THIS DESPATCH IS TO BE CONSIDERED A WAR WARNING STOP NEGOTIATIONS WITH JAPAN LOOKING TOWARD STABILIZATION OF CONDITIONS IN THE PACIFIC HAVE CEASED AND AN AGGRESSIVE MOVE BY JAPAN IS EXPECTED WITHIN THE NEXT FEW DAYS STOP THE NUMBER AND EQUIPMENT OF JAPANESE TROOPS AND THE ORGANIZATION OF THE NAVAL TASK FORCES INDICATES AN AMPHIBIOUS EXPEDITION AGAINST EITHER THE PHILIPPINES THAI OR KRA PENINSULA OR POSSIBLY BORNEO STOP EXECUTE AN APPROPRIATE DEFENSIVE DEPLOYMENT PREPARATORY TO CARRYING OUT THE TASKS ASSIGNED IN WPL 46 STOP INFORM DISTRICT AND ARMY AUTHORITIES STOP A SIMILAR WARNING IS BEING SENT BY THE WAR DEPARTMENT END STARK
NOVEMBER 27 (Washington time) MESSAGE TEXTS :
a) TEXT OF WAR DEPARTMENT TELEGRAM TO USAFFE (actually drafted by Gerow; Marshall was in North Carolina observing maneuvers):
NEGOTIATIONS WITH THE JAPANESE APPEAR TO BE TERMINATED TO ALL PRACTICAL PURPOSES WITH ONLY THE BAREST POSSIBILITIES THAT THE JAPANESE GOVERNMENT MIGHT COME BACK AND OFFER TO CONTINUE STOP JAPANESE FUTURE ACTION UNPREDICTABLE BUT HOSTILE ACTION POSSIBLE AT ANY MOMENT STOP IF HOSTILITIES CANNOT REPEAT CANNOT BE AVOIDED THE UNITED STATES DESIRES THAT JAPAN COMMIT THE FIRST OVERT ACT STOP THIS POLICY SHOULD NOT REPEAT NOT BE CONSTRUED AS RESTRICTING YOU TO A COURSE OF ACTION THAT MIGHT JEOPARDIZE YOUR DEFENSE STOP PRIOR TO HOSTILE JAPANESE ACTION YOU ARE DIRECTED TO UNDERTAKE SUCH RECONNAISSANCE AND OTHER MEASURES AS YOU DEEM NECESSARY STOP REPORT MEASURES TAKEN STOP SHOULD HOSTILITIES OCCUR YOU WILL CARRY OUT THE TASKS ASSIGNED IN REVISED RAINBOW FIVE WHICH WAS DELIVERED TO YOU BY GENERAL BRERETON STOP CHIEF OF NAVAL OPERATIONS CONCURS AND REQUEST YOU NOTIFY HART END MARSHALL
The identical message was sent to the Army commander in the Hawaiian Islands, but with a few changes as marked here by underlining (see text as set out in Manchester, p. 200, and Prange, p.
402, Prange's note at pp. 404405, and Beck, p. 9):
PRIOR TO HOSTILE JAPANESE ACTION YOU ARE DIRECTED TO UNDERTAKE SUCH RECONNAISSANCE AND OTHER MEASURES AS YOU DEEM NECESSARY BUT THESE MEASURES SHOULD BE CARRIED OUT SO AS NOT REPEAT NOT TO ALARM CIVIL POPULATION OR DISCLOSE INTENT STOP REPORT MEASURES TAKEN STOP SHOULD HOSTILITIES OCCUR YOU WILL CARRY OUT THE TASKS ASSIGNED IN RAINBOW FIVE SO FAR AS THEY PERTAIN TO JAPAN PERIOD LIMIT DISSEMINATION OF THIS HIGHLY SECRET INFORMATION TO MINIMUM ESSENTIAL OFFICERS END MARSHALL
TEXT OF NAVY DEPARTMENT MESSAGE TO KIMMEL, HART, BLOCH, AND
ROCKWELL:
THIS DESPATCH IS TO BE CONSIDERED A WAR WARNING STOP NEGOTIATIONS WITH JAPAN LOOKING TOWARD STABILIZATION OF CONDITIONS IN THE PACIFIC HAVE CEASED AND AN AGGRESSIVE MOVE BY JAPAN IS EXPECTED WITHIN THE NEXT FEW DAYS STOP THE NUMBER AND EQUIPMENT OF JAPANESE TROOPS AND THE ORGANIZATION OF THE NAVAL TASK FORCES INDICATES AN AMPHIBIOUS EXPEDITION AGAINST EITHER THE PHILIPPINES THAI OR KRA PENINSULA OR POSSIBLY BORNEO STOP EXECUTE AN APPROPRIATE DEFENSIVE DEPLOYMENT PREPARATORY TO CARRYING OUT THE TASKS ASSIGNED IN WPL 46 STOP INFORM DISTRICT AND ARMY AUTHORITIES STOP A SIMILAR WARNING IS BEING SENT BY THE WAR DEPARTMENT END STARK
A paraphrased version of this message was passed on by Kimmel to Short; there is no evidence indicating whether or not MacArthur was given a copy by either Hart or Rockwell, though Hart and Sayre met with MacArthur in the afternoon of November 28, 1941, and the contents, if not the text, of the War, Navy, and Interior Department messages were discussed.