Robert Alfred Theobald
| Robert Alfred Theobald | |
|---|---|
| Nickname | Fuzzy |
| Born | January 25, 1884 San Francisco, California |
| Died | May 13, 1957 (aged 73) Boston, Massachusetts |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Service/branch |  United States Navy |
| Years of service | 1906–1945 |
| Rank | Rear Admiral |
| Commands held | USS Nevada Cruiser Division Three Destroyer Flotilla One Destroyers, Pacific Fleet Task Force 8 |
| Battles/wars | World War I World War II |
| Other work | Author |
Robert Alfred Theobald (January 25, 1884-May 13, 1957), nicknamed "Fuzzy", was a United States rear admiral who served in World War I and World War II, and was the author of the 1954 book The Final Secret of Pearl Harbor: The Washington Background of the Pearl Harbor Attack.
Contents |
[edit] Biography
Born in San Francisco, California, Theobald attended the University of California in 1902-03 before entering the United States Naval Academy, from which he graduated in 1906, and was commissioned as an ensign in 1908.[1]
During World War I, he served as Gunnery Officer of the battleship New York, the flagship of Battleship Division Nine, which served with the British Grand Fleet in 1917-18. He received promotion to commander in September 1918.[1]
Theobald served as Executive Officer of the Naval Postgraduate School from 1919–21, then spent the years 1922-24 serving in Destroyer Command, Asiatic Fleet, before returning to the School to serve as Commanding Officer in 1924-27. He then spent two years as the Executive Officer of the battleship West Virginia, before studying in the Senior Class of the Naval War College.[1]
In 1930 he served as Secretary of War Plans at the Navy Department, and as a Member of the Joint Army-Navy Planning Committee. In February 1932 he received promotion to captain, and was Chief of Staff, Destroyers, Pacific Fleet, in 1932-34. Theobald was a member of Advanced Class at the Naval War College, engaged in a seminar study of Japan and Pacific War in 1934-35, and was then put in charge of the College's Strategy Division.[1]
In 1937 he was appointed Commanding Officer of the battleship Nevada, then served as Chief of Staff to Admiral Claude C. Bloch, the Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. Fleet in 1939. Theobald joined the General Board early in 1940, and was promoted to rear admiral in June, serving as Commander of Cruiser Division Three, and then as Commander of Destroyer Flotilla One in the Pacific Fleet.[1]
[edit] World War II
On the morning of December 7, 1941, twenty ships of Destroyer Flotilla One were moored at Pearl Harbor when the Japanese attacked. Theobald, from his temporary flagship, the destroyer tender Dobbin, was ordered to provide anti-aircraft fire, and sent Destroyer Division Two out of the harbor to establish an off-shore patrol.[2]
Theobald served as Commander of Pacific Fleet Destroyers from December 1941 until May 1942, before being appointed Commander of the Northern Pacific Force ("Task Force 8") for operations in the Aleutian Islands Campaign.[1][3] After suffering minor defeats against Japanese naval forces, including the Japanese capture of the Aleutian Islands of Attu and Kiska, Theobald was subsequently replaced by Rear Admiral Thomas C. Kinkaid.
In January 1943 Theobald was appointed Commandant of the First Naval District and of Boston Navy Yard. He retired from active service in 1945.[1]
[edit] Post-war
Post-war Theobald gained considerable notoriety with his 1954 book The Final Secret of Pearl Harbor: The Washington Background of the Pearl Harbor Attack, which accused the Roosevelt administration of suppressing intelligence about the attack in order to bring the United States into the war.
Theobald's son, Robert Jr. (1910–1989)[4] was also a graduate of the United States Naval Academy (1931) and served as a captain in the U.S. Navy.[5]
Rear Admiral Theobald died in Boston, Massachusetts, on 13 May 1957.[6]
[edit] Publications
- Theobald, Robert Alfred. The final secret of Pearl Harbor; the Washington contribution to the Japanese attack. New York: Devin-Adair, 1954.
[edit] References
- Notes
- ^ a b c d e f g "Online Archive of California : Robert Alfred Theobald Papers, 1908-1959". oac.cdlib.org. http://www.oac.cdlib.org/view?docId=tf058000g1;query=;style=oac4;doc.view=entire_text. Retrieved 17 November 2010.
- ^ "Report of Japanese Raid on Pearl Harbor, Commander Destroyer Flotilla One". ww2db.com. http://ww2db.com/doc.php?q=50. Retrieved 17 November 2010.
- ^ "Order of Battle : The Battle of Midway/Aleutians, June 1942". navweaps.com. http://www.navweaps.com/index_oob/OOB_WWII_Pacific/OOB_WWII_Midway.htm. Retrieved 17 November 2010.
- ^ "Theobald, Robert Jr." (PDF). USNA Cemetery Documentation Project. United States Naval Academy. http://www.usna.edu/cemetery/PDF%20Files/Section%203/0343-%20Theobald,%20R.%20A.pdf. Retrieved 27 July 2006.
- ^ "Military Times Hall of Valor : Awards for Robert Alfred Theobald, Jr.". militarytimes.com. http://militarytimes.com/citations-medals-awards/recipient.php?recipientid=21579. Retrieved 17 November 2010.
- ^ "R.A. THEOBALD, 73, ADMIRAL, IS DEAD - Wrote 'Final Secret of Pearl Harbor,' Accusing Roosevelt of 'Arranging' the Attack". The New York Times. 13 May 1957. http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F00C11FB3B54177B93C6A8178ED85F438585F9&scp=2&sq=Robert+Theobald&st=p. Retrieved 17 November 2010.
- Bibliography
- Parrish, Thomas and S. L. A. Marshall, ed. The Simon and Schuster Encyclopedia of World War II, New York: Simon and Schuster, 1978.
