Kimmel, Short, and Pearl Harbor: The Final Report Revealed

Incredibly, more than six decades after malfeasance by the two U.S. commanders in Hawaii caused the United States to be caught flat-footed on December 7, 1941, a tiny handful of observers still argue that Navy Adm. Kimmel and Army Lt. Gen. Short were scapegoats with no responsibility for what happened under their command. There are many ironies to this. Though they bear heavy responsibility for the U.S. casualties and losses at Pearl Harbor, Kimmel and Short were never punished in any way. The Dorn Report of the 1990s that reiterated their responsibility was not necessary and this book was not necessary, because the facts were well known long ago, Still, this is one of the finest books ever about the Pearl Harbor attack, in part because the Dorn Report is so authoritative and in part because authors Borch and Martinez really, really know their stuff.

I really have only one problem with this book and that's with the sub-title where it's called the "Final Report." I don't think there will ever be a "Final Report" on Pearl Harbor. This is the report of the tenth investigation into what happened. There are too many revisionist historians who want to get their fifteen minutes of fame by writing a new book that will blame Roosevelt, Churchill, Marshall or whoever they pick on. This book is a report on the so called Dorn Report written under the direction of Edwin Dorn, then Undersecretary of Defense. Note he was not Navy Department or Department of the Army but above both in the Defense Department. He had no particular axe to grind. He was also young enough that he did not know personally any of the people involved. The conclusion of the report is that there was no conspiracy (in spite of how much we love conspiracies). Kimmel and Short were given warnings, not the detailed tactical information they both said later that they needed. But it was peacetime. These were officers who had prospered under peacetime rules. Kimmel, on the day before the attack said that he didn't believe an attack was possible. Short was a specialist in training, not fighting. He even had the air crew participating in infantry training to be able to stop the invasion of the beeches he expected. This report was instigated by the families of Short and especially of Kimmel. They would like these Kimmel and Short exonerated. In truth Kimmel and Short made the classic mistake of trying to determine the Japanese intent rather than their capabilities. Then they based their planning on what they believed this intent to be. Another recent book, also published by the Naval Institute Press, "Days of Lightning, Years of Scorn" by Charles R. Anderson is a fairly balanced biography of Short. Both are worth adding to your collection.

This book is a must read book if you wanting to learn more about Pearl Harbor. If you know nothing and want a place to start this is the book! I went to Pearl Harbor in 2002 and have read more that 30 books on Pearl Harbor. I wish had started with this book it tells you what you should look for. I believe this book should be read. The reader will have to decide if Kimmel and Short were treated fairly.