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INVESTIGATION OF THE PEARL HARBOR ATTACK -- REPORT OF THE JOINT COMMITTEE ON THE INVESTIGATION OF THE PEARL HARBOR ATTACK
PEARL HARBOR ATTACK 283

APPENDIX C

COMMUNICATIONS FROM THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES RELATING TO THE PEARL HARBOR INVESTIGATION

PEARL HARBOR ATTACK 284

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PEARL HARBOR ATTACK 285

APPENDIX C

COMMUNICATIONS FROM THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES RELATING TO THE
PEARL HARBOR INVESTIGATION

THE WHITE HOUSE,
Washington, October 13, 1945.

Hon. ALBEN W. BARKLEY,
United States Senate, Washington, D. C.

DEAR SENATOR BARKLEY: Replying to your letter of the 5th, regarding the appointment of someone in the Executive Offices to consult with the  committee and its counsel, I am appointing Judge Latta, who has been in  charge of all the files in the White House for the past 28 years.

Any information that you want will be cheerfully supplied by him.

For your information all the files of the previous administration have  been moved to the Archives Building and Hyde Park. If there is any  difficulty about your having access to them I'll be glad to issue the  necessary order so that you may have complete access.

Sincerely yours,
HARRY S. TRUMAN.

[Copy]

AUGUST 28, 1945.
Memorandum for

The Secretary of State.
The Secretary of War.
The Secretary of the Navy.
The Attorney General.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff.
The Director of the Budget.
The Director of the Office of War Information.

Appropriate departments of the Government and the Joint Chiefs of Staff are hereby directed to take such steps as are necessary to prevent  release to the public, except with the specific approval of the  President in each case, of 

Information regarding the past or present status, technique or  procedures, degree of success attained, or any specific results of any  cryptanalytic unit acting under the authority of the United States  Government or any Department thereof.

HARRY S. TRUMAN.

Restricted.

286 PEARL HARBOR ATTACK

Memorandum for-

The Secretary of State.
The Secretary of War.
The Secretary of Navy.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff.

In order to assist the Joint Congressional Committee on the Investigation of the Pearl Harbor Attack in its desire to hold public hearings and make public pertinent evidence relating to the circumstances of that attack, a specific exception to my memorandum  dated August 28, 1945, relating to the release of information concerning cryptanalytic activities, is hereby made as follows:

The State, War, and Navy Departments will make available to the Joint Committee on the Investigation of the Pearl Harbor Attack, for such use as the committee may determine, any information in their possession material to the investigation, and will respectively authorize any employee or member of the armed services whose testimony is desired by the committee to testify publicly before the committee concerning any matter pertinent to the investigation.

(Signed) Harry S. Truman,
HARRY S. TRUMAN.
Approved October 23, 1945.

THE WHITE HOUSE,
Washington, November 7, 1945.

MEMORANDUM FOR THE CHIEF EXECUTIVES OF ALL EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENTS, AGENCIES, COMMISSIONS, AND BUREAUS, INCLUDING THE JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF

Section 3 of the concurrent resolution creating the Joint Congressional Committee on the Investigation of the Pearl Harbor Attack reads as  follows:

SEC. 3. The testimony of any person in the armed services, and the fact that such person testified before the joint committee herein provided for, shall not be used against him in any court proceeding or held against him in examining his military status for credits in the service to which he belongs.

In order to assist the joint committee to make a full and complete investigation of the facts relating to the events leading up to or  following the attack, you are requested to authorize every person in your respective departments or agencies, if they are interrogated by the committee or its counsel, to give any information of which they may have knowledge bearing on the subject of the committee's investigation.

You are further requested to authorize them whether or not they are interrogated by the committee or its counsel to come forward voluntarily and disclose to the committee or to its counsel any information they may have on the subject of the inquiry which they may have any reason to think may not already have been disclosed to the committee.

This directive is applicable to all persons in your departments or agencies, whether they are in the armed services or not and whether or  not they are called to testify before the joint committee.

HARRY S. TRUMAN.

PEARL HARBOR ATTACK 287

MEMORANDUM FOR THE CHIEF EXECUTIVES OF ALL EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENTS, AGENCIES, COMMISSIONS, AND BUREAUS, INCLUDING THE JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF

With further reference to my letter of November 7, 1945, addressed to the above executives, you are requested further to authorize every person in your respective departments or agencies, whether or not they are interrogated by the committee or its counsel, to come forward and disclose orally to any of the members of the Joint Congressional Committee on the Investigation of the Pearl Harbor Attack any information they may have on the subject of the inquiry which they may have any reason to think has not already been disclosed to the committee.

This does not include any files or written material.

(Handwritten) O. K.
H. S. T.

PEARL HARBOR ATTACK            288

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