December 7, 1941

[Arclight]

 

[Rasputin_Vol]

Pearl Harbor Scapegoat

As the current Congress expires, long-overdue action is being taken to rectify the injustice done these two officers. The Defense Authorization Act for 2001 includes a request that the president nominate Kimmel and Short to their highest-held World War II ranks, thus giving them posthumous restoration of their honor and reputations. The provision states clearly that these two officers performed their duties "competently and professionally."

Participants were in substantive agreement on a number of essential points that, surprisingly, had not been emphasized in previous hearings:

* The naval forces in Hawaii had one-third the combat capability of the Japanese striking force.

* Kimmel's predecessor had been fired because he would not agree to Washington's decision to keep the fleet in such a vulnerable location as Hawaii.

* Kimmel had been requesting additional ships and aircraft to enable the fleet to defend itself. His requests for additional resources were routinely denied.

* Kimmel was not provided information from U.S. code breaking of significant developments pertinent to his situation. His available force of patrol aircraft in Hawaii was insufficient to conduct effective reconnaissance searches.