George Weigel National Review

December 14, 2009

George Weigel
National Review
215 Lexington Avenue
New York, New York 10016

RE: The Just-War Tradition

Mr. Weigel,

In your article in National Review – “The Just-War Tradition” – you pose a hypothetical question of what would Admiral Halsey do if he found Admiral Nagumo’s fleet before Pearl Harbor.

I refer you to pages 37 and 38 of “The Battle for Leyte Gulf” by Thomas J. Cutler.

“Admiral, did you authorize this thing?” Commander Buracker asked.
“Yes,” said Halsey.
“Do you realize this means war?” Buracker asked.
“Yes,” Halsey repeated laconically.
“Goddammit Admiral,” Buracker said. “You can’t start a private war of your own! Who’s going to take responsibility?”
“I’ll take it. If anything gets in the way we’ll shoot first and argue afterwards.”

Thus was the Gordian knot of soul searching culpability cut.

In the movie “The Bridges of Toko-Ri” Frederick March plays an Admiral who asks the question asked in every war. “Where do we find such men?”

When Colman McCarthy and Father Hehir save Tibet I’ll reread Thucydides and try to figure out what he would have done.






Kevin Smith