IV. THE COMMANDING GENERAL HAWAIIAN DEPARTMENT—HIS MAJOR MISSION

 

A. THE COMMANDING GENERAL

 

Major General W. C. Short, USA, became Commanding General of the Hawaiian Department in February, 1941, and was relieved December 16, 1941 (page 220). General Marshall testified that he considered General Short a very superior officer (page 853).

Colonel W. C. Phillips, USA, became General Short's Chief of Staff on November 5, 1941, prior to which he had worked through the various staff sections. He

 

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stated that General Short discussed all important communications with him. He was relieved December 18, 1941 (page 477, 493).

 

B. GENERAL SHORT'S MAJOR MISSION

 

General Marshall said that he wrote to General Short on February 7, 1941, when General Short took command. The reason for the letter was a conference he had had with Admiral Stark on the inadequacy of Army equipment for the protection of Pearl Harbor (pages 865‑6). His letter stated that Kimmel had written Stark about it but did not realize that the Army was tragically lacking in AA material, and that Hawaii was on a better basis than other places. The fullest protection for the fleet, he stated, is "The rather than a major consideration for us."

 

Captain Wellborn said that generally it was the Navy's view that there was no more important commitment that the Army might have than the defense of Pearl Harbor, but that this view appeared not to be completely concurred in by the War Department. (p. 386)

 

The Navy itself, he said, made demands for other places that made it difficult to meet their demands for Hawaii. He was doing everything to build up the defenses but could not perform a miracle; Short was to make this clear to Kim­mel; he was sending planes, some of which were not up to Jap speed, et cetera; he was trying to augment the machine guns. The Navy had approached the Army for barrage balloons and probably the first test would be in June in Hawaii.

General Marshall's letter also stated (page 867), "The risk of sabotage and the risk involved in a surprise raid by air and by submarine, constitute the real peril in the Hawaiian Islands."

In this letter he also said that Short should keep clearly in mind, "that our mission is to protect the base and the Naval concentration, and that purpose should be made clearly apparent to Admiral Kimmel." (Page 867.)