Why were Admiral Husband E. Kimmel and General Walter C. Short criticized after Pearl Harbor?

Admiral Husband E. Kimmel and General Walter C. Short faced significant criticism for the lack of preparedness at Pearl Harbor following the Japanese attack on December 7, 1941. The Roberts Commission, appointed shortly after the disaster, placed the principal blame on these commanders for failing to adequately respond to clear "war warnings" issued in late November.12

Critics argued that the commanders demonstrated a "deplorable lack of imagination" regarding the threat of an air attack. Specific points of criticism included:1

• Inadequate Defense Measures: Short focused his alert primarily on preventing sabotage, which led him to concentrate fighter planes in ways that made them highly vulnerable to air strikes.12
• Failure of Reconnaissance: Kimmel did not expand reconnaissance activities—particularly to the northwest—and failed to take reports of a submarine sighting seriously.12
• Operational Decisions: Kimmel was criticized for keeping the fleet moored in the harbor and granting weekend leave, while Short’s radar training program remained underdeveloped.12

While some later investigations shifted blame toward the War and Navy departments in Washington, the commanders remained central figures in the debate over responsibility for the disaster.1