office's subordination to the Navy secretary, allowed for the selection of the CNO from officers of the rank of captain, and denied it authority over the Navy's general direction:{{sfn|Hone|Utz|p=15}}

{{blockquote|There shall be a Chief of Naval Operations, who shall be an officer on the active list of the Navy appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, from the officers of the line of the Navy not below the grade of Captain for a period of four years, who shall, under the direction of the Secretary, be charged with the operations of the fleet, and with the preparation and readiness of plans for its use in war.{{sfn|Hone|Utz|p=15}}|title=Daniels' version of the bill}}

Fiske's "[[End run|end-running]]" of Daniels eliminated any possibility of him being named the first CNO.{{sfn|Hone|Utz|p=15}} Nevertheless, satisfied with the change he had helped enact, Fiske made a final contribution: elevating the statutory rank of the CNO to [[Admiral (United States)|admiral]] with commensurate pay.{{sfn|Hone|Utz|p=15}}{{sfn|Hone|Utz|p=32}} The Senate passed the appropriations bill creating the CNO position and its accompanying office on 3 March 1915, simultaneously abolishing the aides system promulgated under Meyer.{{sfn|Hone|Utz|p=25}}