Bartsch, William H.
December 8, 1941: MacArthur's Pearl Harbor
College Station, TX: Texas A&M University Press, 2003
Binding: Hardcover
Pages: viii + 557
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Editor's Choice Award Winner
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William H. Bartsch
See also more books on the same topic(s):
Air operations in the Philippines, 1941-1942
Philippines campaign, 1941-1942
Feedback from visitors
Feedback from James Lockner on Thursday, 5 June 2003
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Very good!
Feedback from Speedo on Friday, 5 September 2003
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Lovely lovely lovely
Feedback from Disappointed on Thursday, 15 April 2004
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This is a book where the author has done incredible historical research but, because of personal bias and shortsightedness, he has missed key points. The author's emails after publication admit that he knew that his portrait of Pursuit Group Commander Orrin Grover is flawed but he has repeated the same mistake and calumny that he presented against this fine officer in Doomed At The Start.
On a broader scope, the author's bureaucratic background [economist for the UN] seems to have limited his ability to see the most significant unexplored issue about "MacArthur's Pearl Harbor," what did MacArthur know of the upcoming attach from reading Magic. MacArthur was NOT denied access to Magic messages lack Short and Kimmel. Does this mean that he was awareof the coming attack? The evidence presented in Pearl Harbor Betrayed by Stinnett leads one to believe that MacArthur knew. And, Bartsch never confrints the question of MacArthur's false affidavit on this issue during the pearl harbor investigation. harbor investigation.
Feedback from Ann Cooper on Friday, 11 March 2005
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In spite of the breadth of the book, I find it hard to give the author much credence because of the attack on Major Grover.
In spite of having information that what he was saying was not, in fact, true (some would call it libel, then), he printed it anyway. Upon further research, it turns out that Major Grover was a heroic figure, and a man of vision, intelligence and keen foresight.
Apparently, the author was looking for a new "angle" to sell his book. As a college teacher though, my belief is that when I discover that one part of a student's term paper research is false, then the whole is called into question.
Feedback from John Harrison, New York on Friday, 11 March 2005
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Ann Cooper and anonymous Disappointed ---- the same person?? ---- got hung up over minor minor Major Grover ---- a relative??? ---- making them miss out on mostly good work in the book.
Feedback from Deborah Higginbotham on Friday, 2 September 2005
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(And John Harrison, New York, perhaps a crony of the author? A relative misrepresented or not, I would certainly find this forum the perfect outlet to question historical revision.) Interesting reading, well-developed, perhaps not the end of end-alls.
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