Did scapegoating Kimmel conceal wider failures?

Did scapegoating Kimmel hinder examination of the systemic failures behind Pearl Harbor?

Yes; fixing blame on Kimmel and Short allowed senior officials to argue that the wider US command and intelligence systems were sound.

James Forrestal continued to focus responsibility on Kimmel and Short. If those two men could be treated as the complete explanation, senior officials and the Navy's systems did not have to be examined as failures. The political convenience of a narrow culprit affected which lessons could be acknowledged. Personal blame served to preserve the institution's reputation.