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

396 Pearl Harbor: The Seeds and Fruits of Infamy
said, did not constitute “a direct disobedience of that directive,”
although he considered it a “failure to obey orders.” 100 Gerow was
quite critical of Short for not having conducted more extensive
reconnaissance. 101
Th e Commission fi nished questioning Washington witnesses
within the day and then began preparing its report.
Commission Findings
In the month the Commission existed, it took testimony
from 127 witnesses in Washington and Hawaii. Its fi ndings
came to 2,173 pages of evidence and exhibits. 102 It spent January
20-23 drafting its report. Th e report was fi nished on January 23
and delivered to the president on the morning of January 24. Th e
Commission then adjourned. Th e report was published in full in
the New York Times on January 25, 1942.
To Commissioner Standley, it appeared that the majority of
the members were prejudiced against Kimmel from the start. Th is
prejudice even carried over to the way Kimmel’s remarks were
recorded. Th ey were carelessly transcribed, contained errors, and
when he suggested certain revisions, 103 the Commission inserted
his corrections “by interleaving the text of each suggested revision
on a page immediately following each page referred to,” 104 making
his testimony diffi cult to read. To mollify him, the corrected
transcript was printed in full at the end of the Commission’s published
hearings, just preceding the exhibits. 105
100Ibid., part 23, p. 1109.
101Ibid., p. 1112.
102Ibid., part 39, p. 1.
103Ibid., part 22, p. 315.
104Ibid., pp. 317ff . For corrected testimony, see part 23, pp.123ff ; part 22, pp.
317–411 (corrected pages interleafed), 415–59, 931–1051.
105Ibid., part 23, pp. 1123–44.