Evening star., 1946-01-27
II Tentative Charges
Drafted by Army in AZ
Are Denied by Short
Accusations Were Never
Actually Filed; Roberts
Testifies Tomorrow
BY ]. A. O'LEARY and
CARTER BROOKE JONES,

Eleven tentative charges pre-
pared by the Army early in 1912
against Maj. Gen. Walter C.
Short, retired Hawaiian COM
but never actually filed
against him, were taken from
War Department files yesterday,
read before the Pearl Harbor
Committee and denied in detail
by the veteran Army officer.
To each Of the charges, read in
summary by Senator Ferguson, Re-
publican, of Michigan, Gen. Short
said: mot guilty. then gave briei
explanation of each from a state.
ment he had drafted during the
day. .-.
A 5o-page mimeographed book
prepared in the Judge advocate gen.
erals Office at the request OF Gen
George c. Marshall, chief of staff
and Secretary of War Stimson, con.
tanning material for a potential
courtsmartial, was placed in the
record at the insistence of Repre-.
sentatives Murphy, Democrat, Of
Pennsylvania.
Seeks to Exclude Book.
Senator Brewster, Republican, OF
Maine. later moved to exclude the
book from the record, on the ground
that it was only a partial estimate
based on the report of the Roberts
Commission, the first board to in
vestigate Pearl Harbor, and that
nothing came of the fragmentary
evidence which the judge advocate
general gathered. Chairman Bark
ley said the motion would be held in
abeyance and taken up later, prob
ably this week Meanwhile, the
material remains in the record
Senator Brewster wants the whole
record of the Roberts proceedings
inserted.
Gen. Short closed five days OF
testimony as the committee ad-
Journed last night. During his final
day on the stand, the retired Of
f1cer assailed the War Department. s
intelligence division, declaring il
failed to estimate the international
situation before Pearl Harbor and
sent the Hawaiian department nc
helpful information during the crit
ical days that preceded the attack
He charged the general staff with
its blame for the surprise
attack to his shoulders and named
Gen. Marshall, 1t. Gen. L. T. Gerow
and Maj. Gen. Sherman Miles as the
individuals he had chiefly in mind
The committee, at an executive
session following the hearing, de.
cided to call Capt. E. M. zacharias
U. S. NJ, as the next witness tomor.
row. Capt. zacharias has said hi
warned Rear Admiral Husband E
Kimmel, Pacific fleet commander ir
1941, that the japanese would de.
liver surprise air attack on Hawai-
and probably on a Sunday. Admira
Kimmel testified that he recalled M
such warning.
Former Supreme Court Justic,
Owen J. Roberts, who headed ths
first investigating commission, will
testify at 2 pm tomorrow. Some
committee members want to ask hin
II any part of his report to the
President was suppressed before thu
findings were made public.
The committee decided to call as
the next witness a group of naval
officers who have knowledge of the
disputed winds" code, under which
Japan had arranged to inform its
diplomats if there was a break with
the United States, Great Britain OF
Russia. Whether any announce
ment in such code ever was picked
up still is a matter of controversy
The officers will include Capt. Ar.
thur H. McCollum, who was head
OF the Far Eastern division of the
Once of Naval Intelligence In
1941; Capt. Alvin D. Kramer, for
mer translator for the ONI: Capt.
l.. S. Stafford, communications Sc
curity officers, and Vice Admiral
w. w. Smith, who was Admiral Kim
mel,S chief of staff.
Representative Keefe, Republican
OF Wisconsin told Gen. Short yes
terday that during the past four
years a rumor has gone around the
country that everybody was drunk
out there" and sleeping of a jag
on the morning of the attack. He
(See PEARL HARBOR, Page A-l0.)