All,
Reading John Costello's book 'Days of Infamy' is obviously a good account of what happened (and didn't happen) leading up to 7 December 1941.
It 'proves' in many ways that both Kimmel and Short were denied MAGIC and also did not get any real evaluations of attacks.
Were they totally innocent victims? or could (and should) they have foreseen at least the possibility of a Japanese attack on US soil and by extension also that it could be PH?
That PH was far away from the more likely target (Philippines) should not totally absolve Kimmel and Short?
In the event that Kimmel and Short had put Hawaii on a heightened alert level, they could have been accused of fuelling the crisis by having forces on a war footing (not authorised by Washington?)
IF the fleet had been at sea (as has been discussed before) AND having been found by the Japanese, the loss would have been more dramatic as recovery of any vessels would have been impossible.
Was it really a no-win situation for Kimmel and Short?
(one also wonders if Kimmel had kept his command, Nimitz might not have been the commander Pacific and what would that have meant?)
Ivan