"The day after Pearl Harbor our Navy's position in the Pacific was extremely grave. The bulk of our major ships had been put out of commission for a year; only our small Asiatic Fleet under Admiral Hart in the Philippines and portions of the Pacific Fleet that had been absent from Pearl Harbor on the day of the attack were in fighting condition in the Pacific. Even Hawaii might be attacked and overrun at any moment. And in the Atlantic the Axis submarines were destroying a tremendous tonnage of our shipping within sight of our very shores. Then, even at the lowest of the war tide, the decision was made, and correctly: first fight for time, especially in the Pacific- and then assemble the might to conquer first Italy and then Germany, and then inevitably Japan must succumb."
Quote Details
Added by wikiquote-import-bot
Unverified quote
0 likes
Military leaders from the United StatesLegion of Honour recipientsPeople from ClevelandAviators from the United StatesNavy Cross recipients
Original Language: English
Available Languages (1)
Sources
From King's Foreword in Battle Stations! Your Navy In Action (1946) by Admirals of the U.S. Navy, p. 10
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Ernest_King
Revision History
No revisions have been submitted for this quote.
Categories
Ernest King
157 quotes on TrueQuotesView all quotes by Ernest King →
Related Quotes
"Every naval officer has a job to do. He should do that job out of a sense of duty and should not get recognition for …"
"Initiative means freedom to act, but it does not mean freedom to act in an offhand or casual manner."
"I don't know much about this thing called logistics. All I know is that I want some."
"Discipline is willing obedience to attain the greatest good by the greatest number. It means [the] laying aside, for …"
"Anyone who won't take a chance now and then isn't worth a damn."
"I don't care how good they are. Unless they get a kick in the ass every six weeks, they'll slack off."
"It must be the key idea of all hands that we will make the best of what we have."
"I expect the officers of the Atlantic Fleet to be the leaders of what may be called the pioneering spirit- to lead in…"
"There is work in plenty for all hands- officers and men."
"Don't tell them anything. When it's over, tell them who won."