Double-Edged Secrets: U.S. Naval Intelligence Operations in the Pacific During World War II

While it is not a death defying action thriller, it is a very good perspective of the some of the WWII intelligence events of WWII in the Pacific by somebody who was there. Some good information dispelling some of the "stories" that have grown out of WWII with testimony from a participant. A picture of the constant see-saw between using what is discovered and protecting the sources and methods. A good, non-technical look at some of the everyday wizards behind the curtain. Tom Clancy mentions this book in a novel and it lives up to the its title and his tip. A good source for the serious reader of intelligence in general and WWII in particular.

Jasper Holmes' recollection of the work of U.S. Naval Intelligence in the Pacific during the Second World War provides a one-of-a-kind analysis as to how the war was won, specifically to the intelligence's contribution to the Allied victory. `One-of-a-kind' refers to the fact that Holmes was not a cryptanalyst though he worked with the crack cryptanalyst staff in Hawaii. Holmes marveled at the cryptanalysts' skill in breaking five-digit code groups: "What little I knew of cryptographic history indicated that breaks in codes of such complexity had been very few indeed. Probably, they had never occurred except by a combination of lucky accidents relentlessly followed up by men of rare genius" such as Wesley A. Wright, better known as "Ham". (p. 21) We'll leave it to the reader to re-live intelligence's victory at Midway after their setback at Pearl Harbor in his book. After all, it was Holmes who envisioned the trick to "trap" the Japanese into confirming they intended to attack Midway!! Holmes was not a cryptanalyst. Yet at the same time, Holmes comprehended intelligence's important role when he warned that feeling you are "perfectly safe" is a dangerous assumption because the first step towards a code being compromised is for the user to feel perfectly safe. (p. 13) And Intelligence, like money, may be secure when it is unused and locked up in a safe. It yields no dividends until it is invested. (p. 129). His unique narrative includes poignant analysis of their `manic-depressive' work including passages such as: "In our basement it did not make much difference [i.e. the victory]. We knew the Japanese had been decisively defeated, but there was no great moment of exhilaration. Perhaps it was exhaustion, like that of a distance runner collapsing over the tape at the end of a long, hard race, but cryptanalysis was always a manic-depressive business. When we were reading the enemy's current secret messages, everyone was spurred to frantic effort. When darkness suddenly descended [after the Japanese changed their code making their code un-readable again], everyone plunged into corresponding deep gloom. Each man feared in his bones that we would never again succeed in the long and difficult task of breaking a new code." (p. 101) It is difficult to say what would have happened in the Pacific and consequently to our country were it not for the contribution of Station Hypo in Hawaii and those like Holmes.

This is a book about military intelligence in the Pacific during WWII.This is not a mystery or work of fiction,but an account of what went on in the gathering and distribution of information by someone who was intimately involved from the beginning to the end.First of all,this is not a new book.It was written in 1979,34 years after the war.Published by Naval Institute Press ,also a Book Club Edition and later reprints.That it is basically a memoire,and that it is still in print gives a hint to its wide acceptance. Probally the reason that it was not written sooner had to do with the declassification of material.Upon reading the book,I was convinced it was only Holmes intimate knowledge of events and personal friendships in both the US and Japanese communities that enabled such an insight to surface.It is interresting to ponder if more would come out if the book were to have been written this year.Personally,I doubt it,but who knows. To think this whole story could be told in only 215 pages is surprising.There were huge numbers of people, events,ships battles and what not,contributing information,which all interrelated to make up the intelligence which was as big as any other weapon;if not the biggest weapon of all.Holmes shows that the US intelligence was so superior to the Japanese that the US even knew when the Japanese were deluding themselves about accomplishments;and the Japanese didn't even suspect the US knew. It's a good thing all the maps were included,because without them it would have been very difficult to follow.Another thing that was a bit of a chore was keeping track of the ships and subs;but again,Holmes did a commendable job of this in such a short book.It would have been interresting to know a little more about the methods these people used in breaking the codes.I guess that would be a bit too much to expect;either because of the complexity or the secrecy involved. It,s interresting to speculate ,after reading this book,about Bin Laden running around the mountains and caves with a walki-talki;and then think about the sophisticated surveillance available to keep tabs on him and his supporters.You can bet there,s a lot more going on that we see on the CNN News. Holmes also points out the difficulty when using gained intelligence ,the risk of revealing its own secrets or sources. "Intelligence, like money,may be secure when it is unused and locked up in a safe.It yields no dividends until it is invested." A very good,but different,military book.

Any study of the World War II Pacific theater will involve at least a glimpse of the role that intelligence had in the conduct of U.S. operations. An in depth review of the intelligence operations will reveal that cryptography and radio intelligence (later to be called communications intelligence or signals intelligence) had a vital role in the planning of combat operations and the conduct of the war in the Pacific theater. Intelligence operations, by nature are classified and as such there are not many first person accounts of actual operations. Double Edged Secrets: U.S. Naval Intelligence Operations in the Pacific During World War II is an exception to that assumption. The author, Wilfred J. Holmes, Captain United States Navy (Retired) provides a look behind the fences and locked doors of one of the largest intelligence operations at that time. Captain Holmes was not a career intelligence officer, but by chance found himself in one of the most vital areas of intelligence, cryptography. Originally medically retired prior to the attack at Pearl Harbor, Captain Holmes was recalled to active duty with the anticipation of hostilities in the Pacific. His original duties were loosely defined and he tasked himself with the tracking of merchant vessels in the Pacific. By using ship's weather reports to track locations, he began working closer and closer with the radio intelligence section within the Intelligence Center for the Pacific. As this relationship grew, while not initially allowed access to what mission the section was assigned, he became closely associated with the section and its operations. Through the course of the war, Captain Holmes and the officers and sailors he worked with provided some of the most valuable intelligence to leaders such as Admirals Nimitz and Halsey. Double Edged Secrets also supplies a point of view from a senior officer in how the use (and how the devaluing) of intelligence supported combat operations.

"Jasper Holmes" was a member of the Inteligence Center, Pacific Ocean Area (ICPOA). This is his excellent account of his activities and the dramatic influence of intelligence on the outcome of the war. He also describes the conditions of war time Hawaii and the conflict between personal and military necessity. One of the things I noticed most is the reverence Holmes feels for Joseph Rochefort, commander of ICPOA. I drew heavily on this book for my honors project in college.