Evening star., 1954-04-01
Author Of "A Report
5
On Pearl Harbor Raid
Denounces' kimIneI
By the Assoeioted Press

April 1.-Col. H. A. Toulnnin, jr.,
who was a member of the Army
Pearl Harbor Board and author
of its report. said yesterday Ad-
miral Husband E. Kimmel Can
not escape the guilt" for our
heavy fleet losses in the Japa-
nese attack of December Z, 1941.
Col. Toulmin, in an interview
with the Fort Lauderdale Daily
News, contradicted the state
ments of retired Rear Admiral
Robert A. Theobald that the late
President Franklin D. Roosevelt
was to blame for the Hawaiian
disaster.
Admiral Kimmel, at his home
in New London, Conn, said he
never heard of Col. Toulmin.
Asked to comment on what
Col. Toulmin had to say, Admiral
Kimmel said:
II can't answer any such fool
IshnesS and such irresponsible
stuff as that"
He said he may consider work.
ing UP a statement later, how
ever.
Book Accused Roosevelt.
In a book, "The Final Secrets
Of Pearl Harbor," Admiral Theo-
bald accused President Roosevelt
of forcing Japan into war with
the United States and Of holding
the Pacific Fleet in Pearl Harbor
to lure the Japanese into a sur
prise attack.
Admiral Theobald said the top
military command knew two
months ahead of time that Ja-
pan would attack Pearl Harhor,
but did not relay this informa-
ton to the military commanders
in Hawaii. He said this was on
President Roosevelt's order.
Col. Toulmin, a 64-year-old
patent attorney with Offices in
Dayton. Ohio. and Washington,
declared Admiral Theobald's
statements had mo foundation
in fact"
He said Admiral Kimmel re-
ceived what amounted to a "war
warning" as early as November
ga dispatch notifying him
that negotiations with Japan
had ceased and an aggressive
move was expected, but he took
no action.
Cites Press Reports.
Honolulu newspapers, Col.
Toulmin added, carried full re-
ports of conditions demanding
an alert a full two weeks before
December T."
"Kimmel's testimony before us
(Army Pearl Harbor Board) and |
the rest of the record show him |
guilty irrespective of Washing
ton knowledge" Col. Toulmin
said. s
Captured documents revealed
that Japanese submarines en-
tered Pearl Harbor in daylight
at will and circulated in and out
without detection for a period
of two weeks before Pearl Har-
bor.
"Kimmel knew the Japanese
fleet had gone into radio silence
and was on the move. In spite
of this he left his fleet helpless
in, the harbor, contrary to all
military traditions justifying an
alert course.
"Kimmel was either incred-
ibly stupid or grossly negligent"
Delivered Report to StimsOn.
Newspaper files showed H. A.
Toulmin, ir., of Dayton was
called to Washington August Is,
1914, for hearings which contin-
ued two months in the Capitol,
Los Angeles and Pearl Harbor.
He was named board executive
and wrote the report on the in
vestigation.
Other members of the board
were 1t. Gen. George Brunert,
Maj. Gen. Henry D. Russell and
Maj. Gen. Walter H.. Frank
Col. Toulmin personally deliv-
cred the report to Secretary Of
War Stimson October 10, 1914.
Col. Toulmin was chairman Of
the board of the Tucker Corp,
a firm which planned to manu-
facture an automobile with rad
ical design. The automobile never
went into production.
Col. Toulmin commanded a
port of ernbarkation unit at New
York during World War II. He
authored several books on patent
and antitrust law. He MAIN
tains winter home in Fort Lau-
derdale.