Evening star., 1945-12-07

S AR, Washington, D. C.
DECEMBER :. 's42.
he arrived at his office in the War
Department that Sunday morning.
Il read it over twice." he added,
explaining that on the second read
ing he noticed the special message
from Tokyo to the two Japanese
ENJOYS in Washington instructing
them to deliver the note to the Sec
retary of State at l pm. that day.
ut indicated to me and to all
the other officers present." Gen.
Mcrsi4all recalled, that the jap
anese planned some very definite
action after l pm"
Gen. Marshall said the Japanese
note and its prescript was all
rather unusual" He added:
L wrote about the message, and
then I got Admiral Stark, (Admiral
Harold r. Stark, then Chief of
Naval Operations) on the White
House switchboard and read him
the message. He felt it might con-
fuse the field commanders, because
we had already placed them on the
alert"
Gen. Marshall referred to
message which had been sent them
November q warning them that
negotiations with the japanese ap-
peared near an end and due pre-
cautions should be taken.
II wrote the message in long hand"
Gen. Marshall added. Il think Ad-
miral Stark called me back. Any,
way I told him 1 was sending the
message, and he asked me to add,
Show this to your naval officer "
Gen. Marshall told the committee
he did not know until later that
the message had been sent to Hawaii
by Western Union Telegraph to San
Francisco and by RCA wireless to
Honolulu.
Admiral Stark tells me-" the gen.
eral supplemented, that he asked
me If I wanted it sent by naval COM
munications and told him no.
On Stand for Second Day.
Gen. Marshall said of the news
that the japanese had attacked
Pearl Harbor:
Il don't remember whether I was
at my Office or at home when was
notified. The secretary of the gen.
eral staff tells me was at my Of
flee. Others tell me was at home.
have no Independent recollection.
At any event, I was at my Office in
a few minutes"
Gen. Marshall beginning the sec
ond day of his testimony on the
fourth anniversary of Pearl Har-
Dor started his recital of the events
on the morning of December 7, 1941,
by relating:
Il had my breakfast about 8.
said at previous inquiry into
Pearl Harbor that I probably rode
horseback until $3.50.
Rode for Hour or Less.
Since then talks with my order
lies and others leads me purely by
deduction-for I can't remember
to say must have ridden later. I
don't know how long. Probably after
breakfast I read the papers, then
went out riding"
Describing his usual route of Sum-
day morning rides between the ap-
proaches' to Memorial Bridge and
portions of Rock Creek Park, he
added:
THE probability is I rode for an
hour or less-certainly not longer" !"
Gen. Marshall went on: II think
I was taking shower or had just
left it when I was notified there
was something important for me at
the War Department.
He guessed that he got there in
10 minutes or less after leaving his
home at Fort Myer, Va.
II don't know the exact time
arrived" Gen. Marshall said. Il
started reading the Japanese note" +"
Asked what he did on the evening
before. Gen. Marshall said he had
no clear memory, but from other
evidence, including Mrs. Marshall's
recollection, believed they stayed
home that night.
1T is highly probable we stayed
home" the general added. :
Went to Office Quickly.
After describing what was done
about the warning message to the
field commander, Gen. Marshall
said:
The next information I had was
the notification of the actual attack
1 don't remember whether I was at
home or at the War Department.
The secretary of the general staff
tells me l was at my Office. Others
say I was at home I don't know
where I was. Anyway was quickly
at my office.
There were many reports at
that time-reports and rumors. 1t
was reported that japanese land
ing was being attempted, and 1
asked the facts about that. I was
told that Short had gone into the
field and was not able to talk to
me directly"
Gen. Marshall told Mr.. Mitchell
he did not recall any discussion Sun
day morning of what the cor
responding time would be in Hawaii,
Panama or other points when the