Summary: As part of our culture of irresponsibility, many Americans see blame and accountability as repugnant. Our ruling elites find belief this congenial. Banks lose billions, wrecking the economy — but nobody is held accountable. A war in Iraq based on lies, torture– but nobody is held accountable. Gross violations of the Constitution, ditto. Of course, they’ve always believed that they should be free of accountability. Here we look back to see earlier examples of this dynamic at work.
Telegram from the Chief of Naval Operations to Admiral Kimmel (Commander in Chief of the Pacific Fleet), 27 November 1941. Red emphasis added.
This dispatch is to be considered a war warning. Negotiations with Japan looking toward stabilization of conditions in the Pacific have ceased and an aggressive move by Japan is expected within the next few days. The number and equipment of Japanese troops and the organization of naval task forces indicate an amphibious expedition against either the Philippines or Kra Peninsula or possibly Borneo. Execute an appropriate defensive deployment preparatory to carrying out the tasks assigned in WPL 46.
Inform district and Army authorities. A similar warning is being sent by War Department. Spenavo inform British. Continental districts Guam Samoa directed take appropriate measures against sabotage.
This was one of a series of warnings — warnings of increasing severity — sent in the months before December 7. Despite these General Short and Admiral Kimmel took few precautions, and so made possible a successful attack by the Japanese Navy. Hawaii’s resources were, however, sufficient to mount a successful defense by January 7 — with scouts, patrols, and alert defenses. Pearl Harbor could have been better defended on December 7 if Short and Kimmel had only tried.
How were they held accountable for the tragic results of that day?
- On 17 December 1941 General Short was removed from command of Pearl Harbor. He was reduced in rank from his temporary rank of Lieutenant General (3 stars) to his permanent rank of Major General (2 stars), since his temporary rank was contingent on his command. He retired on 28 February 1942, and died in 1949.
- Admiral Kimmel was relieved around 15 December 1941. He was reduced in rank from Admiral (4 stars) to his permanent rank of Rear Admiral (2 stars), since his temporary rank was contingent on his command. He retired on 1 March 1942. From 1958 he received the retired pay of a three-star admiral, due to the Act of May 20, 1958 (72 Stat. 122, 130). He died in 1968.
- The Senate passed a resolution on 25 May 1999 exonerating Kimmel and Short (New York Times). The resolution stated they had performed their duties “competently and professionally” and that the Japanese attacks were “not a result of dereliction of duty.”
Looking at the facts about the attack on Pearl Harbor
The Pearl Harbor attack is among the most thoroughly investigated event in world history. There is a mass of evidence, considered definitive until the modern revisionists attacked (part of the larger evidence to confuse our understanding of our past). Among the best summaries is that of Edwin Dorn, Under Secretary of Defense (Personnel and Readiness) submitted on 1 December 199. . The conclusions of his team’s investigation:
1. Responsibility for the Pearl Harbor disaster should not fall solely on the shoulders of Admiral Kimmel and General Short; it should be broadly shared.
2. To say that responsibility is broadly shared is not to absolve Admiral Kimmel and General Short of accountability.
2a. Military command is unique. A commander has plenary responsibility for the welfare of the people under his or her command, and is directly accountable for everything the unit does or fails to do. When a ship runs aground, the captain is accountable whether or not he/she was on the bridge at the time. When a unit is attacked, it is the Commander and not the intelligence officer or the sentry who is accountable. Command at the three- and four-star level involves daunting responsibilities. …
2c. The intelligence available to Admiral Kimmel and General Short was sufficient to justify a higher level of vigilance than they chose to maintain. They knew that war was imminent, they knew that Japanese tactics featured surprise attacks, and Admiral Kimmel (though not General Short) knew that the US had lost track of Japan’s carriers. Further, they had the resources to maintain a higher level of vigilance. …
2d. Different choices might not have discovered the carrier armada and might not have prevented the attack, but different choices — a different allocation of resources — could have reduced the magnitude of the disaster. …
3. The official treatment of Admiral Kimmel and General Short was substantively temperate and procedurally proper.
3b. In contrast to their treatment by some of the media, their official treatment was substantively temperate. They were relieved, they reverted to two-star rank, and under the laws in force at the time, their retirements were at the two-star Level. Although there was mention of court martial, no charges were brought. Indeed, official statements and investigations seemed purposely to avoid wording that would lead to court martial. For example, the Roberts Commission used the phrase “dereliction of duty” — a stinging rebuke, but at the time not a court martial offense. The Roberts Commission avoided other phrases, such as “culpable inefficiency” and neglect of duty”, that were court martial offenses. Later investigations such as the Joint Congressional Committee report eschewed “dereliction” in favor of “errors of judgment.” …
3d. I do not find major fault with the procedures used in the investigations. …
The Dorn Report dispelled one common error:
It has been asserted in several venues that Admiral Kimmel and General Short were “forced into retirement”. There is no evidence to support that claim. Rather, it appears that new assignments were not immediately forthcoming, and General Short {and Admiral Kimmel} initiated a chain of events that were accepted at face value, to the disappointment of both him and Admiral Kimmel.
This is another example of how our elites play the game. Nixon retires without punishment. Our bank regulators ride into the sunset with no punishment or even official criticism for their wholesale failures which almost wrecked the US economy. Bush officials shred the Constitution and ride into the sunset.
Perhaps our leaders would try harder if they were held accountable for their efforts.
For more about the attack on Pearl Harbor
For additional context about the the November 27 message see this page on the excellent Pearl Harbor Attacked website.
For a general audience I recommend reading At Dawn We Slept: The Untold Story of Pearl Harbor (1981) by Gordon Prange. Prange’s background was unparalleled for an investigation of Pearl Harbor: Prof History U Maryland, officer in the US Navy 1942-1946, chief of General MacArthur’s 100-person historical staff in Japan.
The major investigations:
- The Knox Investigation, 9-14 December 1941 — Download the document.
- Report of the Roberts Commission, appointed by the President to investigate and report the facts about the Pearl Harbor attack, 18 December – 23 January 1941 — Download the document.
- The Hart Investigation, 12 February 12 – 15 June 1944 — Download the document.
- The Army Pearl Harbor Board, 20 July – 20 October 1944 — Download the document.
- The Navy Court of Inquiry, 24 July – 19 October 1944 — Download the document.
- The Clarke Investigation, 4 August 4 – 20 September 1944 — Download the document.
- The Clausen Investigation, 24 January – 12 September 1945 — Download the document.
- The Hewitt Inquiry, 14 May – 11 July 1945 — Download the document.
- Joint Committee on the investigation of the Pearl Harbor attack, 15 November 1945 – 23 May 1946
Other posts about history
For more insights from the past see the FM Reference Page History – economic, military and geopolitical.
- Was 9/11 the most effective single military operation in the history of the world?, 11 June 2008
- Another note from our past, helping us see our future, 16 September 2009 — From the past or future, who can tell?
- A history lesson recommended for the top of your reading pile, 17 September 2009 — How serial war became our way of life.
- How the Soviet Menace was over-hyped – and what we can learn from this, 13 October 2009
- Are islamic extremists like the anarchists?, 14 December 2009
- We have endemic terrorism – but few wars and epidemics. That’s good news!, 15 December 2009
- France gives us tips for the Afghanistan War, from their successful role in the American Revolution, 11 March 2010
- Conservatives oppose the new START treaty, as they opposed even the earlier version negotiated by Ronald Reagan, 24 July 2010
- Senator Jim Webb on the Vietnam Generation – Outstanding!, 25 July 2010
