JAPAN AND GERMANY
The first Japanese diplomatic messages of great importance in the present war informed us that Japan and Germany had extended the scope of the “Anti-Comintern Pact” and would declare war on the United States if the latter interfered with the Axis program of conquest in Europe or Eastern Asia.
The next important information was that Germany was planning to attack Russia despite the non-aggression pact between the two countries. Intercepted messages from the Japanese Ambassador in Berlin informed us that Berlin was insisting that Tokyo declare war on England and the United States. To this Tokyo replied that the Japanese Government was adhering to the Pact inspirit as well as in letter; that they could not take any hostile step so long as Russia was free to attack their mainland possessions; and their threatening attitude was neutralizing U.S. and British forces which otherwise, would be available for use against Germany. In the autumn of 1941, after the German attack on Russia, Berlin renewed its demands of Japanese assistance, and Tokyo replied that they would make war, but that they would have to do it in their own way and at their own selected time, and that they could not be rushed into the matter. Tokyo also advised that their menacing attitude in Asia was holding large Russian forces in Siberi, and they considered they were giving as much aid to the Axis as if actually at war.
Early in September, Tokyo sent a message to its Ambassador in Washington instructing him to present a note to the State Department, which (with later “interpretations”) amounted to an ultimatum. This note demanded, among other things that the United States withdraw its support of the Chiang Kai-skek regime in China and require Chaing to unconditionally surrender to the Japanese, and also demanded immediate withdrawal of the United States from the Philippines and recognition of a Japanese sphere of influence covering Eastern Asia and the Southwest Pacific Ocean. The ultimatum was to expire the 25th of November 1941. The Japanese Ambassador (Nomura) toned down the note considerably and omitted the most offensive provisions before presenting it to the State Department on 6 September. It is possible that a note of another date was toned down rather than this one: Nomura was reprimanded for it, in either event. Nomura believed that a war with the United States would be suicidal for Japan and on several occasions recommended that Tokyo be more reasonable in its attitude. From our decryptions, the U.S. Government was well informed as to the real intentions of the Japanese Government. These messages showed Tokyo’s intentions in the matter, and also explained the reason for sending Kurusu to Washington as a Special Enjoy for the final negotiations immediately preceding the outbreak of war. The Japanese Government expected to be “appeased.” but the internal situation of Japan was so desperate that a foreign war seemed preferable to the status quo.
SLOWLY DRIFTING INTO A WAR
Diplomatic negotiations between the United States and Japan dragged on throughout November, finally coming to a stalemate. At the same time Japan was mobilizing invasion fleets at Hainan (for the conquest of Malaya), at Bako (for the conquest of the Philippines), and at Jaluit (for covering these invasions or a direct attack on Hawaii). Japan had made no open move and we seemed to be drifting into a war in a slow motion fashion. However, beginning about 29 November 1941, the real, undercover situation began to change rapidly for the worse, but superficially there was little apparent change.
JAPAN – DESTROY CIPHER MACHINES
On 1 December 1941, we learned that London, Manila, Singapore, and Hong Kong had been ordered, that very day, to destroy their cipher machines. This was our first definite warning that Zero Hour was near, and confirmed our information about Japanese intentions which had been gathered by radio direction finder, traffic analysis, and decryption of Japanese naval message at Pearl Harbor and Corregidor. On 3 December we learned that the Japanese Embassy, Washington, had been directed the day before to burn all codes except two and destroy one cipher machine immediately, and to burn other secret papers at discretion. We also received information from the British Government that the Japanese Ambassador in London had just destroyed his code machine. Information to this general effect was sent to the Command-in-Chief, Asiatic Fleet plus the Commandant 16th Naval District “for action,” and to the Commander-in-Chief Pacific Fleet plus the Commandant 14th Naval District “for information,” on 3 December 1941 in two different messages. (Secret message ‘COPEK’ #031855 was originated by myself and released by the Assistant Director of Naval Communications (CAPT Jos. R. Redman, USN). Secret message #031850 was originated by CDR McCollum (I believe) and was released by the Director of Naval Intelligence (RADM T. S. Wilkinson, USN).
U.S. – DESTROY PUBS, CODES AND CIPHERS
The next day the Naval Station Guam was ordered, by OpNav secret dispatch 042017 (originated by myself and released by ADM Ingersoll), to destroy all secret and confidential publication except those essential for current purposes and special intelligence, and to be prepared to destroy instantly all classified matter retained. CINCPAC, as well as CINCAF, was made an information addressee of these message. This same message was sent to Samoa, but in a different cipher system, that day or the next – I am not sure which.
In addition to being in command of the Navy Radio Intelligence Organization, I was directly responsible for our own codes and ciphers and, therefore, checked over with LT T. A. Smith (Code and Cipher Desk) and the Registered Publication Section to see exactly what should be done to protect our codes and ciphers from capture at outlying stations. I drafted messages to the Naval Attaches of Tokyo, Bangkok, Shanghai, and Peiping, and to the Marine Detachments at Peiping and Tientsin, directing them to destroy all cryptographic aids except their own personal systems (which they were to destroy at discretion), to report compliance by sending the “Boomerang” in plan language, and to report final destruction of the last cryptographic system and other confidential papers by sending the word “Jabberwock” in plain language. These messages (Opnav Secret 040340 and #040343) were released by ADM Ingersoll in the late afternoon of 3 December 1941. [The Commander-in-Chief, Pacific Fleet was not made an information addressee of the above messages]. A similar message was sent to a Yangtze River gunboat (the USS WAKE) via the Commander-in-Chief Asiatic Fleet. “Boomerangs” and “Jabberwocks” came trickling in during the next four days until there was complete accountability. The Naval Station Samoa was given the same message as previously sent to Guam, and Naval Station Dutch Harbor was directed to destroy one cipher system which had been used for secret intelligence work. Code Room Memorandum 050000 dated 5 December 1941 and Op-20-G Memorandum dated 9 December 1941 verify the above.
On 26 November 1941, the Navy Department translated Tokyo Circular #2354 (dated November 19) advising that a warning that “diplomatic relations where becoming dangerous” would be indicated by adding the following words (repeated five times) to Tokyo’s General Intelligence Broadcasts,” at the beginning and at the end:
JAPANESE ENGLISH
WORD TRANSLATION MEANING
HIFAHI EAST Japan-U.S. Relations
KITA NORTH Japan-U.S.S.R Relations
NISHI WEST Japan-England Relations
including N.E.I, Thai, and Malaya
This circular was relayed by the Japanese Embassy (Washington) to Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aires, Mexico City, and San Francesco.
THE WINDS MESSAGES
On November 28th, other Navy Department translated Tokyo Circular #2353 (dated November 19) stating that a warning as to the intentions of the Japanese Government with regard to war against Russia, Great Britain, and the United States would be broadcast in case of emergency by means of a false weather forecast included in the daily “Japanese language broadcast” from Tokyo. The “code” for these occasion consisted of three expressions:
JAPANESE TEXT ENGLISH TRANSLATION
HIGASHI NO KAZEAME East Wind, Rain – Japan, United States relation in
danger
KITA NO KAZ KUMORI North Wind, Cloudy – Japan – U.S.S.R relations in
danger
NISHI NO KAZE HARE West Wind Clear – Japan-England relations in danger
The Navy Department promptly notified the War and State Departments as to Circulars #2353 and #2354. The British R.I. Unit at Singapore also decrypted and translated these “circular” and forwarded the translations to CINCAF, who passed them on to the Navy Department, CINCPAC, Com 16 and Com 14 in CINCAF secret message 281430 (November 1941 – COPEK file). The N.E.I. Army read these same two messages and on December 4 furnished translation to the American Consul General (Mr. Foote) and two American Army officers (Thorpe and Slawson), who in turn forwarded the information to their respective Departments. Batavia confidential message #220 dated 4 December 1941, on file in the State Department, was forwarded to the Navy Department by the State Department Liaison Officer, Mr. Orme Wilson.
To supplement the above information, Navy Department sent to CINCAF, CINCPAC, COM 16 and COM 14 the new schedule of broadcasts by Tokyo Radio that same day (November 28th).
By L. F. Safford, Captain, USN
Source: CRYPTOLOG NCVA
10 November 2021 at 17:28
Thank you Mario for publishing this intriguing history leading up to WW II.
Jim King
CTOC Ret.
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10 November 2021 at 18:14
Excellent series! Thank you for posting this, Mario! There are several inaccurate bits and pieces, but the overall content is excellent. Captain Safford took it upon himself to “act as counsel for Admiral Kimmel,” and thus played down the intelligence that was available to Commander in Chief, Pacific Fleet.
In reading over all of the testimony from all eight of the investigations into Pearl Harbor, I couldn’t help but notice how high ranking individuals in Washington felt as relates to the implication of Japan’s orders to destroy codes and code machines with that of senior officers in Hawaii. The contrast is startling.
Captain Safford also left out the fact that the United States Navy changed its codes several days before the outbreak of the Pacific War. And a point not placed in the record in any of our government’s investigations into Pearl Harbor was the fact a special code was placed into effect a day or two prior to 7 December 1941 for Admiral Kimmel’s personal use directly with the Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Harold R. Stark.
I have nothing but the greatest respect for Captain Safford. However, in my analysis, he played perhaps the leading role in making it appear that the Navy Department and even the War Department had withheld intelligence from the Hawaiian Commanders. Yet the “evidence” that Safford introduced to the Joint Congressional Committee in February 1946, was not “evidence of what actually happened,” but rather just “evidence.” This is right out of Part 8 of the Pearl Harbor Attack Hearings. (Use of Safford’s exchange with Representative Murphy will be in the essay I’ll be submitting to you for use in the Station HYPO blog within the next week.)
One of the various documents Safford introduced to the JCC immediately after the war was in the form of an “Air Mail” word code. This was a very simple code sent under cover of one letter that had to be used in conjunction with questions and issues of a second letter. Safford wrote these letters. His recipient was Captain Alwin D. Kramer who, by late 1944, was in the Pacific attached to Admiral Halsey’s staff.
If we’re to believe these Safford-Kramer letters, “No one in OPNAV can be trusted.” This is the decoded version of Safford’s “Air Mail” code from a letter to Captain Kramer.
I’m sure that no subscriber to the Station HYPO blog who was or is a career communications intelligence specialist needs to be told this, but Captain Safford himself was part of OPNAV. An essential part of OPNAV.
L.F. Safford is one of the few naval officers for whom I have the very highest degree of respect. In my opinion, what Captain Safford did to help preserve what we might call Pearl Harbor’s greatest secret (Kimmel & Short having the same level of intelligence that Washington had), destroyed Safford’s chance of ever being promoted to flag rank.
As we all know, L.F. Safford retired in the rank of Captain. To the best of my knowledge, the Navy has NEVER named a ship after this naval officer. Again, in my opinion, I believe that Captain Laurance F. Safford’s contributions to our Navy and our country place him at the very top of his profession. It’s time that the American people and our country realize the extreme dedication Safford put into his work for the United States Navy and for the United States of America.
Wonderful eight-part series, Mario! Thanks again for posting this! (After reading all the first seven parts yesterday, I took the rest of the day off from writing to ponder my respect and admiration for L.F. Safford. He truly was one of the Navy’s all-time greats!) I had deliberately held off reading those first seven parts as I realized as soon as I knew who had written it, what it would do to my ability to concentrate on writing as opposed to research.
Safford’s work played a larger role than anything else in creating a mountain of work for me over the past 38 years.
Today, 10 November 2021, is the 50th anniversary of my honorable discharge from the United States Navy. I grew up Navy, and, in my opinion, I’ll always be Navy. Thank all of you involved with the Station HYPO blog for the work you do for our Navy and other military services, for our government, and for the many sacrifices you all make to keep our country strong. Semper Fidelis, Mario, to you, your family, and to every member of the U.S. Armed Forces including their family members. Andy McKane, 0814, Hawaiian time, 10 November 2021, Maunaloa, Molokai, Hawaii.
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