| | |  | Spyware | Home » » » » Joe Rochefort's War: The Odyssey of the Codebreaker Who Outwitted Yamamoto at Midway | | | | | | | Description: | | Elliot Carlson s biography of Capt. Joe Rochefort is the first to be written of the officer who headed the U.S. Navy s decrypt unit at Pearl Harbor and broke the Japanese Navy s code before the Battle of Midway. The book brings Rochefort to life as the irreverent, fiercely independent, and consequential officer that he was. Readers share his frustrations as he searches in vain for Yamamoto s fleet prior to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, but share his joy when he succeeds in tracking the fleet in early 1942 and breaks the code that leads Rochefort to believe Yamamoto s invasion target is Midway. His conclusions, bitterly opposed by some top Navy brass, are credited with making the U.S. victory possible and helping change the course of the war. The author tells the story of how opponents in Washington forced Rochefort s removal from the decrypt unit at Pearl and denied him the Distinguished Service Medal recommended by Admiral Nimitz. In capturing the interplay of policy and personality and the role played by politics at the highest levels of the Navy, Carlson reveals a side of the intelligence community seldom seen by outsiders.For a full understanding of the man, Carlson examines Rochefort s love-hate relationship with cryptanalysis, his adventure-filled years in the 1930s as the right-hand man to the Commander in Chief of the U.S. Fleet, and his return to codebreaking in mid-1941 as the officer in charge of Station Hypo at Pearl Harbor. He traces Rochefort s career from his enlistment in 1918 to his posting in Washington as head of the Navy s codebreaking desk at age 25, and beyond. In many ways a reinterpretation of Rochefort, the book makes clear the key role his codebreaking played in the outcome of Midway and the legacy he left of reporting actionable intelligence directly to the fleet. An epilogue describes efforts waged by Rochefort s colleagues to obtain the medal denied him in 1942 a drive that finally paid off in 1986 when the medal was awarded posthumously. With a foreword by Rear Adm. Donald Showers, USN (Ret.). | | | Product Details: | | | Author:
| Elliot Carlson | | Hardcover:
| 616 pages | | Publisher:
| Naval Institute Press | | Publication Date:
| October 15, 2011 | | Language:
| English | | ISBN:
| 1612510604 | | Product Length:
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| 0.0 pounds | | Package Length:
| 9.3 inches | | Package Width:
| 6.2 inches | | Package Height:
| 1.9 inches | | Package Weight:
| 2.3 pounds | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 16 reviews |
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51 of 51 found the following review helpful:
 Superb, revealing wartime biographyOct 11, 2011
By R. W. Russell
"midway42.org"
After the declassification of World War II's communications intelligence (ComInt) history in the 1980s, a few excellent books emerged that revealed the scope of the effort and the names of some of the principals involved, such as CINCPAC intel chief Edwin Layton and the officer in charge of Pearl Harbor's ComInt unit ("Station Hypo"), Commander Joseph Rochefort. Layton's story was well told in his wartime biography, "And I Was There," but until now little has been known about Rochefort beyond the basics of his time at Hypo. It turns out that his personal story is as dramatic as that of any familiar name from the Battle of Midway.
Elliot Carlson's new book tells that story in superb fashion, and we quickly learn that its title is a metaphor for Rochefort's entire life, not just his WW2 experience. The first several chapters are a novelette themselves, describing the rigors of his early life, his rocky path to a Naval Reserve commission, his close call with a court martial aboard his first ship, his posting as naval liaison and language student in Tokyo, and the tribulations of his seagoing assignments throughout the 1930s.
But Rochefort's "war" really begins with his posting as the officer in charge of Hypo in June 1941. The book joins others in debunking the excessively popular myth that Rochefort could read the Japanese navy's radio code, dubbed JN-25, and thus had prior knowledge of the Pearl Harbor attack. But the book isn't just a copy of the now-known history of ComInt in the war. It's the day to day chronicle of Rochefort's life in the "dungeon" of Hypo, and especially of his interactions with those about him--his dedicated staff, his very close ties with Layton, his unusual chain of command in Hawaii's 14th Naval District, and especially the details of his escalating "war" with his self-serving superiors in Washington, who were appalled to find that they were wrong and Rochefort was right about Midway.
Although the subtitle might suggest that this book is mainly about Midway, there is far more to Rochefort's story than that. Fully a third of the book covers his life thereafter, and it's another compelling novelette. Repressed by his Washington bosses for showing them to be idiots regarding Midway, he is transferred out of ComInt to a backwater command, in charge of the construction of a new floating drydock, But he surprised everyone by diving into the job with zeal and getting it done in a manner that brought a sterling evaluation from his commander. That helped get him back into ComInt in Washington, where his innate language and cryptology skills once again were put to their proper use. That's not to say that everything was then perfect for him--the challenges of the Navy's bureaucracy and of some of its senior officers still made for a long, sad story not previously revealed.
The tale ends a few years after Rochefort's death with President Reagan awarding a posthumous Distinguished Service Medal to Rochefort, thanks to a campaign pressed by former Hypo analyst Rear Admiral Donald M. Showers. The DSM was initially recommended in 1942 by both Admiral Nimitz and the 14th Naval District commander, but Rochefort's enemies in Washington shot it down.
Joe Rochefort's War is a fine hardbound volume, one of the better offerings by Naval Institute Press. It begins with a foreword by Hypo vet Showers, which validates its importance. Its 467 pages are presented in 30 bite-sized chapters, making for an easy read. The book is enhanced by a good photo set plus a glossary and appendices that further expand the Rochefort and Midway stories. Very highly recommended.
22 of 23 found the following review helpful:
A Prickly Maverick VindicatedNov 09, 2011
By Dennis Farney
Here's the rare book, lucidly written and meticulously documented, that is capable of engrossing both the general reader and the naval historian. Joe Rochefort was prickly man, stubborn and tactless at times when silence might have served him better. But he was also brillant at what he did, which was nothing less than breaking the Japanese naval code. The work of Rochefort and his team was absolutely central to the stunning American victory at Midway. Ironically and unfairly, Rochefort found himself effectively demoted within months of his greatest triumph, the victim of enemies he had made within the U.S. Navy. It would take decades before this complicated, gifted man was fully vindicated, and, sadly, the ultimate recognition of his service to the nation would come only after his death. Elliot Carlson tells Rochefort's story with flair and in detail. One could say that this book reads like a spy novel, and, indeed, it can serve as an introduction to the arcane arts of spycraft and codebreaking. But in a sense it is better than a novel: this actually happened.
Dennis Farney
26 of 28 found the following review helpful:
Wonderfully told, meticulously researched story of a remarkable naval personality......Oct 23, 2011
By 35-year Technology Consumer
"8-tracks to 802.11"
Those already familiar with the Battle of Midway probably know the basics: it was the first major US victory in the Pacific, crucial to both American morale and to turning back the Japanese advances in that theater. Those with this awareness probably also remember that the successes of US Navy codebreakers against the Japanese navy's principal operational code (JN-25), and the value these added in the allowing Nimitz to defeat Yamamoto in blue-water engagement centered on Midway Island in early June, 1942. To be sure, it was the fighting spirit, shiphandling and airmanship of the Pacific Fleet that ultimately won the battle. But it was the intelligence successes against JN-25 that allowed Nimitz to have his forces in the right place at the right time, thus realizing Joe Rochefort's vision of combat intelligence.
In "Joe Rochefort's War", Elliot Carlson presents a wonderfully researched and engagingly narrated history of the events that led Joe Rochefort to the basement spaces at Pearl Harbor that would mine Japanese communications treasure for Nimitz. In doing so, Carlson does a masterful job of illuminating many of the organizational and cultural clashes present in the WWII navy (some of which would still be around when my service began more than 30 years later). Carlson pulls no punches in describing the the politics of the officer corps --especially the mid-20th century gap between Academy and non-Academy educated officers-- and the lack of regard "operational" officers held for intelligence (especially intelligence as unproven as the kind Rochefort was delivering...which was virtually the only intelligence available to fleet decision makers at the time). For those currently serving who are watching organizational battles over missions and resources: you'll be glad to know that nothing has changed since WWII. Carlson also debunks some of the popular Rochefort myths perpetuated by other accounts of Midway (including Hal Holbrook's characterization in the 1976 movie "Midway").
Carlson walks a fine line between the rather dry and very arcane discussions of the cryptanalytic techniques that Rochefort's crew developed, and the personal and organizational influences that shaped Rochefort's career. Carlson also adds enough operational details about the Battle of Midway without re-creating what has already been documented in many other works.
While Rochefort is presented in a favorable light, "Joe Rochefort's War" is not a hagiography; some of the apparent unfairness in the way he was treated by some of his superiors is appropriately defined by Rochefort's emphasis on mission success over wardroom politics...which, like it are not, are a non-negotiable part of getting the orders you want and continuing to advance as a naval officer (even during wartime; wars end, but wardroom politics have a far longer shelf life!).
Equally as interesting as the events surrounding Midway are the details of Rochefort's unconventional ascent from enlisted man to commissioned officer, and his post-Midway naval and civilian pursuits.
This is a compelling tale of naval and intelligence successes and a remarkable leader at the intersection of his professional peak and world events, and Joe Rochefort was long overdue for this treatment. Travel through a naval career spanning three wars with Joseph Rochefort; you won't be sorry.
8 of 9 found the following review helpful:
Filling in the blanksNov 22, 2011
By Bruce M. Petty
I have read a lot of books over the years about intelligence and code breaking in World War II, but none of the volumes I have read ever left me with the feeling of having a clear picture of the process and history of that important aspect of the war. Now, however, having read Joe Rochefort's War, by Elliot Carlson, I feel like I now have a clearer picture and a better understanding. I don't want to say he has filled in all the blanks, but for me he certainly filled in a lot of them.
One topic that Carlson touched upon but didn't elaborate on was the subject of Japanese efforts to break U.S. codes. As he pointed out briefly, the Japanese had some success in this area; and perhaps given the focus of his book, Japanese code breakers should be the subject of another effort. In addition, Carlson also made mention of spies for Japan; not only Japanese citizens, but also Americans, some of whom were in the U.S. military. Again, this is perhaps the subject for another study, but one that would add to what Carlson has done in his excellent study of Joe Rochefort and his band of code breakers, Japanese linguists and radio traffic analysts--definitely five stars.
21 of 28 found the following review helpful:
 INACCURATE HISTORYDec 24, 2011
By Peter W. Donovan
A double intelligence coup (the Coral Sea and Midway battles
of May and June 1942) is handled as the principal part of a
biography of a main participant. The battle of Midway may
still remain as the greatest achievement of the US Navy.
The surprise raid on Pearl Harbor (December 1941) has to be
and is discussed at length. Responsibility for the failure
to take some prescautions falls on numerous people. Carlson
sets out the issues involved objectively
Joe Rochefort (1900-1977) was an American naval officer who
had worked for two years in the then relatively amateur USN
cryptologic unit around 1926. He spent three years around
1930 and 1931 in Japan learning the language and getting to
understand the culture. His experience with the USN gave him
a good understanding of naval strategy. He also gained
experience in radio intelligence.
So in mid 1941 he was selected to head a cryptologic unit
located in the `dungeon' at the Pearl Harbor USN base. The
key members of his team are described.
The book is in serious error in disregarding the work done
by the British unit FECB in Singapore and the American unit
Cast in the Philippines on JN-25A and JN-25B prior to
December 1941. FECB had worked on JN-25A from September 1939
using advice from John Tiltman and Alan Turing of the GCCS
(Bletchley Park). The ciphers were based on (different)
books using 5-digit numbers, always multiples of 3, as code
groups. The resulting groups was then further encrypted by
an `additive'. The reality of the situation, ignored in this
book, is that the usage of only multiples of 3 -- `scanning
groups' was the jargon -- greatly reduced the security
provided by this superencryption. Malcolm Burnett of FECB
headed a team that worked on JN-25A in 1939-1940 and then
exploited a further blunder that gave them an easy entrance
into JN-25B. Cast joined in this work from early 1941. A
new encrypting table was introduced early in December 1941
but the code book was not changed. Total replacement of
JN-25B immediately before hostilities was essential.
The USN appreciated that a change of encrypting additive at
this stage was rather ineffective in enhancing security. So
Rochefort's team was told to start working on JN-25B a few
days after the Japanese raid. A good method for finding
and removing the additive was available. The meanings of
a modest number of code groups were already known.
The book now describes how Rochefort's unit managed to
recover bit by bit the additive table (FECB and Cast were
still helping) and gradually find the meanings of more and
more code words. Useful information from intercepted JN-25B
messages became available increasingly from mid March.
Even though JN-25B was replaced (by JN-25C) towards the end
of May 1941, the information needed to set up the ambush at
Midway a week later was already in hand.
Carlson describes how Rochefort was quite unfairly pushed
aside later in 1942 with proper public recognition coming
only when President Reagan awarded him a high honor
posthumously.
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