Walter Campbell Short (March 30, 1880 – September 3, 1949) was a lieutenant general (temporary rank) and major general of the United States Army and the U.S. military commander responsible for the defense of U.S. military installations in Hawaii at the time of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.
Early life
Short was born in 1880 in Fillmore, Illinois. The son of a doctor, he graduated from the University of Illinois in 1901. He then taught mathematics for a year at a military academy.
Military career
Pre-World War II service
He was commissioned as a second lieutenant of infantry in the U.S. Army on March 13, 1902, and assigned duty at the Presidio of San Francisco. He served in the Philippines and later Alaska, and took part in the expedition into Mexico with the 16th Infantry Regiment in 1916.
During World War I, he served on the general staff of the 1st Division and as assistant chief of staff for the 3rd Army.
After the war, Short became a member of the War Department General staff and served with the Far Eastern section of the Military Intelligence Division until 1924. He then attended the Army War College and after graduation served as a staff school instructor. He earned the Distinguished Service Medal, and was considered to have had a successful career at that time, especially in light of his promotions during peacetime.
Knox's letter stated the defenses against all but the first two were satisfactory, described the probable character of an air attack, and urged the Army to prepare for such an attack. It concluded with recommendations for the revision of joint defense plans with special emphasis on the coordination of Army and Navy operations against surprise aircraft raids. It also urged the conduct of joint exercises to train the forces to meet such raids.
Admiral William Harrison Standley, who served as a member of the Roberts Commission, later disavowed the report, maintaining that "these two officers were martyred" and "if they had been brought to trial, both would have been cleared of the charge."
Short's defense
In 1946 Short testified on his own behalf before Congress about the 1941 attack. General Short stated:
- that the war warning message he received on November 27 contained nothing directing him to be prepared to meet an air raid or an all-out attack on Hawaii ("Alert Two" and "Three");
He also declared that he did not receive adequate warning and suffered from a lack of resources. He and his family attempted to get the Army to restore his rank of lieutenant general on the retired list, on the basis that warnings from the War Department prior to the attack were vague and in conflict. The resolution was originally attached as an amendment to the Department of Defense spending bill for FY2000 (S.1059) and cleared the Congress as a whole in October 1999, urging President Bill Clinton to restore Kimmel and Short to their full wartime ranks. However, neither Clinton nor any of his successors acted on the resolution.
Movie portrayal
Short was portrayed by Jason Robards in Tora! Tora! Tora!.
Awards
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|colspan=3|Army Distinguished Service Medal
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|Mexican Service Medal
|World War I Victory Medal<br>with four stars
|American Defense Service Medal<br> with "Foreign Service" clasp
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|Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal<br>with one star
|World War II Victory Medal
|Legion d'Honneur<br>(Officier)<br>(France)
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Dates of rank
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|align="center" |No insignia in 1901
|Second Lieutenant, Regular Army: February 2, 1901
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|align="center" |13px
|First Lieutenant, Regular Army: April 4, 1907
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|align="center" |33px
|Captain, Regular Army: July 1, 1916
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|align="center" |40px
|Major, National Army: August 5, 1917
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|align="center" |40px
|Lieutenant Colonel, Temporary: July 30, 1918
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|align="center" |60px
|Colonel, Temporary: November 7, 1918
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|align="center" |33px
|Captain, Regular Army: August 26, 1919
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|align="center" |40px
|Major, Regular Army: July 1, 1920
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|align="center" |40px
|Lieutenant Colonel, Regular Army: October 6, 1923
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|align="center" |60px
|Colonel, Regular Army: October 1, 1933
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|align="center" |33px
|Brigadier General, Regular Army: December 1, 1936
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|align="center" |66px
|Major General, Regular Army: March 1, 1940
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|align="center" |99px
|Lieutenant General, Temporary: February 8, 1941
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|align="center" |66px
|Major General, Regular Army: December 17, 1941
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|align="center" |66px
|Major General, Retired List: February 28, 1942
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References
External links
- Arlington National Cemetery
- Generals of World War II