Richardson wrote that the president and secretary of state imposed the Hawaii basing decision without consulting their senior military advisers about its likely effect. He believed successful Pacific war planning required trust between the Navy and civilian leadership. He told Roosevelt that senior naval officers no longer possessed that trust and confidence. The confrontation explains both Richardson's early removal and the warning inherited by Kimmel.
Notable Point · 1:32:46-1:33:24
Richardson's warning about civilian leadership
Richardson argued that civilian leaders imposed the Hawaii deployment without asking whether the fleet could make deterrence credible.