I
Pearl Harbor Report Generally
Approved Congressional Circles
Washington — The reaction to the report placing re
sponsibility for the naval defeat at Pearl Harbor De
cember 7 squarely on the shoulders of Admiral Hus
band E. Kimmel and Lieut.-Gen. Walter E. Short was
one of general approval. Most congressmen character
ized the findings of the special commission, headed by
Justice Owen J. Roberts, as being fair. Senator Lister
W. Hill of Maryland, in particular, commended the re
port for its fairness. Senator Edwin C. Johnson, of
Colorado, declared it could well be assumed that on
the basis of the report that the lack of cooperation
which it attributed to the Hawaiian commands did not
extend to other operational districts.
More Details of Report
Further details of the 51-page findings on the sur
prise Jap attack have been announced and the report
said General Short assumed the navy was conducting
district reconnaissance and that Admiral Kimmel as
sumed that the aircraft warning system was being op
erated by the army—but neither officer made any ef
fort to check these points with each other even after
they were warned from Washington in October and
again in November that war was probable.
At the time of the attack the report said army air
craft were in a state of readiness which required them
only to be ready for a fight after four hours’ notice.
Aircraft were concentrated to guard them against
sabotage, instead of them dispersed to protect them
from air attack.
Subordinates Exonerated
The secretaries of state, war and navy, and chief of
staff George Marshall and Naval Operations Chief
Harold Stark all were exonerated of any blame in the
surprise thrust by the Japanese enemy. Neither were
subordinate officers of the army and navy held resjqon
sible. Said the report:
“Subordinate commanders executed their superior’s
orders without question. They were not responsible
for the state of readiness prescribed. The board said
the personnel of both army and navy were at their
posts with immaterial exceptions when the attack
came and were fit for duty although a considerable
number had been on leave the day before because the
state of alert demanded by the emergency “had not
been put into effect.”
Received Warnings
Short had received warning from Gen. McClelland
in Washington of probable Japanese hostilities, saying:
“Prior to hostile Japanese action you are directed to
undertake such reconnaissance and other measures as
vou deem necesarv.”
Kimmel had received an order from Admiral Stark
in Washington, saying: “This dispatch is to be consid
ered a war warning,” and adcfing, “Execute an appro
priate defensive deployment preparatory to carrying
out the tasks assigned.’
The report said the failure of the commanders to
take all measures in line with these warnings and the
concentration of airplanes had resulted in “such per
manent or temparary disablement of airplanes that a
very few fighter planes were able to take the air dur
ing the course of the action.”
For the same reason, the report said, it was impos
sible to get planes into the air to trail the Japanese
planes back to their carriers. Said the report: “There
were dificiencies in personnel, weapons, equipment
and facilities to maintain all the defenses on a war
footing for extended periods of time, but these defic
iencies should not have affected the decision of the
responsible commanders as to the state of readiness
to be prescribed.”
Had Sense of Security
The board found that failure of Short and Kimmel
to confer resulted largely from a sense of security due
to the prevailing opinion in diplomatic, military and
naval circles that any immediate Japanese attack
would be in the Far East. It said: “The existence of
such a view, howveer, prevalent, did not relieve the
comanders of the responsibility of the Pacific fleet and
our most important outpost.”
The report said both Kimmel and Short failed pro
perly to evaluate the seriousness of the situation and
these errors were the effective causes of Japan initial
success in the Pacific war. It stated that on the night
before the attack both Kimmel and Short were dinner
guests away from their commands but that they re
turned to their quarters at an early hour.
Reports from ships and destroyers in Pearl Harbor
during the attack showed 60 percent of the officers
were aboard and 96 percent of the men were aboard.
Of 75 vessels of the fleet, 49 commanding officers
were at their posts of duty during the attack while
22 were enroute to their ships.
150 to 200 Jap Planes
The board said the Japanese planes, numbering from
150 to 200, came from three or four Japanese aircraft
carriers which were escorted by other fighting ships.
It said the principal damage to the fleet was from aer-1
ial torpedoes.
I
Ironic Details
Two ironic points brought out in the report indicat
ed that 43 minutes before the actual attack on Pearl
Millionaires
To Finance
(10? Campaign
Washington — The bank
account of the Republican
National Committee con
tinues to be as bare as Mo
ther Hubbard’s cupboard,
but the money situation
appears to be looking up’
for the Republican Con
gressional Campaign Com
mittee. This is the organiz
ation which provide the
funds for GOP candidates
running for election to the
House of Representatives.
Inside word is that the
boys who have quietly un
dertaken to fatten the Cam
paign Committee’s lean
war.chest are Pennsylvan
ia oil millionaire Jce P^w
. and Pennsylvania steel
millionaire Ernest Weir.
To National Chairman
Joe Martin and Represent
ative J. W. Ditter of Penn
sylvania, head of the Cam
paign Committee, this is
the best kind of good news,
for Pew and Weir have
been very generous con
tributors in the past. After
the 1936 debacle, Pew,, al
most single-handed, took
the National Committee
out of the red. Also he has
been the chief financial
mainstay of the Pennsyl
vania GOP in recent years.
Weir has been a good sec
ond in donations.
But the jubilation of Mar
tin and Ditter is not gen
eral in inner Republican
circles. Other GOP chiefs
are privately asking what
the Pew - Weir develop
ment means regarding the
party’s stand on issues in
next years crucial state
and congressional elec
tions.
They will be the decisive
battleground of the cam
paign.
Publicly the millionaires
have not declared them
selves. But the records ul
Ditter and Martin, who
head the two GOP com
mittees, are incontrovert
ible.
Both followed the Amer
ica First line in voting on
foreign policy measures
previous to the war deelar
i ations.
Note:- Now in the mid
west, Martin is sounding
out sentiment of party lead
ers on campaign policy.
OUR READERS
ARE NOT
TRAINED SEALS
BUT THE* RESPOND
TO AD SUGGESTIONS
Harbor an enemy subma
rine was sent to the bottom
just outside the harbor, j
For some reason the report!
did not reach the right
channels in time for a
warning.
Forty-five minutes before
the fatal hour, a non-com
missioned officer, not offic
ially on duty, reported
from an outpost that a
large formation of enemy
aircraft was approaching.;
The report was disregard
ed and the alarm was nev
er sounded.
FISHING BOATS (0 \S FTFD BY NAVY
These fishing boat, tied up in t’ . 1 irbor at Honolulu have b'ren taken ini • cus
tody by the U. S. Navy and may be u eJ . a n v I auxiliaries. Mast were owned
by Japanese fishermen and had Japanese nam . Note Diamon Head in the back
ground.
ADMIRAL NIMITZ SHAKES HANDS OF SAILOR HEROES
Admiral Chester Nimitz, commander in e '!.e , ■ i!e t. sh o'.; ]•. • 1 of
W. B. Watson of Gore, Okla., avi lion r . n m e. fur ike part he ; n j his
companions pi aye in Navy plane rescue ;>•' .. m\ b< -mV-r crew ail i.:t on lie rafts
off Hawaii. Behind Admiral is Ensign C. E. Gimb r, Wi'dber, Pa.: L II. Wagoner
of Bakersville, N. C.; who also got Navy Cross; Wats n; H. C. Cupps of Mkmea
polis W. W. Uarlick of Lbicolnton. N. C.; . nJ C. Forbes of Eli/.::be h, N. C
The scene was at Honolulu. T. H.
INJURED U. S. SEAMAN GETS HOSPITAL CARE
MM -»■ 'MW. II HU IIMW <■ . X I II I HI III I I HIM I I 'III! IMil Ii I' . M MMMT . V<M» M _
Gunners’ Mate Eugene Knight, injured when the Japanese attacked Pearl Har
bor, is one of many Navy personnel receiving hospital care at the Mare Island
Navy hospital near San Francisco. Commander L. L. Stanley, navy doctor, shows
Knight what a Defense Savings Bond looks like as Nurse Nancy Lowe aids tlv:
injured man to partially raise himself.