Evening star., 1945-11-21

Betty" Is q nickname Admiral
Stark, former chief Of naval OPP
erations, picked up in his youth.
the number of men in annual ap-
preparations, although there is a
general limitation on the size of the
Navy. He said it was his belief the
President had authority to increase
the number of men by allocating
substantial sums Congress had
made available not specifically for
that purpose.
Warned Secretary Knox.
Asked If he had ever discussed
the need for more men with Col
knox,. he said he may not have
mentioned personnel, but he told
the secretary the feet was not
ready for war. He quoted Col
Knox as replying:
Richardson, we have never been
ready, but we have always won."
Senator Barkley brought out by
questioning that the Navy could
obtain men only by the volunteer
route at that time.
Senator Clark, Democrat, of
North Carolina, asked what differ
ence there would have been in the
outcome at Pearl Harbor on De-
cember 7, 1941, If the ships an
chored there had full compliments
instead of IS per cent Of full
strength.
The admiral said the difference,
based on that one factor alone
would have been "nfinitesimal."
A committee member, Represent
ative Murphy, Democrat, of Penn
sylvania, told reporters during the
overnight recess that Admiral Leahy
told him he had no recollection of
hearing Mr.. Roosevelt express doubt
this country would 60 to war even
If Japan attacked the Philippines
statement attributed to the late
President by Admiral Richardson.
A high light of the afternoon ses-
sion yesterday came when Admiral
Richardson told the committee that
DR.. Stanley Hornbeck, State De-
partment adviser on the Far East,
appeared to be exercising greater
influence over the disposition of the
fleet than l was"
Admiral Richardson was opposed
to keeping the bulk of the feet in
Pearl Harbor and had come to
Washington in October, 1910, he
said, to get the background on the
reasons for keeping it there. Most
of the new disclosures he has made
grew out of the conferences held at
that time with high Washington
officials.
Length Of Hawaii Stay.
Senator Ferguson pressed Admiral
Richardson as to- whether he sue
ceeded in finding out how long the
feet would be left in Hawaii.
Il acquired the information that
we would stay there as long as it
was necessary to support diplomatic
representations" he replied.
Were you told what those repre-
sentations were?" Senator Ferguson
continued.
mo, but I could read it in the
papers," the admiral responded. He
went on to explain that the United
States has always believed in a
strong China and I'VE were doing
all we could without going to war
to induce Japan to cease her aggres-
sive action in China"
Questioned on Hornbeck.
1t was Senator Brewster. Republi-
can, of Maine who brought the
name of DR.. Hornbeck into the pro-
ceedings by asking Admiral Rich
ardson il he saw him here in 1910.
The admiral said he saw him on
an earlier trip to Washington In
July, after which he wrote this en-
try in his notebook. He is the
strong man on the Far East, and
will hold us in Hawaii as long as
he can"
Senator Brewster wanted to know
if the admiral told Dr. Hornbeck
the same things he told the President
about not keeping the feet there.
Il told him he was completely
wrong" Admiral Richardson re-
piled.
Pungent comments cracked from
Admiral Richardson under the
questioning Of committee members
When Representative Gearhart,
Republican, of California said he
gathered the fleet was not in readi-
ness for war in 1941, the outspoken
veteran officer replied, Absolutely
not"
Year Needed to Prepare.
Asked how long he had figured
when the Pacific fleet was in Ha-
waii, it would take to get it ready
for combat, the admiral answered
at was actually a year, wasn't it
before we really got going in this
war"
While he had opposed keeping
most of the Pacific ships in Hawaii
in 1910, when he commanded the
entire United States feet, he said
when pressed on the point, that
after all, the matter of whether
these ships were in Hawaii or Cali.
fornia made little difference in theil
preparation for war. In any event
he nointed out. 50 many things re.