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Posts:
310
Registered:
3/14/02
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(1 of 11)
Sleeping Giant quote incorrect
Dec 7, 2002 1:34 PM
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Aloha MarineCpl,
While not feeding a troll...on another post... you cited the quoatation given at the end of the movie "Tora!" about a 'sleeping giant'...
You are right in your conclusions...however, I wanted to use this post to clear up what he actually said. In May 1991, I consulted with a former IJN HQ staff officer, M. Chihaya, and the late Roger Pineau, on Sam Morison's staff, on the quote:
The actual quotation that Admiral Yamamoto said upon hearing that the attack had occurred prior to delivery of the diplomatic message...it was:
"Nekubi o kaite wa ikenai"
["It does not do to slit the throat of a sleeping man."]
This is an old Samurai quote that refers to their rule to awaken their enemy prior to killing him.
HTH,
David Aiken, A Director: Pearl Harbor History Associates, Inc. http://pearlharbor-history.org/
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Posts:
4,657
From:
Barrington, NJ
Registered:
11/13/01
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(2 of 11)
Dec 7, 2002 1:52 PM
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I suppose that is why THC has that show "History vs. Hollywood". Thanks for the correction. I appreciate accuracy myself.
Fly Eagles fly on the road to victory!
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Posts:
4,240
Registered:
10/23/00
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(3 of 11)
Jan 6, 2008 11:37 PM
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Since this same discussion came up in the interesting quotes thread, thought I'd bump this up.
David Aiken is a long-time researcher on all things Pearl Harbor.
tom
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Posts:
319
From:
USA
Registered:
4/26/08
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(4 of 11)
Dec 7, 2009 9:17 PM
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Bump for the occasion
--
Why join the Army and sleep in the dirt and eat MREs when you can sleep in a bunk and get steak and eggs in the Navy?
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Posts:
5,284
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2/15/03
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(5 of 11)
Dec 9, 2009 2:14 AM
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So maybe Mr Aiken wlil confirm if Husband Kimmel actually did say ''It would have been merciful had it killed me'' as actor Martin Balsam playing Kimmel said in the 1970 movie ''Tora,! Tora! Tora! when a spent piece of ordanance struck him?
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Posts:
4,612
From:
Southern California Foothills
Registered:
9/10/99
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(6 of 11)
Dec 9, 2009 6:39 AM
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The words may not have been exact, but the meaning was very much the same. Kimmel knew he was going to get roasted by the Navy/US govt.
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5,284
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2/15/03
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(7 of 11)
Dec 9, 2009 11:47 AM
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Craig Irecall that a few years back some of Kimmel's family tried to hve his reputation rehabed -what are your views on this -was Kimmel as culpable as first thought-Imean Short was an idiot ordering Air Force planes to conveniently aligned for Jap bombers but McArthur -it could be argued , was equally culpable for the disaster at Clark Field in the Phillipines.
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2,884
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7/24/06
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(8 of 11)
Dec 9, 2009 12:44 PM
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it is naval policy that if things go wrong the man in charge gets the shaft. Kimmel cannot say there was nothing he could have done to prevent the attack and that things were beyond his control.
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Posts:
1,171
From:
U S
Registered:
1/26/02
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(9 of 11)
Dec 9, 2009 3:56 PM
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What you are talking about is the concept of "Command Responsibility." It means that a commander may be removed from command as the result of of an event affecting his command, whether or not he was at fault or even if he was not present. Kimmel never had a problem with that. I have seen a quote from him to the effect that if he were in charge, he would have fired Kimmel.
What Kimmel and Short were fighting and sought courts martial to disprove were the innuendo, half-truths, and out-right lies told by others that led the general public to lay virtually all of the blame on them. The Army Pearl Harbor Board censured Marshall and Gerow, while the Naval Court of Inquiry placed most of the blame on Stark for failing to adequately advise Kimmel of the critical situation prior to the attack.
Tom
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Posts:
3
From:
United States
Registered:
12/11/09
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(10 of 11)
Re: Sleeping Giant quote incorrect
Dec 11, 2009 2:47 PM
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I just want to quoate the old sayings, "you cant be in more than one place at the same time" or "you cant be every where at once" holds true to this. Not one person was to blame for this attack, it takes many dirfferent parts and mishaps to lead up to something like this. The Japanese knew it and took advantage of it, they used our ignorance and our lack of political and military awareness against us to the best of thier abilities. For one man to over see a huge military installation like that, well would be in possible, we all know that, that is why you appointment other people to do a part, thus the military chain of command, many parts of that broke down there, this was very evident.
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Posts:
199
Registered:
12/17/09
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(11 of 11)
Re: Sleeping Giant quote incorrect
Dec 20, 2009 9:14 AM
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For a second when I saw David Aiken's name here I half hoped . . .
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