Good morning. Thank you, chris. You know, its a pleasure to be i was invited by chris and jim to speak about the midway, i said, gosh, im not really a midway expert. Said thats okay. We have the experts coming. What we want you to do is set table, and thats what im going to do this morning. Et the table of how we got to midway. I want to go through a few andmark things in terms of japans relations in the world in the 50 years prior to midway, and then were also going to about based on my book the admiral some of the American Leadership that appears at finally were going to do kind of a quick overview what goesl history of on between pearl harbor and june and 4th of 1942. Start by talking about japan ationship between and the United States. Note that there are about at the of latitude. S the difference is that the United States in terms of its moved westward across the north american continent. Faced s it industrialization during the late 19th century also moved westward, but what did that do . Put it on a collision with china. China have apan and been adversaries for a long period of time. In 1274, a member great fleet was sent to attempt capture japan. What happened . Divine wind, the japanese called and destroyed p it. Interact withs to the west. Japan doesnt. It sort of closes its ports and closed until Matthew Perry opens japans ports to in 1853. Now, i would suggest to you that country in had the intervening last part of the really embraces the ndustrial revolution more so than japan. And theres a huge change. Japan builds a new army. Models it after germany. Builds a new navy. Great britain. Forward onto ps the world stage. The first conflict starts in 1894. Says japan,the west oh, japan is an up start. They cant take on china. Well, not only does japan take on china, but japan wins. Our story in world ar ii is as part of that, the formosa theres my clicker. Is in factof formosa japanese territory after that treaty with china going ahead ending that conflict. First war, what happens . Japan moves into korea. Sort of a state of japan at that point. And it puts japan on a collision ourse with that other great power in the far east, russia. We all know about the russojapanese war, 19041905. With a sneak t attack on the russian fleet at port arthur. There. Stroyers in there. Its very much a surprise attack and the results of the war including the great naval really wiped is out as a power in the far east. Step in takes another terms of going ahead as a world power. Me suggest that the first orld war, japan is actually an ally of the United States and the other allied powers. Naval even a japanese squad thats at work convoying ships in the mediterranean. But what does world war i really story, erms of the big particularly in terms of midway . Of versailles y goes ahead and concludes the world war, japan is the eneficiary of all of these islands that had been german territory. Marianas except for guam, the car lines. A the very fact that the Washington Naval conference in 1921 includes the United States, Great Britain, and japan even and h the United States to a britain have 5 5 ratio of 3 naval superiority to apan the very fact that japan is on the world stage with those other two powers pretty significant. N the meantime whats been happening in china . By 1927, i would suggest to you word, china is in chaos. Of by 1927, its sort solidified some emerging National Government in china. Now, theres certainly communist opposition, even that early. With that is ns that as they solidify some of National Government and kind of extends his power manchuria and brings that under the chinese that puts ernment, china on even more of a japan. On course with and along about that time, 1931, theres arker, omething called the manchurian incident. Its an explosion on a realway. It but even disrupt japan says china is the have to move in to manchurian and seize it. Thats what happens. Occupy o send troops to parts of shanghai. Now, china, good member of the nations that it is, says, oh, wait, were going to appeal to the league. Also a member of the league of nations says i withdraw from t league. China and japan through 19 in 1937 an really through the next four years up ntil when things really break out with the United States in 41. Kind of gets tes involved in the middle of this an incident. Boat on a river sunday morning. Its in the yanzi river port planes attacknese it. Kill some americans. Kill some journalists involved. Of staff of the naval n navy, chief of operations basically advises the president that with to do something about this. Take some action. Fleet out. Work with Great Britain to put up a quarantine and everything. Advice, i wouldnt say it falls on deaf ears because roosevelt is responsive that. But hes still fighting the depression. Earnest j. King who at the time chief battle of midway is of Naval Operations and commander of the u. S. Fleet, i suggest to you that admiral king is the overlooked world war ii. The man who really says to the we haveiefs, all right, come up with an allied plan and first. Plan of germany but admiral king very much to focused on s also the pacific. Hes also focused on winning a pouring war and resources into the pacific. And quite frankly, sitting in i would suggest to you that Douglas Mcarthur is of of the beneficiaries that. Because if king had not joint chiefs and they convinced roosevelt to put into the pacific, well, again, we would not maybe japanese meeting the at midway as we ended up doing. Ing has two things that he really develops over his career. Annapolis in rom 1901. Lake orn on the banks of erie in 1878 but through his focuses on , he submarines and aircraft. Hes very much a brown shoe that l coming out of Aviation Wing of the American Navy. Fiery temper. Y and i think like some other folks we could mention, theres middle ground with admiral king. He either had his supporters or ors. Detract one of his daughters famously daddy, daddy . Oh, hes the most even tempered know. I hes always in a rage. [laughter] wasnd i think that probably king. Al to ter nimitz is more apt put his arm around you and say lets get this thing done together. Grows up in fredericksburg, texas. Family. He went off to west point. West point. Go to very definitely. But he went to annapolis because many calvary officers at that point who had wanted to go to west point and the xhoong said i have annapolis. For what if you go there . And he agreed. His parents who were, again, german immigrants supposed d, well, im to take a foreign language, what do you recommend . Nd his german speaking folks said take english, son. E think that will put you in good stead. Reallyitz is someone who goes through interestingly enough hes in charge of Submarine Base in pearl harbor in the 20s. Naval rotc at berkley late 1920s. E has a good idea of the trengths and weaknesses of the people hes about to send into after december 2nd. I think that characterization of is name says something in the way he wanted it characterized, ays something about his meticulousness. He and halcy, believe it or not, great friends. Halsey is four years his senior their wives and families, theyre both destroyer men. They pal around together. And, yet within they are polar opposites. Brash, rough, rough, one junior officer says when war had ter on in the commandover the fleet, we never knew what we were going to do. Spruance was the absolute opposite. T and dotted every i. And, yet, somehow these two opposites become great friends and of course as world to ii goes on, theyre going fleets. Te command of the becomes chief of staff of the army under hoover. Hoover in 1930. And then retires from the army story short ends philippines. And in 1941, hes basically american the leadership at the War Department hat he can in fact defend philippines. Of the so december 7th of 1941, nimitz as commander in of the Pacific Fleet right after roosevelt tells nimitz to get out to pearl harbor and stay until the war is won. And nimitz did. Ends up flying from the west coast to pearl harbor. Assumes command on december 1st of 1941. Joked that he took command on a submarine because survivedonly ship that the attack. That was nimitzs sense of humor. Quite that wasnt bad. Ut what nimitz did recognize and i think whats important to the upcoming coral sea but at midway, nimitz recognized that despite the american lives rally asure, there were three things where would we the th midway if some of carriers had been sunk at pearl harbor . He second thing is the submarine forces really is generally intact. Its going to have problems with faulty torpedos but its going take the attack to the enemy quickly. A third thing, criticism for not launching a third attack wave or wave being more directed to infrastructure but the dry dock facilities, all of that infrastructure had been december 7th, 1941, that line of the american front in the pacific would have back to the pushed west coast. 1942 would une of have been able to turn around the yorktown in three days and it back out to sea to support the midway operations. O nimitz was great at being able to bring people together and say, okay, im not going to cast any blame on what happened. It could have been worse. Focus on those three things and lets move able to ahead and pearl hat we can here at harbor. Thats absolutely critical in terms of the next six months up to midway. All right. In terms of the global strategist that weve alluded to. Things. Ls nimitz three one, youve got to protect the hawaiian to midway line. Out there as a very important point and the spring of 1942, of its acreage most heavy defended island area territory in the pacific. The second thing he says is you to protect the west coast to hawaii life line. Also oast to hawaii but west coast to australia. After the war, we know that japan didnt have quite the plans to go ahead and physical invasion of australia but they certainly to cut off australia from the American West coast ence their operations into the solomons and things. Really is point, important for nimitz to hold the est coast to hawaii and to australia life line. The third thing and this is really where king comes into his a global strategist, i think, he says to george whos army chief of taff, we are not going to do defensive containment in the acific we are going to push back and take on an offensive peration against the japanese thrust. And i think that, that is critical not only to the story but certainly the story of what goes on after terms of operations against guadalcanal. I want to tell you a story about here off port morsbey. Its march of 1942. Mentioned ares we moving into the solomon islands. Of their e the dates expansion. Douglas mcarthur is still at the philippines. Well,es basically saying, whats the American Navy going to do . Navy, having done some initial raids in january of 1942, enterprise and halsey sail into the marshalls. And yorktown sail into the gilberts. Sort of in terms of some almost raids but also to put the japanese on notice that the to ican navy is not going take all of this lying down. Of 1942, lexington nd hornet, fletcher is on excuse me, lexington and orktown, fletcher is on yorktown wilson brown is on lexington. Carriers together paupau. O the gulf of. Arch 8th what they do is relatively little known operation. Air attacks on these japanese s and on the transports and support ships that are off lane. Things. Es two mcarthur of course a few days in australia and the press says looks like hes here ready to go ahead and make of things. Ing hes a workhorse. What is he going to command . With the nds up southwest pacific here. Nimitz is in charge of terms of the e in Central Pacific, northern pacific, and the South Pacific gormley and then alsey are going to command and then of course this whole idea of the Central Pacific and this way is important. And to talk about yorktown carrier operations a second. 1942, is sort of an epiphany for nimitz as a commander. Talk to that time, we about lexington and yorktown being together for those operations, its a situation king despite the fact that working eered carriers together, king really has the idea that, well, maybe we should e a little careful with our carriers. Nimitz is the one who really pushes him. Marshall his carriers and king said offensive fine this nimitz says is how were going to do it. At that certainly happens at l sea coral sea and thats sort of what brings us to this particular battle. Let me just go through the numbers for you here in terms of sea and you can follow along on the map. One there, mber orktown and lexing on the rende rendezvou. And nimitz says not so fast. Ets see if we cant really make more of this happen, join and go lexing on the ahead and take on the japanese fleet. Rejoin onnd lexington may 5th, number three. Sinks four, the show host to the cry of scratch one flat may 7th and then of course there becomes the carrier duals. He duals back and fourth and the fact that no capital ships are within sight of one another, really triggers carrier operations. Lexington gets hit. I have a food friend named bill dye. Passed away. I met him when he had his lexington cv2. He told the story many times of being on board here and going the side and he said other than complaining about the 26 left belowet that he decks, he basically said not one got out alive. P thats how we were able to get casualties. Few shoes lined up on the deck. Told a story of ice cream being out, a rationed treat, in stench of that battle just before of course ship and later an american destroyer sank the lexington so it wouldnt fall japanese hands with a torpedo. All right. Nimitz this particular time and of time n the cover magazine. The question the cover asks is to know where the fleet is . Ere going to find out where ellicot carlson that question was being asked by a lot of people. Summarize three things that i think are important that comes out of all of this. One, Japanese Naval expansion does not just occur between midway. Arbor and its really the culmination of weve seen of japanese expansion, Japanese Military build up. A century during which they defeated. Een a draw. A is but midway, theres a great feeling of superiority and they not known defeat. The same thing, let me suggest terms of all of this kings y activity is policy of global twoocean war. Pushed ond not really the joint chiefs, a strategy to and hold the line in the pacific, the defensive ontainment line may well have been east of hawaii and not west island. Terms of midway and the third thing, of course, of n terms of the evolution the Aircraft Carrier as a weapon. Succeeds in this carriers, rshalling putting them together putting marshalling carriers, putting them together in a force. Ive strike june 2nd, 1942, were about to fight the battle of midway. Thanks. Applause] id be complot to take a question or two. Use the microphones. Bit about thettle in the 14 battle mediterranean and skimming was impressed with he key role that a couple of british carriers played and that surfaced the battle at war. European did any information about that ome into the hands of the u. S. Navy by this time or was that and obscure r away that they really didnt have a operations in r that battle . If. I think that theres no that nimitz had that, ation with that, that kind of information was eing shared very informally by you got to remember roosevelt and churchill are together for the atlantic conference in august of 1941. Theres this d tremendous king at this point is n charge of all north atlanta. So i think theres very good and relationships, building relationships between the british navies at that particular time. Could argue that why wasnt ore attention paid to perhaps what was done at sinking the navy. N yes, sir . It is very fortunate, we had carriers at this time. Im interested in the process during the 20 does and 30s then decision was made to build these carriers. T was a period of some isolationism. American debated what to do germany. An and so what was the process by which they decided to Start Building the 30s . Who is there one person who ind of gets the credit for the foresight . The early carriers initially called the carrier langley, that, that actually was modified. It was a coal ship that was modified againen to become a sea plane tender. Ut one of the things at the Washington Naval conference in the it gave permission to United States to build two basically what were battle ship halls at that point. In other words everyone said anymore. Build lets put a tenyear moratorium n them but we have these two hulls on the way, what do we do with those . And those basically became the two carriers of lexington and saratoga. I think you need to roosevelt and people like admiral king who was i hing for naval a yeggs, think you really need to give as evelt credit that even soon as his election and 1933, hes in beginning to turn back this 20s things like and do put more money into navy and ships like that. To our point about what would have happened if we had not done if the s just like carriers had been caught at pearl harbor, i think the result been catastrophic. There were four carriers in the actually there were three carriers on pearl harbor. Coast a is on the west aking on its planes on december 7th, 1941, off san bill and enterprise with halsey is en route to resupply wake island and then lexington pulls out of pearl december 5th as similar ay and takes a fleet of aircraft toward midway. End up making that delivery. History to of the 2es 7th. Theyre very important. Gets or the pee owe ed. Edopee ornet and enterprise are doolittle ith the raid. King uld admiral nonetheless been fired in 1942 for what he did not do in atlanta. For what he did not do where . In the atlanta. On that. My take i think king and by that, i ssume you mean not putting in convoys sooner and putting more things there, i think king has bad rap for that. Opinion. Ust my personal bull no one knew what was going n in the atlanta better than king because before hes basically tapped to command the hes in charge of the atlanta squadron. It becomes the atlantic fleet. And hes she