The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1945-09-03
Unfair To Hull

Navy's findings about Pearl Harbor and the
Armys. The Navy board examined the Navy
and found many instances where the Navy
was neither adequately prepared in material
strength nor adequately equipped in staff per-
sonnet to ward off the enemy's first blow of
the war The Navy did not function as wisely
or efficiently as it apparently should have
functioned And the Navy says so-the formal
board with restraint and evidence of some
reluctance, the higher officials of the Navy
in stronger and more selfcondenning terms.
But they do not blame anyone outside the
Navy for their own shortcomings.
The Army board is also properly introspec-
tive and lays blame within the Army freely
But it is not content with that 1t goes outside
and writes strange kind of history, because
it is only one side of history. The Army did
not want war to come quite so soon as it did
1t wanted delay, and it had Joined with the
Navy in requesting Cordell Hull at the State
Department to protract the negotiations with
Japan as long as he'possibly could. They were
not protracted long enough for reinforce
ments to reach the Philippines or for Ha-
Waiian defenses to be put in adequate condi-
ton.
The curious result is that we now have
on the record charge from board of Off
GERS of the United States Army that the Amer
lean Secretary of State touched the button
that started the war;
Stated bluntly, as the Army board stated
it, the charge implies that Mr.. Hull deliber-
ately chose to end the negotiations by, SUBJ
uniting to the japanese terms which everyone
knew they would not accept. And it puts the
Army board in strange company, for this is,
OF course, the precise charge which Japanese
propaganda has made consistently from the
beginning Of the war.
There is in the Army charge one new point
,1oI1 hoI l..
lie discussions about the affair. It is that on
Nov Is, just IA days before the attack, Mr.
Hull discussed two different courses of action
at meeting of the War Council at the White
House. One proposal was for three-month
truce, which both Army and Navy favored
The other was for the memorandum setting
forth U. S. principles about Asia as basis
for further talks.
The Army board implies that if Mr.. Hull
had used the truce proposal, the war might
have been delayed.
This is version of history which overlooks
great deal and it can be taken for granted
that Mr.. Hull will point up the missing ele-
ments with promptness-and vigor, for he has
never yet taken a challenge lying down. And
he has never lost an argument of this kind.
What 1t overlooks above all is that since
May of that year Mr. Hull had been negoti-
ating with the Japanese. For oyer half year
he had been trying to find a way of persuad-
ing them to relinquish purposes which Ameri-
can public opinion condemned and America
as nation was firmly resolved not to accept
The war could have been avoided any time
that America would bow down and grant to
Japan dominion over Asia and the Pacific
Ocean. But it could be avoided only on Japa.
neSe terms.
BY Nov. rs 1t was apparent to both sides
that this would not happen. The Japanese
had shown themselves committed fully to
war of conquest. Washington had tried ap-
peasement and found that it neither appeased
nor was acceptable to American public opin-
| ion. So 1t is hardly fair to suggest that Mr.
Hull had it within his power to delay the open
ing of war any longer. A proposal for truce
could have touched the button'' just as
plausibly as restatement of American prin-
ciples Mr.. Hull certainly was of the belief
that he had won for the Army and Navy all
the time that he could possibly win. truce
would have sounded just as adamant in Japa-
nese ears as anything else. They wanted
American capitulation, which was not within
MIR. Hulls power to give them.
&c. in making this charge, the Army board
has not written history, but only one small
side of one part of history. What they have
done is to make it certain that the other
sides of this part of history will now be writ
ten into the public record And we may be
certain that it will be written with the full
flavor of the Tennessee hills - Christian
Science Monitor.