In 1915 Kimmel briefly served as an aide to Assistant Secretary of the Navy Franklin Roosevelt. The two built a good working relationship, and Kimmel handled the political environment proficiently. The Navy nevertheless regarded him as an officer better employed near the front than inside headquarters and soon returned him to operational work. That career preference gave him sea experience but fewer political connections to protect him after Pearl Harbor.
Chapter · 52:23-53:38
Kimmel as Franklin Roosevelt's naval aide
A short 1915 assignment with Assistant Secretary Franklin Roosevelt shows that Kimmel could work in politics even though the Navy preferred him at sea.