Evening star., 1946-02-08
Vital Jap Message
Held Up Two Hours,
Kramer Tells Probers
BY CARTER BROOKE JONES.

note breaking OH relations With the
United States, intercepted and de-
coded, lay in the naval communica-
tions Office for two hours the day of
the Pearl Harbor attack awaiting
arrangements for its delivery to high
officials, Senator Ferguson, Repub-
lican, Of Michigan, brought out to-
day at the Congressional hearing.
The long note had been coming
in at intervals and not in sequence
during the day and night of Decem-
ber 6, the day before Pearl Harbor.
the committee had been told, and
the final part, which finally disclosed
Japans intentions, was translated
and ready between 8 and 8:15 am.
the next day, Sunday, Capt. Alwyn
D. Kramer, of naval intelligence,
testified
Senator Ferguson recalled that
Capt. Kramer had described taking
the first 13 parts Of the note, which
were alarming in tone, but did not
reveal what Japan planned to do,
to the White House, to Secretary
of the Navy Knox and other high
Navy officials late the previous
night.
why" the Senator demanded
when you had this 18th part,
which showed war was about to
occur, didn't you deliver it at once
to the President and the Secretary
of the Navy?"
Had Appointment.
II had an appointment at the
State Department at 10 o'clock >
Capt. Kramer replied, adding that
that was considered time enough y
The witness added that he was q
subordinate to Capt. Arthur Nc
Collum, head of the Far Eastern
section Of naval intelligence, and
Vice Admiral T. s. Wilkinson, head
of intelligence. The appointment
for him to go to the State Depart
ment with the note that morning
had been made the night before and
the order given him by Admiral
Wilkinson, he recalled.
IT had two primary functions, >
Capt. Kramer explained. "One was
technical, the other was a messenger
boy. There were times when I was
confronted with which of the two
functions to give priority"
Capt. Kramer said he had gone
to Capt. McCollum. his immediate
superior, about S:l5 o'clock that
morning and explained the State
Department appointment.
did you always have to have
explicit instructions to deliver these
intercepted japanese messages?"
Capt. Kramer said not always,
that he had taken it on himself at
times to deliver important messages
to off1cials on the list.
Capt. Kramer had testified late
yesterday there were only six trans
lators in naval communications at
the time, three of them highly skilled
and the others less conversant with
Japanese. None was on duty the
night before Pearl Harbor, he ad-
mitted. adding that the watch off,
GERS could have called any of them
during the night, including Capt.
Kramer.
Kramer Denies Pressure.
Capt. Kramer earlier denied en-
phatically that any pressure was
brought to bear on him while he was
patient in the Naval Hospital at
Bethesda last fall to make him
change his testimony. Such charges
were published widely in September
and October, with some members
OF Congress quoted. Dc ~.
This matter was brought up by
Representative Murphy, Democrat,
of Pennsylvania.
IF any one, Of high or low degree,
said Mr.. Murphy, "has approached
you at any time in an effort to get
you to change your testimony, this
committee should know It,"
There never was any such per-
son" said the captain.
Mr.. Murphy read from newspaper
accounts quoting persons whom he
did not name as charging that Capt.
Kramer had been thrown into the
psychopathic ward" and 'beset, be-
leaguered and badgered" to change
his testimony.
i THAT statement, sir, is false