Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, April 27, 1995 TAG: 9504270041
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Knight-Ridder Newspapers
DATELINE: ROCK HILL, S.C. LENGTH: Medium
On Dec. 7, 1941, Adm. Husband Kimmel commanded the U.S. fleet at Pearl Harbor.
A Japanese bullet grazed the admiral's chest that day, but the Kimmel family says the U.S. Navy stabbed him in the back, by unfairly blaming him for the deaths of 2,471 Americans and the surprise attack that propelled the United States into World War II.
Kimmel's family has fought for nearly a half-century to clear the admiral's name, claiming they have documents that prove Washington officials failed to forward information that could have aided Kimmel in his defense of the strategic naval base.
Today in Washington, the family finally will be heard.
Senate Armed Services Chairman Strom Thurmond, R-S.C., will hold a hearing about Kimmel and his Army counterpart, Lt. Gen. Walter Short, with House Armed Services Chairman Floyd Spence, R-S.C. The Kimmel family will bring several historians and retired admirals.
``We've been advised not to get our hopes up. But for the first time, I feel we'll be able to fairly present our case to people who are powerful enough to rewrite this chapter of American history,'' said the admiral's grandson, Manning Kimmel of Rock Hill.
The grandson - managing partner of two Rock Hill radio stations - is named after his uncle, an Annapolis graduate who commanded the World War II submarine Robalo, which was lost off the Philippines.
Thurmond has been aware of the Kimmels' quest for nearly a decade, but it wasn't until this year when the senator assumed control of the Armed Services Committee that he had the power to do anything about it.
``We're going to hear this family out. They deserve it. It's only fair after what they've been through,'' said Thurmond, a World War II veteran. ``I believe Frankie Roosevelt - or someone in his administration - knew the Japanese were up to something in the South Pacific - [maybe] not the attack itself, but [they] failed to warn Kimmel's staff.''
Also expected to attend are representatives of the Defense Department, including Navy Secretary John Dalton and Deputy Secretary of Defense John Deutch, recently nominated by the Clinton administration to head the CIA.
The Kimmels do not want an apology or financial restitution. What they're seeking is a posthumous restoration of his former rank of four-star admiral. The Officer Personnel Act of 1947 allowed all officers to retire at their full wartime rank; the family claims Kimmel is the only naval officer denied that privilege. Such a restoration reportedly requires the approval of the president and Senate; Thurmond said he's not sure.
On Dec. 17, 1941, Kimmel was stripped of his command and accused of dereliction of duty; the charges later were dropped. In March 1942, Kimmel's 38-year career was cut short.
He was forced into retirement as a rear admiral and spent the remaining 26 years of his life in disgrace.
For nearly two years, Kimmel blamed himself solely for the Pearl Harbor disaster, asking himself over and over how could he have been so stupid to allow his guard down.
However, in January 1944, Kimmel begin to get an inkling of the real story. A friend and naval cryptanalyst - a code decipherer - told Kimmel of intercepted Japanese telegrams and documents that informed Washington officials of an impending Japanese attack in the Pacific before the first bombs were dropped at 7:55 a.m. Hawaiian time.
by CNB