A Matter of Honor audiobook

“A Matter of Honor-Pearl Harbor: Betrayal, Blame, and Family’s Quest for Justice” by Anthony Summers and Robbyn Swan is the second book I read for the 75th anniversary of Pearl Harbor. Summers and Swan are investigative journalists; they wrote a book about the 9/11 attacks which was a finalist for a Pulitzer.The authors focus on the aftermath of the Pearl Harbor attack and mostly on Admiral Husband E. Kimmel, who was the Commander-in-Chief of the Pacific Fleet. They cover the investigations which place the accountability on Kimmel. They claim the investigation ignored other people who they believe were complicit in the catastrophe. The key to their case is the issue of intelligence. They claim that if Kimmel had had access to the same MAGIC cryptanalysis intercepts of Japanese diplomatic messages as the White House, he would have prepared for a possible attack. The authors claim the Roberts Commission not only stained Kimmel and Short’s careers but, more importantly, distracted the American public from the responsibility borne by their superiors.The authors magnificently blend characters and events into interesting dramatic narratives. The book reads like fiction instead of non-fiction. The downside to this style of writing is its lack of contextual depth. Summers and Robbyn present enough evidence to illustrate the confusing nature of events leading up to the attack. No one in a position of leadership, including Kimmel, could deny that war was at hand but evidence of a Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor would have been at the time unrealistic. Kimmel never refused to acknowledge that he was accountable. The Navy rule is responsibility may be held by many, but accountability rests only with the commanding officer.The book is 544 pages with illustrations published in 2016.

This week Americans commemorate the 75th anniversary of the December 7, 1941 bombing of Pearl Harbor and the United States’ official entrance into World War II. The date has fostered the appearance of a number of recent books dealing with the Japanese attack and its repercussions. Among these monographs are JAPAN 1941: COUNTDOWN TO INFAMY by Eri Hotta, PEARL HARBOR: FROM INFAMY TO GREATNESS, by Craig Nelson, COUNTDOWN TO PEARL HARBOR: THE TWELVE DAYS TO THE ATTACK by Steve Twomey, SEVEN DAYS OF INFAMY: PEARL HARBOR ACROSS THE WORLD by Nicholas Best that concentrate on the overall attack, what lay behind it, its repercussions, and A MATTER OF HONOR: BETRAYAL, BLAME AND A FAMILY’S QUEST FOR JUSTICE by Anthony Summers and Robbyn Swan which focuses in on the role of Admiral Husband Kimmel who was relieved of his command and accused of dereliction of duty due to the success of the Japanese attack. The focus of this review is the narrative exploration and defense of Admiral Kimmel who Washington officials made one of the major scapegoats for the losses at Pearl Harbor, and his fight, during his lifetime to clear his name, and the continued battle with the Washington bureaucracy by his sons to absolve their father and restore his reputation. The book is presented in two parts. The first section, about two thirds of the book explores events, decisions, intelligence, and personalities leading up to the attack. The last third deals with the charges against Kimmel, his defense, and the families attempt to restore his reputation and absolve him of total responsibility for the failures that led to December 7th.After putting to bed some of the conspiracy theories pertaining to the reasons behind the Japanese success at Pearl Harbor the authors move on to deal with the issue of culpability that stands on firmer ground. In terms of whether the accusations leveled at Kimmel hold water Summers and Swan point to the change in US strategy for the Pacific in January, 1941. Under Admiral Harold R. Stark’s direction “Plan Dog” was implemented to restrain Japan by using the fleet operating out of Pearl Harbor as a bulwark against Japanese aggression. Stark was very concerned that a sudden attack in Hawaiian waters would be very problematical and he asked the War Department to provide additional equipment and protective measures, i.e., increased air-born patrols, augment anti-aircraft patrols, newer and more efficient aircraft, increase the lack of aircraft detection devices among a number of requests. It was clear that the naval command at Pearl Harbor felt its defenses were inadequate. In February, 1941, Kimmel who was made Commander and Chief of the Pacific Fleet also made requests to Army Chief of Staff General George C. Marshall who was not forthcoming with materials and planes as he remarked that the country was “tragically lacking in material…we cannot perform a miracle.” Letters to Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson and Navy Secretary Henry Knox reflected the position that the army would be unable to assist at Pearl Harbor and that materials were not available. This at a time, based on earlier exercises going back to 1928, as well as a number of other warnings from well-placed individuals who claimed to know Japan’s plans, it seems obvious that the US military was fully aware of the Japanese threat, including an accurate prediction by Knox as to what could occur in the future. Summers and Swan discuss many facets of the attack on Pearl Harbor. They have mined the communications between London and Washington, including the political and intelligence sharing components. They explore the important meetings in Washington involving the president, his cabinet and military officials as they evaluated intelligence information, negotiations with the Japanese, and military readiness and strategy should Tokyo strike. The coverage of a number of interesting components of intelligence operations, human and non-human are excellent, in addition to the dissemination of information learned. Portraits of the key characters and decision makers are integrated into the narrative, i.e., President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Secretary of the Navy Henry Knox, Secretary of State Cordell Hull, Chief of Staff George C. Marshall, Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson, Chief of Naval Operations Harold R. Stark, US Military Commander responsible for Hawaii Walter C. Short, FBI Head, J. Edgar Hoover, Japanese Ambassador to the United States Kichisaburo Nomura, and the Japanese Admiral in command of the attack on Pearl Harbor Isoroku Yamamoto, among many more.There were many interesting aspects to Summers and Swan’s description leading up to December 7th. Their discussion of spies such as Ulrich von der Osten, a German spy stationed in Shanghai who ran a leather goods salesman, Kurt Ludwig in gathering intelligence for Japan is fascinating. The role of British double agent, Dusko Popov and Hoover and other officials refusal to take his warnings seriously sheds light on the dysfunctional relationship between US and British spymasters before the attack on Pearl Harbor. The authors zero in on the negotiations between the US and Japan the last week of November, 1941, including MAGIC and PURPLE intercepts since the US had broken Japanese codes. Other intercepts include the November 27th warning to US bases overseas and the intelligence assessments as of November 30, all pointing to a number of conclusions. First, the Japanese were acting out a charade in conducting negotiations, Kimmel was not party to intelligence and the analysis of the ongoing talks that had reached a standstill, and Hawaii/Pearl Harbor was left out of any warnings and intelligence pertaining to a Japanese attack. It was pretty clear that officials were much more concerned with the Philippines than Pearl Harbor.The first damning action taken was the creation of the Roberts Commission a week after the attack. The commission headed by Supreme Court Justice Owen Roberts provided its report on January 24, 1942 and concluded that Marshall and Stark had sent appropriate warnings to Hawaii. Further, it vindicated senior members of the government including naval and army commanders. It argued that Kimmel and Short did not respond appropriately and charged them with “dereliction of duty,” a failure to “properly evaluate the seriousness of the situation,” and errors in judgement.” Interestingly, Kimmel was never asked if he received MAGIC intercepts, and the senior officials who said he received them were not under oath at the time. The result Kimmel was relieved of command on December 16, 1941, was coerced into retiring, and was the subject of hate mail, death threats, denunciations in Congress, and was told that a court martial could take place in the future. This for a man who gave over forty years to his country. First he was not allowed to have a lawyer present with him before the commission, and secondly, he was not allowed to question his accusers. According to commission member William Standley, a retired admiral the result was a self-fulfilling prophecy as the investigation “precluded any investigations into the activities of high civilians in Washington….Army and naval officers and high civilian officials equally more culpable.” In addition, he points out based on the information available to them Marshall and Stark did not serve with distinction to say the least. The only way to exonerate Kimmel was to make parts of MAGIC intercepts public, but that would be a threat to American national security. Finally, a congressional investigation did take place in late 1945 after FDR’s death and it concluded that MAGIC intercepts should have been sent to Kimmel. He may have been guilty of “errors in judgement,” but not “dereliction of duty.” This was not enough and Kimmel would spend the rest of his life trying to restore his honor.Following his death, Kimmel’s sons, grandchildren, and other family members worked to restore his correct place in history by trying to get the the Defense Department, Congress and the President to restore his naval rank as it existed before December 7, 1941. The authors examine this effort and its results, a quest that continues to this day. A MATTER OF HONOR is a fascinating look at the inner workings of our defense, diplomatic, and intelligence policies leading up to the war and its effect on one person who is aptly described as “an American Dreyfuss” because of what he went through. Summers and Swan have written a cogent narrative and their conclusions dealing with FDR, Marshall, Stark and other government officials are dead on.

In "A Matter of Honor: Pearl Harbor: Betrayal, Blame, and a Family's Quest for Justice" Anthony Summers has written what is likely to be the definitive account of the events that led to the Pearl Harbor attack (on the U.S. Pacific Fleet) of December 7th, 1941 and the failures among the U.S. political and military leadership that helped make the attack likely. Summers has a deserved reputation as a journalist/writer who leaves no stone unturned and scrupulously explores every source available to him, checking thoroughly for the veracity of various documents and data he finds on a subject that is his prime interest. Some years ago, I read his biography of J. Edgar Hoover - 'Official and Confidential, The Secret Life of J. Edgar Hoover' - which made me a fervent fan of his work. (The way he was able to marshal facts and personal accounts from people who both worked closely for Hoover or suffered as the result of his unjust acts, absolutely captivated my interest in the book.) And here in "A Matter of Honor", as a way of giving a further scope to the common narrative of the Pearl Harbor attack that has been perpetuated for decades, Summer provides the reader with a compelling account of the life and career of Admiral Husband E. Kimmel - the commander of the Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor. Here was a man who devoted his whole life to the U.S. Navy, from his time at Annapolis in the early 1900s, to the various commands he served - always earning the highest commendations from his superiors. He truly epitomized through his personal conduct and service all that could be asked for from an officer. Yet, from the time, Kimmel was made commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet in February 1941, there are factors that Summers brings to light that show that Kimmel and his Army counterpart, General Walter Short, were not provided with all the resources they needed to defend Hawaii against a possible Japanese attack. This was during a time when diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Japan were deteriorating, and by the latter part of 1941, it was judged likely by both Washington and the top military leadership that war between the 2 countries would result. (Indeed, the U.S. military had broken the Japanese military and diplomatic codes - and so, had some sense of what Tokyo was contemplating as a resolution to its impasse with Washington.) This is a book that anyone who wants to know the definitive account of who(m) is (are) responsible or culpable for the tragedy of Pearl Harbor should read and then quietly reflect upon. I know that I will never again judge Admiral Husband Kimmel as guilty as dereliction of duty. In my view, he was a convenient scapegoat (which is not easy for me to admit, as someone who had earlier accepted wholesale the official stories behind Admiral Kimmel's and General Short's "neglect" of Hawaii's defense).

When my family and I decided that we would visit Honolulu, I knew that reading a book about Pearl Harbor before visiting was a must. I must say, that it did make an afternoon at the memorial and museum enjoyable.One thing that is certain is that when an event or tragedy occurs, people always rush to assign blame. I suppose it is human nature to want to know "who is responsible for this?" That is the gist of this book. Admiral Husband Kimmel was the newly appointed admiral of the Navy. His assignment: the Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor. He was the man in charge when the Japanese attacked on Dec. 7, 1941. And, he was assigned the blame. He lost rank, was told to retire, and was humiliated and attacked by his own people. Authors Summers and Swan did a tremendous amount of research (impressively so!) to prove that he should not have been made the scapegoat for the failure to protect the sailors and ships.The authors did an exceptional job of proving that Kimmel repeatedly told Washington that Pearl Harbor was not adequately protected. He begged, on repeated occasions, for more help. It never came. Kimmel was not given enough planes or pilots to protect the fleet. They just didn't have the force to run the recognizance missions to check for incoming Japanese bombers. The pilots had an enormous burden, and could not sustain the pace needed. A new piece of technology was available in the early 1940's: radar. Radar could be used to track incoming planes. However, Pearl Harbor was not given the latest, updated equipment. The radar given to Pearl Harbor was almost useless. The waters of Pearl Harbor were considered shallow. Experts believed that the waters were too shallow for the torpedoes of Japan to work. For this reason, protective nets were not installed around the ships to protect them. The nets were considered cumbersome and ineffective. Obviously, the nets would have helped to a certain degree. Perhaps the greatest injustice to Kimmel is that he was not privy to information code breakers stole from the Japanese. Much of it concerned Pearl Harbor. The Japanese had been spying on the military installation for months, and secret chatter about the ship's positions, the personnel, and the timing of an attack were intercepted by Americans. Yet, that information was not always shared with Kimmel. One can only shake their head and wonder why.If you grew up and learned anything in school about Pearl Harbor, you probably believed that it was attacked without any warning and came as a complete surprise to the U.S. This is not the case. The government knew that war with Japan was probable. Lots of negotiations occurred. Ultimatums were given. Peace was never attained. Roosevelt and the leaders in Washington thought that an attack was possible, if not probable. The problem is--they thought it was likely to happen in the Philippines, which provided a more direct route for the Japanese interests. Thus, Pearl Harbor was left without adequate protections.I'm not sure that this is the kind of book a person "loves." However, the information was so impressive. Whether or not you believe that Husband Kimmel was an irresponsible leader of the Navy, or a victim of a public relations nightmare, the information is certainly thought provoking. I would say that this book is perfect for people with an intense interest in history.

I finished this book! Took me a couple of weeks but I did. And I really rather enjoyed it, which is perhaps inappropriate given the subject matter, but whatever. It was a good read. I learned some stuff, which is always nice.

Really Interesting book which unearths a lot of information about the repercussions from the Pearl harbour attack. The book really comes alive in the second part - titled "Consequences" which deals with the political/legal fall out from the attack and just how Admiral Kimmels reputation was destroyed by the kneejerk initial inquiry on the attack as the thirst for blame and vilification was sought. The reactions of those to find out how little intelligence was passed on to naval command in Pearl Harbour before the attack which is then juxtaposed with the damage and loss of life that this actually caused is quite telling. The final letter between Kimmel and his former friend Stark who he blames wholeheartedly and which also terminates any relationship they may have had is both charged and poignant. Kimmel comes through this as a highly honourable fellow who has to endure the almost unendurable with the loss of his son during the war and his wife's illness, whilst at the same time, fighting to clear his name and reputation. It is clear that this sense of honour and service has been passed on to his family down the generations.

Definitely a must read for those intrigued on the subject matter of the Pearl Harbor attack. This book focuses on the prelude and aftermath of the bombing by the Japanese which led the United States entering World War 2. The authors did a tremendous job in interviewing family members of the former head of the Naval Fleet at Pearl Harbor (Admiral Husband Kimmel), researching the archives of the military commanders, as well as President Roosevelt, when the decision was made to remove Admiral Kimmel from his post just after the attack and made him and the Army commander scapegoats for not being better prepared for the attack. The information that Washington DC had from breaking the Japanese code and not relaying that information to the command center at Pearl Harbor leads one to believe that no matter who was in charge the devastation would have been the same. If I had the time, I would've preferred to read this book straight through rather than a few chapters per day.

Having read John Toland's "Infamy" years ago I had always had my doubts about the truth of the attack on Pearl Harbor. While Toland's assertions that FDR new well in advance of the attack and let it go unprepared for in order to get into the war, have largely been disputed, this book reveals the real incompetence of Washington including the president in he build up to the attack. It is highly distressing to know the careers of two honorable men have been allowed to remain tarnished. Admiral Kimmel and General Short deserved do much better. Kimmel's family continues to this day to fight for his honor. A great book for those interested in WW2 history.

For anyone who has studied the events leading up to the attack on Pearl Harbor, you know there are questions in the blame being placed almost solely on Admiral Kimmel and General Short. This book provides a lot of information about the actions taken in the months prior to the attack at all levels of government. While there are good reasons for actions immediately following December 7, 1941, this many decades after WW2 ended it is time for these good men to be exonerated and their reputations restored. This book is well written and gives a balanced view of what happened.

I was too young to be aware of what went on after Pearl Harbor, but the blame was placed on Admiral Kimmel and his Army counterpart. End of story. Not so fast. Washington had not shared important intel with Hawaii, information that could have told them that the Japanese were on their way. At first Kimmel wanted what was best for his country. Then he got mad at how he was treated and fought to defend himself. For the rest of his life, he worked to clear his name. His sons and grandson fight on. I couldn't put this book down. Very well written and researched.

For all those following and researching the truth behind the story of the lead into the attack on Pearl Harbor - a must read book. British journalists Anthony Summers and Robbyn Swan have drawn together huge amounts of historical information in an attempt to help the family of Admiral Kimmel vindicate their patriarch, who was the fall-guy for the failed preparedness regarding the attack on Pearl. Excellent truths.

History of the cover-up of Pearl Harbor. Admiral Kimmel and General Short were totally screwed!! Makes you kind of angry to read. To this day, no president has had the balls to promote them back to their original rank. Many others should have had their rank reduced or even impeached over this tragedy!!

Fantastic read This book is a fantastic read and covers, in detail, the scapegoating of a four star admiral at Pearl Harbor. Admiral Kimmel deserves an untarnished seat at the altar of U.S. military history.