A cryptologic veteran's analysis of "day of deceit"--a book review

Cryptologia, Apr 2000 by Jacobsen, Philip H

To his credit, Stinnett does recognize that the Winds Execute message (a favorite revisionist conspiracy allegation) was never sent. He also recounts Secretary of War Stimson's blatant attempt to reverse the Army Board of Inquiry's determination that Marshall was in dereliction of his duty as to his Pearl Harbor actions. Stimson sent attorney Clausen around the world to obtain new affidavits countering the witnesses' previous testimony of Marshall's neglect to act on Purple decrypts. However, Stinnett omits the fact that Clausen also tried to place the blame for not fully informing Hawaiian commanders on navy cryptologic officers. The latter effort is also part of the aim of this book, but its shot is far wide of the mark.

To those of us who are familiar with Japanese naval codes and communications procedures at the time, available documentation in the Pearl Harbor arena as well as the pertinent personnel and history of OP-20-G, it is abundantly clear that the book fails to prove any part of its massive revisionist conspiracy theory. In fact, the expansion of prior revisionist conspiracy theories to include so many new allegations of wrong doing by Roosevelt and his mid and high level coconspirators plus a continuing cover-up makes its enormous conspiracy theory a complete impossibility.

In conclusion, it is still clear that no U. S. official knew beforehand of the Japanese plans to attack Pearl Harbor or discovered that the Kido Butai was on its way to Hawaii for such an attack in spite of this latest in a series of revisionist conspiracy theory books.

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

Phil Jacobsen spent over 27 years in the Naval Security Group and its predecessor organizations in various capacities including Hawaii and Guadalcanal during World War II and two and a half years at the National Security Agency. After his naval service he served as Attorney General for the Government of Guam for nearly two years. For the past six years Phil has been writing about WW II naval cryptologic activities based on his personal experiences and considerable research at the National Archives. He is an amateur radio operator, K6FW.

lSee Parker, ibid p. 301.