November 27, day after Japanese fleet left for Pearl Harbor, message went out from War Department
Operative phrases = “Consider This message a war warning.
Execute appropriate defensive measures”
Kimmel and Short did neither …….
There is a lot more to that story. Kimmel and Short are not totally to blame.
Kimmel and Short did react to the war warning; they moved ships and aircraft away from possible sabotage raids from the periphery on the ground. Given the size of the Japanese community on Oahu this was as prudent a move as they could make, and yes there were spies among them loyal to Tokyo.
A radar warning of approaching aircraft was given low priority & failed to be delivered in time. Again, not their fault.
Were PBY Catalinas available to conduct air patrols of the surrounding sea & sky? I don’t know.
IMO, Gordon Prange’s book tells the most complete story of the intelligence snafus at Pearl; and due to the usual cause: turf wars.
Wrong. The week before 12/7 Kimmel had the fleet at sea and was in position to meet the Japanese fleet. He was ordered back to Pearl Harbor.
He and Short were denied everything that could have allowed them to get ready particularly information.