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

820 Pearl Harbor: The Seeds and Fruits of Infamy
this message was relayed to me from Colonel Bratton that he
wanted to come out to the house with an important matter. 291
When Stark appeared before this reconvened session of the
JCC, his mind still drew a blank as to where he had been or
what he had been doing Saturday evening. He remembered “very
clearly having seen a revival of Th e Student Prince, but I had not
connected it with that Saturday night.” Nor did he now. “My recollection
was it was in Philadelphia” that he had seen the revival
and he had “contacted my daughter and her husband who were
there, and they said no. Th e next I heard of it was in connection
with Commander Schulz’s testimony.” But even that did “not ring
any bell” with him. He could “only assume, in view of the testimony
of Commander Schulz and of others who tried to contact
me . . . that I probably was there.” 292
And Stark did not remember hearing from the president that
evening. “To the best of my knowledge and belief, the president
did not call me that night.” Nor did he think he had learned
then that “there was a dispatch down there [at the White House]
which was clear-cut and which meant war.” 293 In any event, he
was “absolutely certain” that he “did not go to the White House
that night, December 6” and that he “did not see the fi rst 13-parts
of the Jap 14-part message that night.” 294
Stark persisted in saying that his visit to the offi ce Sunday
morning had been “routine.” 295 He did not recall meeting there
that morning with various offi cers, as Kramer and Wilkinson had
testifi ed that he had. 296
291 Ibid., pp. 5191, 5194.
292 Ibid., p. 5154.
293 Ibid., pp. 5157, 5159.
294 Ibid., p. 5232.
295 Ibid., p. 5155.
296 Ibid., p. 5163.