Pearl Harbor: The Seeds and Fruits of Infamy - Ludwig von Mises ...

80 Pearl Harbor: The Seeds and Fruits of Infamy
the president. During the years he served in the post, Marshall
proved himself to be a loyal and devoted deputy to his superior,
Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Th e chief of staff ’s responsibility in peacetime—and the
United States was still at peace when Marshall took over—was
to serve “by direction of the president,” as “Commanding General
of the Field Forces.” In that capacity he was to direct “fi eld operations
and the general training of the several Armies, of the oversea
forces, and of the GHQ units.” If war were to break out, he was to
continue exercising command of the fi eld forces “until such time
as the President shall have specifi cally designated a Commanding
General thereof.” 9
Marshall also had certain responsibilities with respect to the
Navy when the fl eet was in port. More about that later.
Th e chief of staff and the president were the only ones with
legal authority to issue command orders to the army commanders
in the fi eld. Th e secretary of war, a civilian, was outside this line
of command.
Admiral Richardson, Commander-in-Chief
of U.S. Fleet, Relieved of Command
In January 1941 Richardson, commander-in-chief of the U.S.
Fleet (CINCUS), was notifi ed that he was being relieved of his
command in about three weeks. Admiral Husband E. Kimmel
was named to replace him, eff ective February 1.
Richardson was “deeply disappointed in my detachment, yet,”
as he wrote later, “there was some feeling of prospective relief, for
I had never liked to work with people whom I did not trust, and
I did not trust Franklin D. Roosevelt.” 10
9 Ibid.
10 James O. Richardson, On theTreadmill to Pearl Harbor (Washington, D.C.:
Naval History Division, Department of the Navy, 1973), p. 420.