CITIZENS AID COMMITTEE
(TO AID AMERICAN TAXPAYERS)
March 6, 1967
Admiral Husband E. Kimmel
193 Plant Street
Groton, Connecticut 08340
Dear Admiral Kimmel:
Thanks for your welcome note of February 22. As the years
pass my memory maybe somewhat faulty. But I remember
well the incident about which you inquire.
About 10:00 a.m. Saturday, December 6, 1941, I walked into the
Royal Air Force Headquarters in Cairo. Air Marshal Lonmore
(spelling) who was then in Command of RAF Middle East sa [was]
at his desk. Immediately, he opened with: "Bonner, you will be
in the war in 24 hours". He continued: "We have a secret signal
Japan will strike the US in 24 hours."
I replied the Japanese were having a free hand in the Orient and
it would not be to their advantage to strike the US. We had a con-
versation of some minutes. It was clear the Air Marshal was
confident the attack would be made and he was elated that at long
last the US would be in the war.
I had been in Egypt for about 15 months. During that time no word
what-so-ever had been sent to me from G-2 that Japanese-American
relations were strained. All evening I toyed with the idea of send-
ing a dispatch to Washington relaying the Air Marshal's statement.
Finally, I decided that if the British knew of the attack, we also
knew of it - which of course was the truth. Also I reasoned that if
the report were false I would be in quite a pickle.
Had I then known what I later learned, I would have alerted Washington,
Panama, Pearl Harbor, and the Philippine [s] - come what may! I truly
made a horrible mistake which I'll regret to the end.
How Treasonous of FDR - My God.
page 2
The day FDR died I rode home with General MacArthur. We talked of
those who had disappeared from the scene since the war started, espe-
cially of FDR. As MacArthur got out of the car, he turned toward me
and said: "Well the old man has gone - a man who never told the truth
if a lie would suffice!"
With kind regards always,
Bonner Fellers
National Chairman