Which Pacific Fleet commander warned against keeping the fleet at Pearl Harbor but still received some blame for the later posture?
Short answerAdmiral James O. Richardson, who protested the basing policy and wanted the fleet returned to the West Coast.
NotesAdmiral James O. Richardson repeatedly sought to return the Pacific Fleet to bases on the US West Coast. President Roosevelt insisted on the Hawaiian deployment, so the later posture cannot fairly be attributed to Richardson alone. A later chat correction supplies his name after the initial answer could not recall it. His case separates a commander's professional warning from the political decision that overruled it.