{"id":3353,"date":"2016-10-16T18:14:38","date_gmt":"2016-10-16T22:14:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ss.sites.mtu.edu\/mhugl\/?p=3353"},"modified":"2016-12-06T15:34:27","modified_gmt":"2016-12-06T20:34:27","slug":"fleet-admiral-william-d-leahy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/ss.sites.mtu.edu\/mhugl\/2016\/10\/16\/fleet-admiral-william-d-leahy\/","title":{"rendered":"Fleet Admiral William D. Leahy"},"content":{"rendered":"

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A photograph of William D. Leahy later in his career (Wikipedia.org)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Fleet Admiral William Leahy was a major decision maker for the United States military during World War Two, serving as the head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and as one of Roosevelt\u2019s and Truman\u2019s closest military advisors. \u00a0He also served as Chief of Naval Operations leading up to World War II, and helped expand the navy significantly in the years leading up to the war.<\/p>\n

Growing up\/Early Career<\/b><\/p>\n

Leahy was born in 1875 in Hampton, Iowa, the son of a Civil War veteran. [6]\u00a0\u00a0His family moved to Ashland, Wisconsin for his high school years, and he considered Ashland to be his true home town. \u00a0His father had graduated from West Point, so when he graduated high school, he sought an appointment there. There were no appointments available, so he grudgingly went to the Naval Academy instead, a choice he would not regret later in his life.<\/p>\n

He graduated 14 out of a class of 47 in 1897. \u00a0He saw action in the Spanish-American War as an ensign and in World War\u00a0I as the captain of an ocean liner turned troop transport.[6] \u00a0In 1917 during the proving trials of the brand new battleship USS\u00a0New Mexico, Leahy gained a reputation for being able to make quick and direct decisions.[3] \u00a0When the speed trial commenced on the New Mexico, the ship threw a blade from one of her propellers and the ship\u00a0reportedly started to shake violently. \u00a0Leahy faced a decision to end the trial for a perfectly good reason, or to press onward. \u00a0Without hesitation he ordered the test to continue and the ship passed her speed trials. \u00a0When Franklin D. Roosevelt was the assistant secretary of the navy, Leahy was a commander serving as Director of Naval Target Practice. The two met and became friends, and maintained a first name relationship up until Roosevelt\u2019s death.[3]<\/p>\n

Leahy was appointed Chief of Naval Operations in 1937, and immediately began campaigning for a stronger navy to combat the rise of Japan in the Pacific,\u00a0as well as\u00a0to prepare the country for a potential global war.[6] \u00a0His efforts resulted in the navy increasing in tonnage by more than twenty percent, and more importantly, significantly increasing its air power.[6] \u00a0He also expanded several naval air bases in the Pacific leading up to the war.<\/p>\n

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The USS Panay foundering in the Yangtze River after an attack from a Japanese Bomber (Wikipedia.org)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

World War II\u00a0on the Horizon<\/b><\/p>\n

In the years just before World War II, Hitler was ranting about living space for the German people, Mussolini had just conquered Ethiopia, and Japan had just committed to\u00a0further war\u00a0in China at the Marco Polo bridge. \u00a0In the midst of all this, on December 1, 1937 a Japanese bomber sunk the American gunboat USS\u00a0Panay while it was anchored in the Yangtze river outside Nanjing.[3]<\/p>\n

Leahy, Chief of Naval Operations at the time, \u00a0went to the White House and advised President Roosevelt to go to war with Japan. \u00a0Leahy was not a man that loved war, but he knew another\u00a0World War was coming unless something was done about it. \u00a0He saw the attack as an opportunity to show the world there was a nation committed to fighting for peace. \u00a0He argued that going to war with Japan would stop them from conquering any more territory. \u00a0It would also stop Hitler\u2019s and Mussolini\u2019s plans for conquest because it would show them there was someone willing to stand up to them. \u00a0His thought was\u00a0at the moment, war with Japan would have been\u00a0very favorable for the United States, and they could easily blockade Japan and bring them to peace. \u00a0He stated that the United States navy was superior for now, and if the Japanese sailed from harbor to meet them in open combat to break the blockade, they would be destroyed. \u00a0He also figured that war with Japan was inevitable, and the balance of power might not be so favorable for the United states in the years to come if Japan decided to build up her forces.[3]<\/p>\n

Leahy convinced Roosevelt of his opinion, and was ordered by the president to get his plan for the blockade ready.\u00a0\u00a0Leahy went to work, secretly gathering the fleet and waited every day for the declaration of war that Roosevelt had said was so necessary. \u00a0After some time, Leahy was recalled to the White House and Roosevelt talked to him in private. \u00a0Roosevelt said that the country was just not \u201cwar minded\u201d and he could not declare war on Japan because of it. \u00a0In 1936, Roosevelt had won an election with a campaign declaration of \u201cI hate war.\u201d[3]<\/p>\n

After Roosevelt had rebuffed his advice, Leahy continued his duties as Chief of Naval Operations and continued to expand America\u2019s naval power. \u00a0When he reached the naval retirement age of 64 in 1939, he left the navy to govern Puerto Rico. \u00a0\u00a0However the former secretary of the Navy, now turned President Roosevelt said to him: \u201cBill, if we have a war, you\u2019re going to be right back here helping me run it.\u201d[10]<\/p>\n

Ambassador to France\/Fleet Admiral<\/b><\/p>\n

After\u00a0Leahy’s retirement, President Roosevelt appointed him the governor of Puerto Rico. [5]\u00a0While governor, he constructed several military bases and did not intervene in local politics. \u00a0Instead, he took the approach of trying to understand the local customs and ways of doing things before intervening. \u00a0Eleven days after the war in Europe broke out, he was recalled from his governorship and reinstated to the navy to be put in command of the naval forces in the Caribbean.[3]<\/p>\n

After France fell to the Axis less than one year into the war, Leahy was chosen to represent the United States in the newly created Vichy government. \u00a0He went into this assignment knowing that the Vichy government was controlled by the Germans and knew that treaties alone would not keep the United States protected in this war, saying: \u201cto expect that modern diplomacy will safeguard the propriety of a nation is to expect too much. … To believe in the efficiency of pacts and treaties to protect us against international brigandage is the dream of visionaries.\u201d[3, pg. 6] \u00a0Despite his doubts in modern diplomacy, Leahy did well in his role as ambassador. \u00a0He became close with the leader of Vichy France, Marshal Philippe Petain, who reportedly wrote a post war letter to Leahy imploring him to testify on his behalf when Petain was on trial. \u00a0Leahy summarily denied Petain\u2019s request.[4]<\/p>\n

In May 1942, his wife of 38 years passed away in France and was later buried in Arlington. [4]\u00a0Not more than two months after her death, and after serving two years in his role as ambassador, Leahy was recalled to the United States by the president himself.\u00a0\u00a0On July 21, 1942 \u00a0Roosevelt appointed him to a newly created position titled: \u201cChief of Staff to the Commander in Chief,\u201d or better known today as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.[7,pg 196]\u00a0\u00a0This position is the most senior position in the United States military. \u00a0It was now Leahy\u2019s duty to follow all parts of the war and advise Roosevelt on all military strategy. [7]\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The advice that Roosevelt had spurned from Leahy in 1937, which had demonstrated Leahy\u2019s foresight and tactical ability, must have played a role in the president’s decision to appoint him his chief war advisor.<\/p>\n

During and after the war, Leahy was described as \u201ca deep water sailor unwillingly at a desk post.\u201d[3, pg. 6] \u00a0He was a man who wanted to listen to the other side of the argument and was known to be an open minded man who listened to what his subordinates had to say before making his decisions. \u00a0In 1944, when Allied forces were thrusting towards the heart of Germany and Japan was on the defensive, Roosevelt became authorized by Congress to promote America\u2019s top military leaders to a five star status. \u00a0The names on the list include Eisenhower, MacArthur, Marshall, Nimitz, and others, men who are now legends of the time. Out of all these legends, Leahy was the first military leader to be promoted to 5-star status of fleet admiral, and thus was the most senior of the whole list.\u00a0\u00a0Fleet Admiral was the highest rank ever achieved by a naval officer up to that point and\u00a0Leahy was the top man on the list.[9] \u00a0Interestingly, Leahy remains an unsung hero even though throughout the war, Leahy was Roosevelt\u2019s, and Later Truman\u2019s closest military advisor, and influenced many major decisions.<\/p>\n

The Yalta Conference\/The Atom Bomb<\/b><\/p>\n

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Leahy (directly to the rear of Roosevelt wearing a hat) advised President Roosevelt on military strategy at the Yalta Conference with Josef Stalin and Winston Churchill in attendance (Britannica.com)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Nearing the end of the war, when it became clear that Germany would fall, a historic meeting of world leaders took place. \u00a0It was called the Yalta conference, and the \u201cbig three\u201d world leaders, Stalin, Churchill, and Roosevelt met to discuss the reorganization of Europe and the terms of German surrender.\u00a0\u00a0Leahy was Roosevelt\u2019s aide during this conference. \u00a0All three agreed that they would demand Germany\u2019s unconditional surrender.[1] \u00a0Furthermore, Stalin agreed to join the war against Japan as long as the territories Japan had taken from Russia were returned and The People\u2019s Republic of Mongolia was preserved.[1] \u00a0Only a few weeks after the Yalta conference, Roosevelt\u00a0died and Truman was appointed president. Leahy took his place as top military advisor to a second president.<\/p>\n

Another world-changing event he was involved in was the decision to use the atomic bomb on Japan. \u00a0At first, knowing just how much time and money had been sunk into a weapon that he thought had no clear promise of contributing to the war effort, he called the Manhattan Project “the biggest fool thing we have ever done. The atomic bomb will never go off, and I speak as an expert in explosives.”[8,pg 499]\u00a0\u00a0When it became clear the atomic bomb would actually work, he was still vehemently opposed to its use. In his memoirs he talked about the decision Truman faced. \u00a0According to Leahy, initially, Truman opposed the idea.[2] \u00a0Eventually, Truman was convinced to drop the bomb by being persuaded that it would save hundreds of thousands of American and Japanese lives. \u00a0Leahy\u2019s opinion of the weapon was the Atomic bomb would not help the allies win the war against Japan, and that the Japanese were already beaten and ready to surrender because of the naval blockade and effective conventional bombing campaign. [2]\u00a0Truman chose to ignore his advice and gave the go ahead to drop the two bombs the United States had produced on\u00a0urban targets in Japan. \u00a0Leahy remained bitter about Truman\u2019s decision to drop the bomb long after the war, and thought that the only reason it was dropped was because the scientists wanted to see it tested after the vast sums of money that had been invested in the project. \u00a0There may have been some merit to Leahy\u2019s stance, because the Japanese surrendered only after the Soviet Union had invaded their territory, and not just directly because of the bomb. \u00a0He records in his book I was There<\/em> that a scientist from the Manhattan Project once told him that he wished the bomb hadn\u2019t worked, and Leahy agreed with the scientist\u2019s sentiment.[2] \u00a0He never changed his opinion about atomic weapons and hated the use of them until his death.<\/p>\n

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A historical marker commemorating William Leahy in Ashland, Wisconsin (BlogSpot.com)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After WWII<\/b><\/p>\n

After the war, Leahy served as the head of the joint chiefs of staff for several more years before finally permanently retiring in 1949. \u00a0In July 1959 he died and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery.[6] Fleet Admiral William D. Leahy died as a largely unsung hero of World War II,[9] one who had built up the United States Navy before the war, been a governor, ambassador, and top military advisor to two presidents. \u00a0He was a man that demanded and deserved respect and was involved in many world-changing events.<\/p>\n\n

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Primary Sources<\/strong><\/p>\n

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  1. Leahy, William D.(1954) “Notes on the Yalta Conference<\/i><\/a>.”<\/i> The Wisconsin Magazine of History<\/i> 38, no. 2: 67-112.<\/li>\n
  2. William D. Leahy (1950)\u00a0“I Was There”<\/em> New York: Whittlesey House, pp. 440-442<\/li>\n
  3. Trohan, W. (1945, Jul 01). Admiral William D. Leahy<\/a>. Chicago Daily Tribune <\/i><\/li>\n
  4. Darrah, D. (1942, Apr 28). Laval Pays Call on Adm. Leahy at U.S. Embassy<\/a>. Chicago Daily Tribune; Apr 28:\u00a0pp. 5\u00a0<\/i><\/li>\n
  5. Chicago Tribune Press Service (1939, May 13) “President Names Admiral Leahy Island Governor<\/a>” Chicago Daily Tribune; May 13, pp. 8\u00a0<\/i><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Secondary Sources<\/strong><\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Naval History and Heritage Command (2016) \u201c<\/i>Fleet Admiral William D. Leahy<\/i><\/a> Seventh Chief of Naval Operations<\/i><\/a>\u201d Web. U.S. Navy\u00a0<\/i><\/li>\n
    2. Emerson, William. (1958) \u00a0“Franklin Roosevelt as Commander-in-Chief In World War II<\/i><\/a>.<\/i>” Military Affairs<\/i> 22, no. 4: 181-207<\/li>\n
    3. Louis Morton\u00a0(1957)\u00a0\u201c<\/i>The Decision to Use the Atomic Bomb<\/i><\/a>\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/i>Center of Military History, United States Army, pp. 499<\/li>\n
    4. Harsch, Joseph (1985)\u00a0“Biography of World War II’s modest, unsung hero: Admiral Leahy<\/a>” The Christian Science Monitor, web<\/li>\n
    5. Chen, Peter “William Leahy Timeline<\/a>” World War II Database<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

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      For Further Reading:<\/strong><\/p>\n