Rita K. (bklyn) -
From Publishers Weekly:
For 50 years, Adm. Husband Kimmel and Gen. Walter Short have been blamed for the unpreparedness that led to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. British historian Costello (Ten Days to Destiny), working from recently declassified documents, reveals that the two Hawaii commanders were denied information that could have saved the Pacific Fleet battleships and the lives of thousands of U.S. servicemen. A far more heinous command failure, in his view, was that Gen. Douglas MacArthur allowed his air force in the Philippines to be destroyed on the ground 10 hours after the Pearl Harbor debacle; his refusal to launch a preemptive strike against Japanese airbases as ordered doomed the defense of the Philippines before it could begin. MacArthur's inaction also contributed, the author contends, to the loss of Malaya and the Netherlands East Indies to the Japanese, because his bombers were the linchpin of a secret U.S. pact to defend British and Dutch territories in the Far East. Unlike Kimmel and Short, who had to retire in disgrace, MacArthur was never the subject of a formal inquiry. Although Costello clearly defines MacArthur's mistakes, his treatment of "the secret deals and strategic blunders" of President Roosevelt and Prime Minister Churchill is less forthcoming.
For 50 years, Adm. Husband Kimmel and Gen. Walter Short have been blamed for the unpreparedness that led to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. British historian Costello (Ten Days to Destiny), working from recently declassified documents, reveals that the two Hawaii commanders were denied information that could have saved the Pacific Fleet battleships and the lives of thousands of U.S. servicemen. A far more heinous command failure, in his view, was that Gen. Douglas MacArthur allowed his air force in the Philippines to be destroyed on the ground 10 hours after the Pearl Harbor debacle; his refusal to launch a preemptive strike against Japanese airbases as ordered doomed the defense of the Philippines before it could begin. MacArthur's inaction also contributed, the author contends, to the loss of Malaya and the Netherlands East Indies to the Japanese, because his bombers were the linchpin of a secret U.S. pact to defend British and Dutch territories in the Far East. Unlike Kimmel and Short, who had to retire in disgrace, MacArthur was never the subject of a formal inquiry. Although Costello clearly defines MacArthur's mistakes, his treatment of "the secret deals and strategic blunders" of President Roosevelt and Prime Minister Churchill is less forthcoming.
Thomas F. (hardtack) -
I've read a number of books on the "Pearl Harbor Conspiracy." One was so well cited it almost had me convinced. I'm also well-read on MacArthur's role in three wars---WWI, WWII and Korea. I remember how much respect I had for him when I was young. None of that is left. I also have a shelf or more on the "code wars" of World War II. So I consider myself well read in that area too.
As a result, I feel this book does an outstanding job of combining data from numerous books and reviewing what happened at Pearl Harbor and the Philippines. The author is correct in stating Admiral Kimmel and General Short were railroaded to cover up for the intelligence politics being 'waged' from Washington, and the disaster in the Philippines, which should have resulted in MacArthur's relief and court martial. When other commanders were doing the fighting, only MacArthur's self-serving press releases were sent out, while he was 'hiding' safely in the tunnels of Corregidor. This behavior lasted throughout the war in the Pacific and even into Korea. And I won't relate the tale of the large cash payments made to MacArthur and his staff by the president of the Philippines. I'll let the author do that.
This subject is such a sore-point with me I could write pages of indignation for this review. But I'll let you off easy and just suggest, if you are interested in the truth, then read this book.
Thousands of Americans and Filipinos died, over under horrible conditions, due to the egos and stupidity of men in higher commands, who then used Kimmel and Short as covers for their failures. Even after the war, the Army and Navy continued the cover-ups. Men who knew the truth, and could have made significant contributions to the war effort were transferred to dead-end jobs where they would, hopefully, be forgotten.
For whatever reason, the lies are still accepted today, although one Naval officer finally received the medal he deserved, but only years after his death. This was the officer, stationed in Hawaii, who correctly determined Midway was the main target for the Japanese fleet, allowing the U.S. to change the tide of war in the Pacific only six months after the war started.
As a result, I feel this book does an outstanding job of combining data from numerous books and reviewing what happened at Pearl Harbor and the Philippines. The author is correct in stating Admiral Kimmel and General Short were railroaded to cover up for the intelligence politics being 'waged' from Washington, and the disaster in the Philippines, which should have resulted in MacArthur's relief and court martial. When other commanders were doing the fighting, only MacArthur's self-serving press releases were sent out, while he was 'hiding' safely in the tunnels of Corregidor. This behavior lasted throughout the war in the Pacific and even into Korea. And I won't relate the tale of the large cash payments made to MacArthur and his staff by the president of the Philippines. I'll let the author do that.
This subject is such a sore-point with me I could write pages of indignation for this review. But I'll let you off easy and just suggest, if you are interested in the truth, then read this book.
Thousands of Americans and Filipinos died, over under horrible conditions, due to the egos and stupidity of men in higher commands, who then used Kimmel and Short as covers for their failures. Even after the war, the Army and Navy continued the cover-ups. Men who knew the truth, and could have made significant contributions to the war effort were transferred to dead-end jobs where they would, hopefully, be forgotten.
For whatever reason, the lies are still accepted today, although one Naval officer finally received the medal he deserved, but only years after his death. This was the officer, stationed in Hawaii, who correctly determined Midway was the main target for the Japanese fleet, allowing the U.S. to change the tide of war in the Pacific only six months after the war started.
