Q&A · 4:57:45-4:58:58

Why Fleet Problem lessons did not save Pearl Harbor

Clarke attributes the failure before Pearl Harbor to the distribution of intelligence and the decisions that kept relevant information from Kimmel.

Question

What if the US Navy had fully retained the prewar Fleet Problem lessons about attacking Pearl Harbor?

Short answer

In this interpretation, the central failure was the withholding of relevant intelligence from Kimmel, which exercise lessons alone could not remedy.

Notes

Prewar Fleet Problems had already rehearsed an attack on Pearl Harbor. In this interpretation, retaining those exercise lessons could not compensate for an intelligence and command system that withheld relevant information from the commander on the spot. That withholding is linked to the difficulties Kimmel's predecessor had caused after receiving similar updates. The argument assigns responsibility to the officers who restricted the information, while distinguishing that case from a commander who received adequate warnings and still chose badly.