* Searching, first biography of the man many blame for the disaster at
Pearl Harbor
*Examines the wider issues, demonstrating that Short was not solely
responsible
*Establishes Short as a principled man of honour
Walter C. Short is remembered as the US Army general who parked his aircraft wing-tip to wing-tip, making them easy targets for Japanese pilots attacking Hawaii on 7 December 1941. Posterity has dealt him and his Navy counterpart, Admiral Husband E. Kimmel, a harsh indictment, presenting them as either fools or scapegoats for Washington officials attempting to hide their own errors. In this long-overdue biography, Short emerges as an honourable yet flawed man.
Charles Anderson's balanced portrayal acknowledges that Short bore responsibility for certain charges made against him, but it also provides ample evidence that his superiors worked hard to blame him and Kimmel as a way of abnegating their own culpability. It also offers readers a new understanding of the larger issues involved. A single day undid an exceptional career, but it did not undo Short's personal sense of dignity, honesty and loyalty to the institutions and leaders who were partly responsibility for the debacle. This biography is published in co-operation with the Association of the United States Army.
- ISBN10 1591140110
- ISBN13 9781591140115
- Publish Date 1 December 2004
- Publish Status Transferred
- Publish Country US
- Imprint Naval Institute Press
- Format Hardcover
- Pages 352
- Language English