And I Was There: Pearl Harbor and Midway--Breaking the Secrets (Bluejacket Books) [Paperback]

Edwin T. Layton (Author), Roger Pineau (Author), John Costello (Author)

Book Description

Series: Bluejacket Books | Publication Date: January 1985

At Pearl Harbor when the Japanese attacked, Ed Layton knew exactly what had gone wrong as he watched the bombs and torpedoes wipe out the U.S. Pacific Fleet. But he kept those secrets to himself for forty-three years - until the government released half a million classified documents from its intelligence archives. Finally free to tell his story, the retired admiral published his revelations in this memoir in 1985 to worldwide attention. It is the first book by a top-ranking American naval officer to answer how Japan had managed to inflict such damage. Layton names those who knew about the Japanese intentions, how they acquired their knowledge, and how they misused it. He speaks with unique authority. An intelligence officer, he was responsible for keeping Admiral Nimitz informed about Japan's strategic objectives, capabilities, and intended operations. This blow-by-blow account of a war within a war describes admirals fighting admirals while civilian officials in Washington vied for power and turf and disregarded the national interest. It tells of a secret deal between Roosevelt and Churchill that called preemptive air raids on the Japanese homeland and how this deterrent strategy failed. It is also the first book to detail the background of the secret radio intelligence war against Japan and to break the story of how Washington repeated its blunders of Pearl Harbor and almost lost the crucial Battle of Midway. Calling the shots as he saw them, Layton writes in salty, unvarnished prose but thoroughly documents his revelations.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

According to Admiral Layton, the Japanese succeeded at Pearl Harbor because of audacious planning plus a dramatic breakdown in our intelligence service. This failure was caused by feuding among high-level officers for control of the intelligence and radio intercept divisions. Six months after Pearl Harbor, self-serving petty jealousy at naval headquarters almost caused us to lose the decisive battle of Midway. Layton reveals the full details of this deplorable situation and vigorously defends Admiral H.E. Kimmel, naval commander at Pearl Harbor, who was blamed for the disasters. Layton accuses instead some high-ranking naval officers in Washington who failed to pass along the latest intelligence intercepts. There is much new information here. Primarily for specialists with some knowledge of cryptography and intelligence operations, this is essential for comprehensive World War II collections. Stanley Itkin, Hillside P.L., New Hyde Park, N.Y.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Rear Adm. Edwin T. Layton, USN (Ret.), was the staff intelligence officer for the Commander in Chief of the U.S. Pacific Fleet from 7 December 1940 to the surrender of Japan.

Product Details

• Paperback: 596 pages
• Publisher: US Naval Institute Press; 1st Bluejacket Books Ed., 2006 edition (January 1985)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1591144507
• ISBN-13: 978-1591144502
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,376,465 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Navy coverup for their Pearl Harbor incompetence, March 23, 2004

By 

Thomas H. Savery (Loganville, Ga) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: And I Was There: Pearl Harbor and Midway Breaking the Secrets (Hardcover)

And I was there.
This is a great book by one who was there, Adm Layton. He was Adm Kimmels intelligence officer at Pearl Harbor.
He shows how the incompetence of the Navy in Washington led to the surprise attack at Pearl, by the Navy, specifically adm Stark and Kelly Turner, not giving Pearl the vital information they had about Jap intentions, but refused to give Pearl. The Navy also had 2 intelligence groups fighting for the information, and control, evaluating, and dissemination of the information. This too sabotaged the intelligence efforts, and does to this day.
Gen Marshall is also responsible for the debacle. He was reprimanded, but Roosevelt set aside the Congressional verdict on him.
Kimmel was judged not guilty of any wrongdoing by the Navy, but found derelict by Congress, a tragic miscarriage of justice, due to lies under testimony by Stark, and Turner.

The Redmon brothers are faulted too for ousting the most brilliant Navy intelligence officer, Rochefort, who correctly guessed the time and location of the Midway battle.

Another tragic aftermath of Pearl, was the loss of Wake Island. Kimmel had a carrier task force sailing to resupply and relieve the garrision that was under attack by the Japs. This would have surprised the Japs and could have sunk many Jap ships, saved Wake Island, and kept open the supply lines to the Phillipines. Unfortunaely, Kimmel was relieved, and Adm Pye replaced him Pye lost his nerve and cancelled the mission.

MacArthur is noted, as being in charge of the Phillipines, and being under orders to attack Formosa with his B17's when Pearl was attacked. He had a 9 hour warning after Pearl had been attacked, and had been told to attack. It was not until years after this book was published that the records of why Mac did nothing in the Phillipines were found. He was paid $650,000 by Pres Quezon of the Phillipines to do nothing, as he wanted to be neutral. MacArthur lost the Phillipines, a far more important strategic outpost than Pearl, as well as half the B17's we had, and 1/5 of our fighters, on the ground, just as what happened at Pearl, only 9 hours later, after he had multiple phone calls from Washington to attack the Japs.

The battle of Guadalcanal and other Pacific battles is also gone into in some detail
It was Nimitz, not Mac Arthur that devised the island hopping idea.
A great book by a hero who was there.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Shocking revisions on the events at Pearl Harbor and Midway., January 18, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: And I Was There: Pearl Harbor and Midway Breaking the Secrets (Hardcover)

Layton who was head of MI for the Pacific fleet during WWII decided, near the end of his life, to reveal the true facts on how we got surprised by the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor and who deserves credit for setting up the Pacific fleet's great naval victory at Midway. Here you read for the first time about some of the major failings of Marshal and McArthur -mistakes that migh well have brought charges of dereliction of duty. Clearly, there were acts of inter-service rivalry at play that put the nation's war effort at risk and which elevated some officers careers while destroying others. This book is a blockbuster!

12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars FINALLY! The truth about Pearl Harbor, Coral Sea and Midway, December 6, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: And I Was There: Pearl Harbor and Midway--Breaking the Secrets (Paperback)

FINALLY WE ARE TOLD! From the Man in the know! From the Intellegence Officer of Admirals Kimmel and Nimitz; the truth about the Japanese "blunder" at Pearl Harbor, the truth about the Battle of Coral Sea, the truth about the internal Navy battle over the impending Battle of Midway and the march across the Pacific with never before released Naval Intellegence details.

In this spellbinder Layton breaks his sacred oath as a Navy Officer to reveal how incompetency, infighting and persuit of personal gain at high ranks allowed the Pearl Harbor "surprise" to occur, greatly prolonged the Pacific War and brought the Allied Forces to the brink of defeat in the Pacific.

Layton reveals in chilling detail how Pearl Harbor Commanders Admiral Kimmel and General Short were made scapegoats and cashiered in disgrace, how the Fleet's Carrier task force sortied days after the bombing but was recalled out of fear, how Admiral Nimitz was forced to commit conspiracy and treason to get the 5th Fleet to Midway in time for battle. Layton exposes a secret vandetta by Washington Commanders against Pearl Harbor Intellegence personnel that caused a Japanese cipher change and the terrible effects of the lengthy intellegence "blackout" it caused at the most critical point in the War.

Layton shatters recorded history with a cronological portrayance of documented events as he lived them, by the side of the Navy Admirals who despite incredible odds, heavy losses and fierce opposition led Allied Forces to victory in the Pacific.

This Book is a "must read" for all! This Author's story must not be forgotten! At some risk with personal sacrifice, with violation of Oath, at the end of his life with no possible personal gain his last and greatest service to this great Country was a grave warning to us all;

World War Two showed us the stratigic advantage of airpower and of the Naval Aircraft Carrier. This "portable" airbase brought enormous destructive power to our enemies shore and allowed us to attack his facilities and installations with relative ease. With the modern atom bomb and ICBM the Continents become the bases from which total distruction unparalleled and swift can be wroght upon any Continant with relative ease.

Beware, this is what did happen, this is what can happen, this is what will happen again if we forget!

A Thermoneucular Pearl Harbor, surprise we're gone!