Pearl Harbor. Cover Up and Scapegoating? Admiral Kimmel & Short

W

WhatInThe

SF VIP
Today December 7 is the 75th Anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. The word surprise is frequently used. For the people there yes it absolutely was a surprise. But did the administration and/or military higher ups know an attack on Pearl Harbor was imminent. Information was slow to come out over the decades let alone for the Admiral in charge of Pearl Harbor at the time. Apparently the intelligence in the form of memos, cables, wires was there prior to the attack. The question is was it incompetent handling including analysis of that information or was some purposely suppressed.

http://www.thenewamerican.com/culture/history/item/4742-pearl-harbor-scapegoating-kimmel-and-short

It wasn't until 1999 that a legislative resolution finally cleared Admiral Kimmel and General Short who were in charge of Pearl Harbor at the time.

I think it wasn't until the 1970s and 1980s that information about the "lost" memos or intelligence started coming out. I remember reading the book At Dawn We Slept.

Always remember those who served there on that day. Never forget.

Peace
 

Knowing what happened on Dec 7th is not the same as guessing on Dec 6th. Knowing what happened on Dec 7th, you can go back and nit pick through documents, which hint as Pearl Harbor as the target. But their meaning only would become apparent on Dec 7th. Was war with Japan contemplated by the Administration? Yes, that's why most of the US fleet was moved into the Pacific. Was Kimmel the sacrificial lamb for Pearl Harbor? Yeah. Somebody had to answer for it. You couldn't cast doubt on the US military as we prepared for war. Kimmel will be reinstated when last WWII vet has long ago passed away.
 
There are countless Conspiracy Theories about Pearl Harbor, and I think there is some truth to many of them. I find it interesting that all the aircraft carriers and modern ships were sent on a "mission" days before the attack, leaving the old Battleships to be a convenient target.

In 1941, the U.S., and much of the world, was still trying to recover from the Great Depression. What better way to spur an economy and insure full employment than to initiate a major war???
 

I think this one is better left to lie. A million mistakes were made in the war and still are today but I like to think it was the wrong choice maybe rather than negligence. I think most folks did and still do try to make the right decisions under extreme stress , they do their best, sometimes a different decision would have been better..in hindsight I would not have wanted those responsibilities..would anyone really.

I will think of Pearl Harbor today as I always do with sadness not with bitterness and recriminations and pray that this never happens again.
 
Some of the misconceptions about Pearl Harbor was that Adm. Kimmel was unprepared for war. And if certain messages were sent, there wouldn't have been an attack, or at least better prepared for one. Kimmel was a 4 star Admiral, who was totally in the loop. War with Japan was a certainty. Military plans were drawn up as early as 1935. And Japan would strike the first blow. Where Japan was to strike was unknown. Pearl was not considered as a target. It was 3,600 miles from Japan. A strike force large enough to cause significant damage to Pearl would surely be spotted. It wasn't. Yamamoto was asked during war preparations about his fleet being spotted by an American fishing boat. He famously answered, "We go home".
 
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