Evening star., 1945-12-14


take" Senator Lucas continued. "Of
course, in the meantime, we will be
looking for counsel"
Senator Barkley then revealed
his plan to recess the hearings De-
cember 81 or % for Christmas, and
said the legal staff would continue
until then.
Three Of the four Republican
members were present, but took no
part in the eulogies the Democrats
delivered on the retiring legal staff.
They. were Senator Ferguson and
Representatives Gearhart of Coli
fornia and Keefe of Wisconsin. =
Keefe Wants Job Finished.
Later, Senator Ferguson told re-
porters he does not believe there has
been too much examination of wit
nesses, adding IF the people do not
get the entire story now they will
never get it,"
Representative Keefe expressed
the same thought, and declared "the
committee should obtain counsel
and complete this job"
Senator Ferguson said that in the
debates on the Senate floor before
the hearings began, II saw this
coming" and added, you cannot
get part of the evidence in the
morning and examine witness the
same day" The Michigan Senator
said he did not think counsel had
large enough staff in view OF the
volumes of Government records
that had to be gone over.
If we are to get the full and COM
olete statement of facts, 1t seems to
me members of the committee
charged with the responsibility must
assume and carry out that duty"
said Mr.. Keefe. Evidently the
chairman has been of that opinion
because he has been emminently
fair and has at no time prevented
members from eliciting information
they deem pertinent. 1t is regret
able that the outlook now indicates
the hearings will have to continue
beyond the time in the original
resolution, but this is not unexpect-
ed in view Of the length of time-I
believe in excess of year and half
it took the Army and Navy to ac-
cumulate the record before u.s.
Gen. Gerow Questioned.
AS the hearing went on today,
Gen. GeroW was asked by Repre-
sentative Murphy, Democrat, of
Pennsylvania, if he had at the time
considered the warning which the
War Department sent Maj. Gen.
Walter c. Short, Hawaiian COM
mander, November 27, 1941, adequate
to alert the islands against attack.
Yes, sir, did," said the former
war plans chief.
DO you think the damage from
the japanese attack would have
been considerably lessened If the
island of Oahu had been completely
alerted?"
Gen. Gerow said he did.
Representative Gearhart Ques-
toned the witness about the failure
of the War Department, according
to records thus far in evidence, to
advise Gen. Short of a series OF
seven Japanese messages inter-
cepted during several months before
Pearl Harbor. These messages gave
directions for sending information
from Honolulu to Tokyo on ship
movements in Pearl Harbor and the
exact location OF the feet from
time to time.
Great Interest in Hawaii.
"These messages indicated great
interest by the Japanese in Hawaii?"
Mr.. Gearhart suggested.
They certainly did" Gen. Gerow
admitted.
And yet they were never. called
to the attention Of the Hawaiian
commander"
Not that I know Of" Gen. Gerow
replied.
''Why?" Mr.. Gearhart demanded.
Gen. Gerow said he thought Ga
Gntelligence) could answer that
the War Plans Division was not
charged with the duty Of evaluating
such information and passing it on.
Those intercepts were brought to
me in locked pouch" Gen. Gerow
added II read them and gave them
back to the officer who brought
them. I made no attempt to evalu-
ate them. If considered them i'm
portant, I usually talked them over
with Co.. I don't recall having seen
these particular messages. I pre-
sumo I did"
Too Much Background.
Mr.. Gearhart asked Gen. Gerow
to put himself in the place of either
Gen. Short or the Pacific naval
commander at the time, Admiral
Kimmel, and say whether, If they
had received this information about
the intense japanese espionage in
Hawaii, that tragic happening of
December would have occurred
just as it did"
II don't believe I can put myself
in the position of the commander in
Hawaii" Gen. Gerow said. There
is too much background to consider,
and too much has happened before
and since"
well, if you had been COM
mander," Mr.. Gearhart added,
what would you have done If you
had received information?"
81 don't believe I can state what
I would have done without having
been in command" Gen. Gerow re-
piled.
Later. in response to further ques-
tions Gen. Gerow said he did think
the information contained in the
"intercepts" would have added any
force to the warning which Gen
George G. Marshall, chief of staff
sent Gen. Short November 27
Gen. Gerow added that counter