Q&A ยท 5:07:14-5:08:17

Admiral Kimmel and blame for Pearl Harbor

The argument for exonerating Kimmel rests on the warning information withheld from his command before Pearl Harbor.

Question

Which admiral received the greatest political blame despite not being that bad?

Short answer

Kimmel is the choice, on the argument that Washington denied him warning information and then blamed him for inadequate preparation.

Notes

Clarke holds Kimmel blameless for Pearl Harbor because Washington did not supply the information available to his predecessor. He argues that the government then blamed Kimmel for failing to prepare for an attack that the missing information would have helped him anticipate.