Letter dated November 15, 1945, from Senator Ferguson to committee Page counsel concerning intercepted Japanese messages from January 1 to July 1, 1941____ 5523 Letter dated December 17, 1945, from Tyler Kent to committee chairman__ 5524 Correspondence relating to State Department papers concerning the Tyler Kent affair__‒‒‒ Correspondence relating to all messages between this Government and the State Department memorandum of conversation dated November 27, 1941, concerning British parallel action desired re our export policy to French Indo-China-- 5524 5530 5532 Dispatch No. 5727 dated November 27, 1941, from Ambassador Winant, Copy of letter dated November 25, 1941, from Dean Acheson to Mr. R. J. 5533 5534 5535 Letter dated May 26, 1946, from Admiral H. R. Stark to committee chairman concerning information which was furnished by Capt. H. D. Krick, USN, regarding the activities of Admiral Stark on December 6, 1941--- 5543 [1]1 PEARL HARBOR ATTACK THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 1945 CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES, JOINT COMMITTEE ON THE INVESTIGATION OF THE PEARL HARBOR ATTACK, Washington, D. C. The joint committee met, pursuant to notice, at 10 a. m., in the caucus room (room 318), Senate Office Building, Senator Aĺben W. Barkley (chairman) presiding. Present: Senators Barkley (chairman), George, Lucas, Brewster, and Ferguson and Representatives Cooper (vice chairman), Clark, Murphy, Gearhart, and Keefe. Also present: William D. Mitchell, general counsel; Gerhard A. Gesell, Jule M. Hannaford, and John E. Masten, of counsel, for the joint committee. [2] The CHAIRMAN. The committee will come to order. All those in the auditorium will please be seated. Before we start, the Chair desires to admonish the audience that we are glad to have them here, but in view of the difficult acoustics in this room, it will make it necessary for the committee to use these microphones. We must ask the audience to refrain from any sort of conversation or any sort of demonstration during these hearings, any applause or otherwise. Also I think it is advisable to say to our friends, the photographers, we are glad to cooperate with you in getting all the pictures you may wish to take so long as it does not interfere with these hearings. During the testimony, while the witnesses are on the stand, the photographers will not be permitted to occupy this space here in front of the committee. Take whatever pictures you want to take and then leave this congested area here. The last time I sat on a committee in this room, I could not see the witness half the time, because of the photographers standing between me and the witness, trying to take him with his hands up, or something like that. We must insist that during these hearings, while the witness is on the stand and testifying, that the photographers will not occupy this space between the committee and the [3] witness and counsel. I want to make the announcement in advance so that there will not be any misunderstanding. It applies to everybody alike. I believe the members of the committee are all here. Mr. Mitchell, as counsel for the committee, we are ready to proceed. Mr. MITCHELL. Mr. Chairman Italic figures in brackets throughout refer to page numbers of the official transcript of testimony. Senator BREWSTER. Mr. Chairman, before you proceed, I would like to make one comment for myself and others. I want to record my regret and protest, at the start of the hearings at this time, and as has previously been said, and I would like to have that entered in the record, and that is this: It has only been within the past week that the members of the Executive Department have had the permission, under notification of the President's order to submit the exhibits so they will be in the best order, and I have been given a stack of papers, over a thousand pages, which it is essential to go over in order to conduct any intelligent cross-examination. I hope my fears will be disappointed, my fears that this will result in confusion and delay, but I do think it ought to be made a matter of record at this time that we regret this somewhat premature beginning of this inquiry. [4] The CHAIRMAN. The Chair desires to be reasonable in regard to that. The committee at one time, some 2 or 3 weeks ago, I forget the date, unanimously decided to begin hearings today; that is, those who voted. Senator FERGUSON. I would like the record to show that The CHAIRMAN. Those who voted in the committee, voted without dissent to begin the hearing today. Two members were absent and two were present and not voting. At a meeting later, a week ago, or a week or 10 days ago, a motion was made to postpone the hearings from today until the 23d day of November, which is the day following Thanksgiving, and that motion was voted down. The situation that confronts us, that confronts all the members of the committee, is that documents have been given to us as quickly and as practicably as counsel obtained them. Inasmuch as these hearings will probably last several weeks, it occurred to the Chair that we will have, as we go along, ample opportunity to familiarize ourselves with the testimony brought before us today, without attempting to read any documents before we begin. Senator FERGUSON. Mr. Chairman, I would like to make a statement on the record. The CHAIRMAN. Yes, go ahead. [5] Senator FERGUSON. Mr. Chairman, I had made a request previously that the committee be furnished these exhibit copies at least 10 days prior to the hearing. If I had had some assistance, I would have been able to have carried down the exhibits that had been given to me on Wednesday and on Tuesday. Over a thousand of them have been placed in our hands. Many of them it is impossible to read because of the job of photostating them. Therefore, it is just a physical impossibility to go over the papers prior to this hearing. While I will do my very best, I do want the record to show that we have not had these exhibits in this form properly indexed. It Here is the first one. It is over 200 pages, and no index to it. has been just a physical impossibility to go over them intelligently, although I want to say on the record, I will do my best to go over them as the hearing goes along, and it may be essential that we recall witnesses in order that we may properly examine and obtain all of the facts. The CHAIRMAN. Of course, if I may say so, there would be no objection to recalling any witness by the committee. The exhibits were given to all members at a given time. They have been given to members as soon as it was possible, and as fast as it was possible to obtain them. There are large quantities of them. We are all laboring under the same handicap, that we have not been able to read them all since [6] we got them. As I said a moment ago, I think as the hearings go on, we can familiarize ourselves with them sufficiently to permit us to know each day what would be expected in the way of testimony, and prepare for that day. Senator FERGUSON. The record ought to also show that I have made many requests for other things. We do not have all the files here at the present time. The CHAIRMAN. In order that the record may be correct, as the requests have been made, the records have been sought, and have been either delivered, or are in the process of preparation. It is manifestly impossible to provide all the exhibits at one time. As soon as they were ready, they were delivered to the committee, as soon as they could be obtained. Senator FERGUSON. May I understand that it is a fact as to the exhibits that have been requested, that the staff has them but they are not at the present time ready for delivery? That is my understanding. [7] The CHAIRMAN. The committee has no way to know what personal requests have been made either in writing or orally by members of the committee to the counsel, by individual members. Counsel explained to the committee that as fast as these exhibits could be obtained and could be copied for each member and for others, that they would be supplied. Now, Mr. Mitchell, will you proceed? Mr. MITCHELL. Mr. Chairman, to open the record, there are some informal matters. I have some documents Senator BREWSTER. Before he proceeds I renew my motion. The CHAIRMAN. Let's have order, please, in the committee room. Mr. Mitchell. Mr. MITCHELL. Mr. Chairman, to open the record formally, there are a few documents that should be entered. The CHAIRMAN. Very well. Mr. MITCHELL. First is the concurrent resolution of the Senate under which the committee was organized. [8] (S. Con. Res. 27 follows:) [S. Con. Res. 27, 79th Cong., 1st sess.] CONCURRENT RESOLUTION Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives concurring), That there is hereby established a joint committee on the investigation of the Pearl Harbor attack, to be composed of five Members of the Senate (not more than three of whom shall be members of the majority party), to be appointed by the President pro tempore, and five Members of the House of Representatives (not more than three of whom shall be members of the majority party), to be appointed by the Speaker of the House. Vacancies in the membership of the committee shall not affect the power of the remaining members to execute the functions of the committee, and shall be filled in the same manner as in the case of the original |