Pre-World War II service He was commissioned as a second lieutenant of infantry in the U.S. Army on March 13, 1902, and assigned duty at the
Presidio of San Francisco. He served in the Philippines and later Alaska, and took part in the
expedition into Mexico with the
16th Infantry Regiment in 1916. During World War I, he served on the general staff of the 1st Division and as assistant chief of staff for the 3rd Army. He earned the Distinguished Service Medal, and was considered to have had a successful career at that time, especially in light of his promotions during peacetime. Knox's letter stated the defenses against all but the first two were satisfactory, described the probable character of an air attack, and urged the Army to prepare for such an attack. It concluded with recommendations for the revision of joint defense plans with special emphasis on the coordination of Army and Navy operations against surprise aircraft raids. It also urged the conduct of joint exercises to train the forces to meet such raids. Admiral
William Harrison Standley, who served as a member of the Roberts Commission, later disavowed the report, maintaining that "these two officers were martyred" and "if they had been brought to trial, both would have been cleared of the charge."
Short's defense In 1946 Short testified on his own behalf before Congress about the 1941 attack. General Short stated: • that the war warning message he received on November 27 contained nothing directing him to be prepared to meet an air raid or an all-out attack on Hawaii ("Alert Two" and "Three"); He also declared that he did not receive adequate warning and suffered from a lack of resources. He and his family attempted to get the Army to restore his rank of lieutenant general on the retired list, on the basis that warnings from the War Department prior to the attack were vague and in conflict. He requested, but did not receive, a formal court-martial. ==1999 Senate resolution==