Evening star., 1945-12-07
Marshall Questioned on Delay
Due to Sending Final Warning
Through Commercial Channels
General Testifies
He Thought Fastest
Method Was Used
BY J. A. OLEARY and
CARTER BROOKE JONES,

Gen. George C. Marshall was
unable to explain today to the
Pearl Harbor Investigating Com
mittee whf his last warning to
the Hawaiian command, on the
morning of the japanese at
tack, went by commercial tele-
graph aRd radio and was delayed
several hours, arriving after the
harbor had been bombed and
the fleet wrecked.
The wartime Chief of Staff said he
did not order it sent by commercial
means and assumed the War De-
partment message center would use
the quickest means available to get
1t to Maj. Gen. Walter Short, Ha-
wailar commander.
Can't Recall Time.
Gen. Marshall explained that he
wrote the message to Hawaii, the
Philippines, the Caribbean Com
mand, the West Coast Command,
and Alaska few minutes after
reading the 14-part japanese note
to Secretary of State Hull, which
had been intercepted and decoded.
This occurred at an hour the gen.
eral said he assumed to be. from
what others said, some time after
II am. December 7, 1941, though he
himself had no recollection of the
time
Gen. Marshall said he read the
long japanese note twice after
being called out of a shower at
home by an urgent summons to the
War Department. He had taken
his usual Sunday morning horse
back ride, he said, and was getting
ready to go to his Office.
Dewey Letters to Go in Record.
Chairman Barkley announced at
the noon recess that the two letters
Gen. Marshall wrote to Gov. Thomas
E. Dewey of New York during the
presidential campaign last year
would be placed in the record, prob
ably this afternoon.
The committee had held an un-
expected closed committee meeting
this morning, repeatedly to discuss
the possible deletion of portions of
the correspondence but Senator
Barkley had no comment, telling re-
porters he would make a statement
when the letters are presented.
The sending of the letters was
revealed several months ago in an
article in Life magazine. They
were described as appeals to the
Republican nominee not to disclose
In any discussion of the Pearl Har-
bor disaster that this country had
cracked the japanese code. Gov
Dewey refrained from discussing the
Pearl Harbor attack during the
campaign.
William D. Mitchell, the commit
tees chief <counsel, pressed Gen.
Marshall for details about the warn
ing to field commanders.
Did you give instructions as toI
the means of transmitting it toI
Hawaii?" the attorney asked mo,
sir" said Gen. Marshall, adding that
it was the business of the message
center to use the most expeditions
means possible l.
Wrote 1t in Longhand.
st decided not to have it typed, 81
the general added. 81 wrote it in
long hand on an ordinary ruled
sheet, and it was carried in that
form by Col. Bratton, I believe"
(He referred to Col. Rufus L. Brat
ton, head of the Far Eastern Branch
of Army Intelligence)
Gen Marshall, who was criti-
cized by the Army Pearl Harbor
Board for failure to get Hawaii on
the special telephone on his desk
with its automatic "scrambling" de-
vice, was asked whether anything
was wrong with this telephone.
st don't know" Gen. Marshall
replied, Il did not ask the ques-
ton. I did not ask whether I could
get Hawaii on the phone
There was a statement in the
report of the Army Board" Mr..
Mitchell recalled, that you did tele-
phone the Philippines"
mo, sir, said Gen. Marshall firm
ly. Il didn't telephone anywhere"
Gen. Marshall said he asked Col.
Bratton to find out from the mes
(See PEARL HARBOR, Page A-4D