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4 JUNE 1941
MEMORANDUM FOR ADMIRAL STARK
The agreement entered into betwixt the Commanding General, Hawaiian Department, and the Commandant, 14th Naval District, in regard to joint action of the Army and Navy Air Corps in Hawaii provides:
(a) That in activities in the defense of Oahu and the other islands against enemy bombing attacks the command shall be vested in the Army Air Corps assisted by Navy fighters which may be available.
(b)That in a mission which involves bombing of enemy ships the command shall be vested in the Navy air commander in charge of the base. Briefly, when an alarm is sounded the Navy patrol planes take off to locate the enemy ships and when located the Navy directs the efforts of the Army and Navy bombers in the offensive action which they take against the enemy ships.
he liaison betwixt the Army and Navy Air Corps in Hawaii is very satisfactory and weekly drills in air raid alarms with the two services acting in unison are held. These drills have developed many weaknesses but the conditions are steadily improving and it is felt that they are in much better shape now than they were a few months ago. The conditions will continue to be unsatisfactory until certain equipment has been supplied and the personnel drilled in its use.
There are about 140 light Army airplanes (fighters and light bombers) and 21 heavy bombing Army planes now in the Islands. These in addition to some obsolescent bombers and fighters. It is believed that the number of Army bombers in the islands should be at least four times the number that they have there now and it is felt that these planes should be sent out as soon as practical to do so.
There are not now a sufficient number of army pilots to man all the Army planes in the islands.
H. E. Kimmel
Q1: Who wrote this June 4, 1941 memo and to whom?
A1: Admiral Husband E. Kimmel, Commander in Chief of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, wrote this memo to Admiral Harold R. Stark, Chief of Naval Operations.
Q2: What Army-Navy command arrangement did the memo describe for Hawaii?
A2: For defense against enemy bombing attacks, command rested with the Army Air Corps assisted by available Navy fighters; for missions targeting enemy ships, command shifted to the Navy air commander.
Q3: What aircraft shortage did Kimmel identify in this memo?
A3: Kimmel reported only about 140 light Army airplanes and 21 heavy bombers in Hawaii, and believed the number of bombers should be at least four times greater.
Q4: Did Hawaii also lack enough pilots according to the memo?
A4: Yes. Kimmel stated there were not a sufficient number of Army pilots to man all the Army planes already stationed in the islands.
Q5: Why is this memo notable given later events?
A5: Written about six months before the Pearl Harbor attack, the memo documents that senior commanders were already aware of significant aircraft and pilot shortages in Hawaii's air defenses.
On June 4, 1941, Admiral Husband E. Kimmel, Commander in Chief of the United States Pacific Fleet, sent a candid memorandum to Admiral Harold R. Stark, Chief of Naval Operations, laying out the state of Army-Navy air defense arrangements in Hawaii. Read today, with the knowledge of what would happen just over six months later, the memo stands as a striking piece of evidence that senior commanders were already aware of serious gaps in the islands' air defenses well before the Japanese attack on December 7, 1941.
Kimmel opened by describing the command agreement worked out between the Commanding General of the Hawaiian Department and the Commandant of the 14th Naval District. Under this arrangement, defense against enemy bombing attacks on Oahu and the other islands fell under Army Air Corps command, with Navy fighters assisting as available. For offensive missions against enemy shipping, however, command shifted to the Navy air commander at the relevant base, with Navy patrol planes locating enemy vessels before directing Army and Navy bombers into action against them.
Kimmel described the liaison between the two services as "very satisfactory," noting that weekly joint air raid alarm drills had steadily improved coordination, even as they continued to expose weaknesses. He was careful to note, though, that conditions would remain unsatisfactory until additional equipment arrived and personnel were properly trained in its use, a caveat that reads very differently in hindsight.
The most striking portion of the memo concerns raw numbers. Kimmel reported roughly 140 light Army airplanes, fighters and light bombers combined, along with just 21 heavy bombers stationed in the islands, some of which were already obsolescent. He argued plainly that the number of Army bombers in Hawaii should be at least four times what was currently on hand, and urged that additional aircraft be sent out as soon as practically possible. Compounding the aircraft shortage, Kimmel noted there were not even enough Army pilots available to fly all the planes already stationed there.
For researchers and students of the Pearl Harbor attack, this memo offers a valuable window into the pre-war mindset of Pacific commanders. It shows that concerns about Hawaii's defensive readiness, particularly around aircraft numbers and Army-Navy coordination, were being raised through official channels months before the attack, not discovered only in its aftermath. Documents like this one help explain why the subsequent investigations into the attack focused so heavily on questions of preparedness, resource allocation, and inter-service communication in the Hawaiian theater.
The Army Air Corps Museum preserves original documents such as this one to help researchers, students, and the descendants of those who served build a fuller, more accurate picture of the months leading up to America's entry into World War II.
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