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

The Cover-up Begins 367
“We were in an emergency situation and there was panic
running through the Navy Department at that particular time.” 12
Th e order to destroy the papers came down from the offi ce of
Chief of Naval Operations Stark. According to Captain Saff ord,
in charge of the Security Section of Naval Communications, it
“seemed a perfectly logical and reasonable order” 13 and he carried
it out, passing “that word on to [his] immediate subordinates.” 14
Th e order applied only to unoffi cial notes or personal records; the
section heads “were not given any instructions to destroy fi les or
any offi cial records.” 15
Concerning security in the Army, General Marshall warned
his staff offi cers shortly after the attack that it was mandatory
that knowledge of the MAGIC intercepts never be made public.
Marshall told them that they would have to go to their graves
with this secret. 16
With respect to Navy security, Stark testifi ed that “anybody
who was let in on that [MAGIC] had to sign a paper never to
disclose it, practically so long as he lived.” He said, for instance,
that his aide during the Pearl Harbor investigations, “Lieutenant
Commander Richmond . . . pretty near signed his death warrant,
. . . if he were to give anything out about it.” 17
12 Ibid., part 8, p. 3570. Saff ord testimony.
13 Ibid., p. 3570.
14 Ibid., p. 3566.
15 Ibid., p. 3571.
16An Army offi cer, who was in a position to know, told this author on two
occasions—once in the presence of General Bonner Fellers and a second time
in the presence of General Albert C. Wedemeyer—about the vow of secrecy
exacted by Marshall from his offi cers. Th e Army offi cer refused to let his name
be used lest it jeopardize his son’s Army career.
17Joint Committee, Pearl Harbor Attack, part 5, p. 2468, Stark testimony before
the Joint Committee.