Harold Rainsford Stark
Encyclopedia
Harold Rainsford Stark served as an officer in the United States Navy
during World War I
and World War II
. Stark was the US Navy's 8th Chief of Naval Operations
, from August 1, 1939 to 26 March 1942.
in 1899 and graduated with the class of 1903. As a plebe
there he received the nickname "Betty" after Elizabeth Page Stark
, the wife of the Revolutionary War general John Stark
, who was being commemorated at the time. From 1907 to 1909, Stark served on the battleship
USS Minnesota
before and during the U.S. Atlantic Fleet
's cruise around the world
.
s and destroyers, including command of the Asiatic Fleet's torpedo flotilla in 1917, when these old and small destroyers steamed from the Philippines
to the Mediterranean to join in World War I operations. Stark served on the staff of Commander, US Naval Forces operating in Europe
from November 1917 to January 1919.
of the battleships North Dakota
and West Virginia
, attended the Naval War College
, commanded the ammunition ship
Nitro
and served in naval ordnance positions.
During the later 1920s and into the mid-1930s, with the rank of Captain
, he was successively Chief of Staff to the Commander, Destroyer Squadrons Battle Fleet
, Aide to the Secretary of the Navy, and Commanding Officer
of USS West Virginia. From 1934 to 1937, Rear Admiral
Stark was Chief of the Bureau of Ordnance
. He then from July 1938 served at sea as Commander Cruiser Division Three and Commander of Cruisers in the Battle Fleet
, with the rank of Vice Admiral.
. In that position, he oversaw the expansion of the Navy during 1940 and 1941, and its involvement in an undeclared war against German
submarines in the Atlantic during the latter part of 1941. It was at this time that he authored the Plan Dog memo
, which laid the basis for America's Europe first
policy. He also orchestrated the Navy's change to adopting unrestricted submarine warfare
in case of war with Japan; Stark expressly ordered it at 17.52 Washington time on 7 December 1941, not quite four hours after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor
. It appears the decision was taken without the knowledge or prior consent of the government. It violated the London Naval Treaty
, to which the U.S. was signatory.
His most controversial service involved the growing menace of Japanese forces in the period before America was bombed into the war by the attack on Pearl Harbor. The controversy centers on whether he and his Director of War Plans, Admiral Richmond K. Turner
provided sufficient information to Admiral Husband E. Kimmel
, Commander of the Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor, about Japanese moves in the fall of 1941 to enable to Kimmel to anticipate an attack and to take steps to counter it. Captain (later Rear Admiral) Edwin T. Layton was Kimmel's chief intelligence officer (later also Adm. Chester W. Nimitz's intelligence officer) at the time of the attack. In his book, And I Was There: Pearl Harbor and Midway—Breaking the Secrets (1985), Layton maintained Stark offered meaningless advice throughout this period, withheld vital information at the insistence of his Director of War Plans, Admiral Turner, showed timidity in dealing with the Japanese, and utterly failed to provide anything of use to Kimmel. John Costello (Layton's co-author), in Days of Infamy (Pocket, 1994), points out MacArthur had complete access to both PURPLE and JN-25, plus over eight hours warning, and was still caught by surprise. Moreover, as SCAP
official historian Gordon Prange
and his colleagues note in December 7, 1941 (McGraw-Hill, 1988), defense of the fleet was General Short's responsibility, not Stark's. Turner's insistence on having intelligence go through War Plans led Office of Naval Intelligence
(ONI) to a wrong belief ONI was only to collect intelligence; Turner did not correct this view, nor aid Stark in understanding the problem. Among others, Morison and Layton agree Turner was most responsible for the debacle, as does Ned Beach
in Scapegoats (Annapolis, 1995).
In addition, there was considerable confusion over where Japan might strike, including against the Soviet Union or British colonies in Asia.
and the European Axis Powers
that officially began in December 1941.
In March 1942, Stark was relieved as CNO by Admiral Ernest King
. He went to England the next month to become Commander of U.S. Naval Forces in Europe.
From his London
headquarters, Admiral Stark directed the naval part of the great buildup in England and U.S. naval operations and training activities on the European side of the Atlantic. He received the additional title of Commander of the Twelfth Fleet in October 1943, and he supervised USN participation in the landings at Normandy, France in June 1944. Admiral Stark built and maintained close relations with British civilian and naval leaders, who "generally adored him", and also with the leaders of other Allied powers
. Stark was particularly important in dealing with Charles de Gaulle
; it was thanks to Stark the U.S.-British-Free French relationship continued to work. He earned high praise from King for his work.
After the Normandy landings
, Stark faced a Court of Inquiry over his actions leading up to Pearl Harbor. The Court concluded Stark had not conveyed the danger, nor provided enough information, to Kimmel, but had not been derelict. King's endorsement of the report was scalding, leading to Stark being relieved. In 1948, King reconsidered and requested the endorsement be expunged: "It was the only time that King ever admitted he had been wrong."
From August 1945 until he left active duty in April 1946, Stark served in Washington, D.C.
, and made his home there after retirement. He died in 1972. The controversy surrounding him has only become fiercer since.
was named in honour of Admiral Stark.
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Stark was the US Navy's 8th Chief of Naval Operations
Chief of Naval Operations
The Chief of Naval Operations is a statutory office held by a four-star admiral in the United States Navy, and is the most senior uniformed officer assigned to serve in the Department of the Navy. The office is a military adviser and deputy to the Secretary of the Navy...
, from August 1, 1939 to 26 March 1942.
Early life and career
Stark enrolled in the United States Naval AcademyUnited States Naval Academy
The United States Naval Academy is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located in Annapolis, Maryland, United States...
in 1899 and graduated with the class of 1903. As a plebe
Plebe summer
Plebe Summer is the summer training program which is required of all incoming freshmen to the United States Naval Academy. The program lasts approximately 6 weeks and consists of rigorous physical and mental training...
there he received the nickname "Betty" after Elizabeth Page Stark
Molly Stark
Molly Stark, née Elizabeth Page, was the wife of American Revolutionary War general John Stark.She was born in Haverhill, Massachusetts, moved with her family to Dunbarton, New Hampshire, around 1755, and was the daughter of the first postmaster of New Hampshire, Caleb Page, and his wife Ruth. She...
, the wife of the Revolutionary War general John Stark
John Stark
John Stark was a New Hampshire native who served as a major general in the Continental Army during the American Revolution. He became widely known as the "Hero of Bennington" for his exemplary service at the Battle of Bennington in 1777.-Early life:John Stark was born in Londonderry, New...
, who was being commemorated at the time. From 1907 to 1909, Stark served on the battleship
Battleship
A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of heavy caliber guns. Battleships were larger, better armed and armored than cruisers and destroyers. As the largest armed ships in a fleet, battleships were used to attain command of the sea and represented the apex of a...
USS Minnesota
USS Minnesota (BB-22)
USS Minnesota , a , was the second ship of the United States Navy in honor of the 32nd state, and the 24th battleship of the US Navy ....
before and during the U.S. Atlantic Fleet
U.S. Atlantic Fleet
The United States Fleet Forces Command is an Atlantic Ocean theater-level component command of the United States Navy that provides naval resources that are under the operational control of the United States Northern Command...
's cruise around the world
Great White Fleet
The Great White Fleet was the popular nickname for the United States Navy battle fleet that completed a circumnavigation of the globe from 16 December 1907 to 22 February 1909 by order of U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt. It consisted of 16 battleships divided into two squadrons, along with...
.
World War I
Subsequently, Stark had extensive duty in torpedo boatTorpedo boat
A torpedo boat is a relatively small and fast naval vessel designed to carry torpedoes into battle. The first designs rammed enemy ships with explosive spar torpedoes, and later designs launched self-propelled Whitehead torpedoes. They were created to counter battleships and other large, slow and...
s and destroyers, including command of the Asiatic Fleet's torpedo flotilla in 1917, when these old and small destroyers steamed from the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
to the Mediterranean to join in World War I operations. Stark served on the staff of Commander, US Naval Forces operating in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
from November 1917 to January 1919.
Interwar Years
Following the war, Stark was Executive OfficerExecutive officer
An executive officer is generally a person responsible for running an organization, although the exact nature of the role varies depending on the organization.-Administrative law:...
of the battleships North Dakota
USS North Dakota (BB-29)
USS North Dakota , a Delaware-class battleship, was the first ship of the United States Navy named in honor of the U.S. state of North Dakota....
and West Virginia
USS West Virginia (BB-48)
USS West Virginia , a , was the second ship of the United States Navy named in honor of the 35th state.Her keel was laid down on 12 April 1920 by the Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company of Newport News, Virginia. She was launched on 17 November 1921 sponsored by Miss Alice Wright Mann,...
, attended the Naval War College
Naval War College
The Naval War College is an education and research institution of the United States Navy that specializes in developing ideas for naval warfare and passing them along to officers of the Navy. The college is located on the grounds of Naval Station Newport in Newport, Rhode Island...
, commanded the ammunition ship
Ammunition ship
An ammunition ship is a warship specially configured to carry ammunition, usually for Navy ships and aircraft. Their cargo handling systems, designed with extreme safety in mind, include ammunition hoists with airlocks between decks, and mechanisms for flooding entire compartments with sea water in...
Nitro
USS Nitro (AE-2)
USS Nitro was laid down 19 March 1919 by Puget Sound Navy Yard; launched 16 December 1919; sponsored by Mrs. Henry Suzalo; and commissioned 1 April 1921, Comdr. R. W. Vincent in command....
and served in naval ordnance positions.
During the later 1920s and into the mid-1930s, with the rank of Captain
Captain (naval)
Captain is the name most often given in English-speaking navies to the rank corresponding to command of the largest ships. The NATO rank code is OF-5, equivalent to an army full colonel....
, he was successively Chief of Staff to the Commander, Destroyer Squadrons Battle Fleet
Battle Fleet
The United States Battle Fleet or Battle Force was part of the organization of the United States Navy from 1922 to 1941.The General Order of 6 December 1922 organized the United States Fleet, with the Battle Fleet as the Pacific presence. This fleet comprised the main body of ships in the Navy,...
, Aide to the Secretary of the Navy, and Commanding Officer
Commanding officer
The commanding officer is the officer in command of a military unit. Typically, the commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitude to run the unit as he sees fit, within the bounds of military law...
of USS West Virginia. From 1934 to 1937, Rear Admiral
Rear admiral (United States)
Rear admiral is a naval commissioned officer rank above that of a commodore and captain, and below that of a vice admiral. The uniformed services of the United States are unique in having two grades of rear admirals.- Rear admiral :...
Stark was Chief of the Bureau of Ordnance
Bureau of Ordnance
The Bureau of Ordnance was the U.S. Navy's organization responsible for the procurement, storage, and deployment of all naval ordnance, between the years 1862 and 1959.-History:...
. He then from July 1938 served at sea as Commander Cruiser Division Three and Commander of Cruisers in the Battle Fleet
Battle Fleet
The United States Battle Fleet or Battle Force was part of the organization of the United States Navy from 1922 to 1941.The General Order of 6 December 1922 organized the United States Fleet, with the Battle Fleet as the Pacific presence. This fleet comprised the main body of ships in the Navy,...
, with the rank of Vice Admiral.
CNO and the beginning of World War II
In August 1939, Stark became Chief of Naval Operations with the rank of AdmiralAdmiral
Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet . It is usually abbreviated to "Adm" or "ADM"...
. In that position, he oversaw the expansion of the Navy during 1940 and 1941, and its involvement in an undeclared war against German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
submarines in the Atlantic during the latter part of 1941. It was at this time that he authored the Plan Dog memo
Plan Dog memo
The Plan Dog memorandum was a 1940 American government document written by Chief of Naval Operations Harold Rainsford Stark, "one of the best known documents of World War II"...
, which laid the basis for America's Europe first
Europe first
Europe first, also known as Germany first, was the key element of the grand strategy employed by the United States and the United Kingdom during World War II. According to this policy, the United States and the United Kingdom would use the preponderance of their resources to subdue Nazi Germany in...
policy. He also orchestrated the Navy's change to adopting unrestricted submarine warfare
Unrestricted submarine warfare
Unrestricted submarine warfare is a type of naval warfare in which submarines sink merchantmen without warning, as opposed to attacks per prize rules...
in case of war with Japan; Stark expressly ordered it at 17.52 Washington time on 7 December 1941, not quite four hours after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor
Attack on Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of December 7, 1941...
. It appears the decision was taken without the knowledge or prior consent of the government. It violated the London Naval Treaty
London Naval Treaty
The London Naval Treaty was an agreement between the United Kingdom, the Empire of Japan, France, Italy and the United States, signed on April 22, 1930, which regulated submarine warfare and limited naval shipbuilding. Ratifications were exchanged in London on October 27, 1930, and the treaty went...
, to which the U.S. was signatory.
His most controversial service involved the growing menace of Japanese forces in the period before America was bombed into the war by the attack on Pearl Harbor. The controversy centers on whether he and his Director of War Plans, Admiral Richmond K. Turner
Richmond K. Turner
-Footnotes:...
provided sufficient information to Admiral Husband E. Kimmel
Husband E. Kimmel
Husband Edward Kimmel was a four-star admiral in the United States Navy. He served as Commander-in-chief, U.S. Pacific Fleet at the time of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Because of the attack, he was removed from office and was reduced to his permanent two-star rank of rear admiral...
, Commander of the Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor, about Japanese moves in the fall of 1941 to enable to Kimmel to anticipate an attack and to take steps to counter it. Captain (later Rear Admiral) Edwin T. Layton was Kimmel's chief intelligence officer (later also Adm. Chester W. Nimitz's intelligence officer) at the time of the attack. In his book, And I Was There: Pearl Harbor and Midway—Breaking the Secrets (1985), Layton maintained Stark offered meaningless advice throughout this period, withheld vital information at the insistence of his Director of War Plans, Admiral Turner, showed timidity in dealing with the Japanese, and utterly failed to provide anything of use to Kimmel. John Costello (Layton's co-author), in Days of Infamy (Pocket, 1994), points out MacArthur had complete access to both PURPLE and JN-25, plus over eight hours warning, and was still caught by surprise. Moreover, as SCAP
Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers
Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers was the title held by General Douglas MacArthur during the Occupation of Japan following World War II...
official historian Gordon Prange
Gordon Prange
Gordon William Prange was the author of several World War II-historical manuscripts which were published by his co-workers after his death in 1980. Dr...
and his colleagues note in December 7, 1941 (McGraw-Hill, 1988), defense of the fleet was General Short's responsibility, not Stark's. Turner's insistence on having intelligence go through War Plans led Office of Naval Intelligence
Office of Naval Intelligence
The Office of Naval Intelligence was established in the United States Navy in 1882. ONI was established to "seek out and report" on the advancements in other nations' navies. Its headquarters are at the National Maritime Intelligence Center in Suitland, Maryland...
(ONI) to a wrong belief ONI was only to collect intelligence; Turner did not correct this view, nor aid Stark in understanding the problem. Among others, Morison and Layton agree Turner was most responsible for the debacle, as does Ned Beach
Edward L. Beach, Jr.
Edward Latimer Beach, Jr. was a highly-decorated United States Navy submarine officer and best-selling author....
in Scapegoats (Annapolis, 1995).
In addition, there was considerable confusion over where Japan might strike, including against the Soviet Union or British colonies in Asia.
After Pearl Harbor
As CNO, Stark oversaw combat operations against JapanJapan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and the European Axis Powers
Axis Powers
The Axis powers , also known as the Axis alliance, Axis nations, Axis countries, or just the Axis, was an alignment of great powers during the mid-20th century that fought World War II against the Allies. It began in 1936 with treaties of friendship between Germany and Italy and between Germany and...
that officially began in December 1941.
In March 1942, Stark was relieved as CNO by Admiral Ernest King
Ernest King
Fleet Admiral Ernest Joseph King was Commander in Chief, United States Fleet and Chief of Naval Operations during World War II. As COMINCH, he directed the United States Navy's operations, planning, and administration and was a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He was the U.S...
. He went to England the next month to become Commander of U.S. Naval Forces in Europe.
From his London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
headquarters, Admiral Stark directed the naval part of the great buildup in England and U.S. naval operations and training activities on the European side of the Atlantic. He received the additional title of Commander of the Twelfth Fleet in October 1943, and he supervised USN participation in the landings at Normandy, France in June 1944. Admiral Stark built and maintained close relations with British civilian and naval leaders, who "generally adored him", and also with the leaders of other Allied powers
Allies of World War II
The Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . Former Axis states contributing to the Allied victory are not considered Allied states...
. Stark was particularly important in dealing with Charles de Gaulle
Charles de Gaulle
Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle was a French general and statesman who led the Free French Forces during World War II. He later founded the French Fifth Republic in 1958 and served as its first President from 1959 to 1969....
; it was thanks to Stark the U.S.-British-Free French relationship continued to work. He earned high praise from King for his work.
After the Normandy landings
Operation Neptune
The Normandy landings, codenamed Operation Neptune, were the landing operations of the Allied invasion of Normandy, in Operation Overlord, during World War II. The landings commenced on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 , beginning at 6:30 AM British Double Summer Time...
, Stark faced a Court of Inquiry over his actions leading up to Pearl Harbor. The Court concluded Stark had not conveyed the danger, nor provided enough information, to Kimmel, but had not been derelict. King's endorsement of the report was scalding, leading to Stark being relieved. In 1948, King reconsidered and requested the endorsement be expunged: "It was the only time that King ever admitted he had been wrong."
From August 1945 until he left active duty in April 1946, Stark served in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, and made his home there after retirement. He died in 1972. The controversy surrounding him has only become fiercer since.
Postwar
He maintained a family summer residence on Lake Carey in Tunkhannock, Pennsylvania north of his native Wilkes-Barre for many years and flew in by naval seaplane for weekends during his career. The cottage still stands on the westerly shore of the lake.Namesake
The frigate USS Stark (FFG-31)USS Stark (FFG-31)
USS Stark , 23rd ship of the Oliver Hazard Perry class of guided-missile frigates, was named for Admiral Harold Rainsford Stark ....
was named in honour of Admiral Stark.