Evening star., 1945-12-06
A|I-Out Alert in Hawaii Ordered
In Summer Of 194O in Fear Of
Japanese Raid Marshall Reveals
General Describes
Steps to Bolster
Island Defenses
BY ]. A. O'LEARY and
CARTER BROOKE JONES.

The Navy feared a surprise at
tack by Japan on Hawaii 10
months before Pearl Harbor was
bombed and the virtual helpless
ness of the bastion and of the
. Philippines against air raids was
discussed at an Army General
Staff meeting February 25, 1941,
Gen. George C. Marshall told the
Pearl Harbor Committee today.
The general disclosed this infor-
nation after revealing to the COM
mittee that the much discussed all
out alert which he ordered the
forces in Hawaii to observe in the
summer of 1910 was not a peace
time maneuver, but was based on
information that the japanese might
attack.
When Gen. Marshall disclosed
for the first time the real purpose
of the 1910 alert, he contradicted
earlier testimony by Admiral James
o. Richardson, former commander
of the United States Fleet, who op-
posed keeping the Pacific Fleet at
Pearl Harbor in 1910 and 1941. Ad-
miral Richardson testified that Gen.
Marshall told him the 1910 alert was
'an exercise"
misunderstanding Seen.
Reminded of this by Committee
Counsel William D. Mitchell, Gen.
Marshall said there must be mis-
understanding in his Richardson's
mind, because there was never any
question about the purpose of the
alert.
The 1910 alert was mentioned
briefly in the report of the Army
Board of Inquiry last August, but
the dramatic story of why the
armed forces went into position
with live ammunition at that time
was revealed for the first time today.
Minutes of the February 25, 194l,
staff meeting which Gen. Marshall
read into the record quoting him as
telling the other officers:
In view of the japanese situa-
ton. the Navy is concerned with the
security of the fleet in Hawaii
Fleet VulnerabiIity Recognized.
Gen. Marshall added at that time:
"They are in the situation where
they must guard against surprise
or trick attack"
The Chief of Staff told the gen.
eral staff: ''It is necessary for the
feet to be in anchorage part of
the time, and they were partic-
ularly vulnerable at that time"
Gen. Marshall said at that con-
ference he did not feel an attack
was "a probability or even a pos
sibility, but they must guard against
everything"
The former Chief of Staff also
told the committee that early in
1941 he robbed all airplane pursuit
squadrons in the United States in
order to get more planes to Hawaii
as soon as possible.
He said this was one of the first
steps taken after the late Secretary
of the Navy Knox wrote to former
Secretary of War Stimson in jan
uary, 1941, placing an air attack
high on the list of possible threats
to Pearl Harbor.
Considered Radical Steps,"
He related how the Army's War
Plans Division sent him the draft
of reply to the Knox letter. He
said his recollection was that this
reply explained it might take until
October to get the material and
equipment needed eat Pearl Harbor.
Gen. Marshall said he felt that
would put the Secretary of War in
an impossible position, so he called
in commanders of the Air Corps and
others "to see what radical steps
could be taken" Immediately.
The first step agreed on, he con-
tinued, was ito rob all pursuit squad
rons in the United States" He said
most of these squadrons in the
United States were cut down to two
planes. He next took up with Ad-
See Pearl, HARROR PAGE ALL