Navy Department Communiques regarding the Midway Battle, June 15, 1942
National Security Archive
A June 15 memo to the Attorney General pairs Nimitz’s Midway communiques with a denial that a Times‑Herald leak came from official sources, exposing wartime information control.
Source: Navy Department Communiques regarding the Midway Battle, June 15, 1942 Date: Jun 15, 1942 Archive: NARA, RG 60, Case File 146-7-23-25, box 2, file: “Enclosure to Serial 1, Grand Jury Exhibits.” Collection: Secrecy And Leaks: When The U.S. Government Prosecuted The Chicago Tribune Oct 25, 2017
Editorial Analysis
Original analysis by the DriftSeas editorial desk. The complete primary-source document, transcribed from the National Security Archive scan, appears in full below.
Navy Communiques and the Midway Leak
On June 15, 1942 the Office of the Secretary of the Navy sent Lieutenant Commander R. D. Hill, Jr. a memorandum to the Attorney General’s Office, attaching four official communiques issued by Admiral Chester W. Nimitz in the days following the Battle of Midway. The memo was not a simple press release; it was a defensive document prepared in the wake of a sensational newspaper story that claimed the United States had known the Japanese fleet’s composition before the battle. By pairing the official communiques with a brief note that no Navy record could account for the Times‑Herald’s details, the Navy was both protecting operational security and pre‑empting a potential legal inquiry into the source of the leak.
The memo’s immediate context was the June 7 interview Admiral Ernest J. King gave to the press. King, as Commander‑in‑Chief of the Pacific Fleet, was careful to avoid any hint that the United States had broken Japanese codes—a fact that would only become public after the war. The Navy’s concern, expressed in Hill’s note, was that the Times‑Herald article could be read as evidence that the Navy had disclosed classified intelligence, exposing the success of the cryptanalytic effort at Station HYPO in Pearl Harbor.
The Battle of Midway in the Larger War Narrative
Midway was the turning point of the Pacific War. Between June 4 and 7 the United States sank four Japanese fleet carriers—Akagi, Kaga, Sōryū and Hiryū—while losing only the carrier Yorktown. The victory halted Japanese expansion and shifted the strategic initiative to the United States. Yet the public narrative in June was deliberately vague. The communiques attached to the memo present a picture of “heavy raids,” “damage to enemy ships,” and “a momentous victory in the making,” but they stop short of naming the carriers sunk or quantifying the loss of Japanese airpower. This cautious language reflects a dual imperative: to keep the American public informed and buoyed, while shielding the source of the intelligence that made the victory possible.
The communiques also reveal how the Navy crafted its own mythology. Phrases such as “superlative in their offensive spirit” and “shining page to their record of achievements” were designed to inspire confidence in a nation still reeling from Pearl Harbor. By emphasizing joint service cooperation—Army, Navy and Marine aviation—the documents reinforced the emerging doctrine of integrated amphibious warfare that would dominate later Pacific campaigns.
What the Document Reveals About Leaks, Accountability, and Propaganda
Hill’s memorandum is a rare glimpse into the bureaucratic machinery that policed wartime information. The fact that the Navy felt compelled to write to the Attorney General indicates that the Times‑Herald story was taken seriously enough to merit a potential criminal investigation. The memo’s assertion—“No evidence can be found in the Navy Department to indicate that the facts and figures … could have been obtained from any official announcement”—is a thinly veiled disclaimer that the leak, if it existed, must have come from elsewhere, perhaps an unauthorized civilian source or a foreign intelligence service.
The attached communiques themselves are a study in controlled exaggeration. The June 4 report claims “all armed services are represented” in the defense of Midway, while the June 5 communique inflates enemy losses, stating that “damage is very heavy indeed, involving several ships in each of the carrier, battleship, cruiser and transport classes.” In reality, only two Japanese carriers were damaged on June 4, and the full destruction of four carriers would not be confirmed until after the battle concluded. The language therefore serves two purposes: it reassures the public that the enemy is being hammered, and it masks the precise timing of the code‑breaking advantage that allowed the United States to set the ambush.
Legacy of the June 15 Memo
The memo resurfaced in the 2017 “Secrecy and Leaks” collection, where it was used to illustrate the government’s historic willingness to prosecute media outlets for alleged security breaches. Its inclusion alongside the grand‑jury exhibits of the Chicago Tribune case underscores a continuity: the tension between a free press and wartime secrecy is not new. Moreover, the document provides historians with concrete evidence that the Navy’s public messaging was a carefully calibrated blend of truth, omission, and morale‑building. Understanding that balance is essential for interpreting contemporary debates over classified information, whistleblowing, and the role of the media in national security.
In short, the June 15, 1942 communique packet is more than a set of after‑action bulletins; it is a window onto the Navy’s strategic communication apparatus at the moment it turned the tide of the Pacific War, and a reminder that the stories we hear about victory are often as much about perception as about fact.
DECLASSIFIED Authority NND 76716
[Handwritten: 29 4/16]
SECRETARY OF THE NAVY OFFICE OF PUBLIC RELATIONS WASHINGTON
OOR-D (39)
June 15, 1942
From: Lieutenant Commander R. D. Hill, Jr. To: Mr. M. E. Gilfond, Attorney General's Office, Fifth Floor, Department of Justice.
Subject: Information issued officially by the Navy Department relative to the composition of the Naval forces which attacked Midway early this month.
[Stamp: OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL RECEIVED JUN 16 1942]
Enclosure: (A) Copy of communiques issued by Commander-in-Chief, Pacific Fleet, from Honolulu.
Enclosure (A) includes four communiques issued by the Commander-in-Chief of the Pacific Fleet relative to the action between our forces and those of the Japanese in the vicinity of Midway early this month.
On Sunday, 7 June, at 5 o'clock p.m., Admiral E. J. King granted an interview to the press relative to various current matters concerning Naval action. During this interview Admiral King made no mention of actual composition or disposition of enemy forces.
No evidence can be found in the Navy Department to indi- cate that the facts and figures appearing in an article headlined "U. S. Navy knew in advance all about Jap fleet", which appeared in the Washington Times-Herald on Sunday, 7 June, could have been obtained from any official announcement made by the Navy Department.
R. D. HILL, Jr. Lieut. Comdr., USN (Ret.) Assistant to Director
DECLASSIFIED Authority NND 76716
COMMUNIQUES ISSUED BY COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF, PACIFIC FLEET (ADMIRAL CHESTER W. NIMITZ)
HONOLULU, June 4 (AP) - A communique issued by Admiral Chester W. Nimitz:
At 6:35 a.m. today, Midway time, that island was heavily raided by Japanese carrier-based planes. The attack was repulsed by local defenders in which all armed services are represented. A heavy toll of attacking planes was taken. Damage to material and installations on Midway was reported minor. No reports of personnel casualties were received.
The Japanese carriers were accompanied by battleships and cruisers. One battleship and one carrier definitely were damaged and other vessels are believed to have been hit. Out attacks on the enemy are continuing.
HONOLULU, June 5 (AP) - A communique issued by Admiral Chester W. Nimitz:
The Japanese have not followed up their initial air attack on Midway Island, except for a few ineffectual shots from a submarine during last night.
As more reports come in, it appears that the enemy damage is very heavy indeed, involving several ships in each of the carrier, battleship, cruiser and transport classes. This damage is far out of proportion to that which we have received.
The brunt of the defense to date has fallen upon aviation personnel, in which the Army, Navy and Marine Corps all were represented. They have added another shining page to their record of achievements.
One carrier, already damaged by air attack, was hit by three torpedoes fired by a submarine.
On every occasion when we have met the enemy, our officers and men have been superlative in their offensive spirit and complete lack of fear. Our country can feel secure with personnel such as this.
There were reported several instances of enemy planes machine- gunning our aviation personnel who bailed out in parachutes or were adrift in rubber boats.
While it is too early to claim a major Japanese disaster, it may be conservatively stated that United States control remains firm in the Midway area.
The enemy appears to be withdrawing, but we are continuing the battle.
[DECLASSIFIED Authority NND 76716]
COMMUNIQUES ISSUED BY COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF, PACIFIC FLEET (ADMIRAL CHESTER W. NIMITZ)
HONOLULU, June 4 (AP) - A communique issued by Admiral Chester W. Nimitz:
At 6:35 a.m. today, Midway time, that island was heavily raided by Japanese carrier-based planes. The attack was repulsed by local defenders in which all armed services are represented. A heavy toll of attacking planes was taken. Damage to material and installations on Midway was reported minor. No reports of personnel casualties were received.
The Japanese carriers were accompanied by battleships and cruisers. One battleship and one carrier definitely were damaged and other vessels are believed to have been hit. Out attacks on the enemy are continuing.
HONOLULU, June 5 (AP) - A communique issued by Admiral Chester W. Nimitz:
The Japanese have not followed up their initial air attack on Midway Island, except for a few ineffectual shots from a submarine during last night.
As more reports come in, it appears that the enemy damage is very heavy indeed, involving several ships in each of the carrier, battleship, cruiser and transport classes. This damage is far out of proportion to that which we have received.
The brunt of the defense to date has fallen upon aviation personnel, in which the Army, Navy and Marine Corps all were represented. They have added another shining page to their record of achievements.
One carrier, already damaged by air attack, was hit by three torpedoes fired by a submarine.
On every occasion when we have met the enemy, our officers and men have been superlative in their offensive spirit and complete lack of fear. Our country can feel secure with personnel such as this.
There were reported several instances of enemy planes machine- gunning our aviation personnel who bailed out in parachutes or were adrift in rubber boats.
While it is too early to claim a major Japanese disaster, it may be conservatively stated that United States control remains firm in the Midway area.
The enemy appears to be withdrawing, but we are continuing the battle.
DECLASSIFIED Authority NND 76716
PEARL HARBOR, Honolulu, June 6. - The complete text of Admiral Chester W. Nimitz's communique No. 3, issued today, follows:
Through the skill and devotion to duty by the armed forces of all branches in the Midway area, our citizens can now rejoice that a momentous victory is in the making.
It was on Sunday, just six months ago, that the Japanese made their peace-time attack on our fleet and Army activities at Oahu. At that time they created heavy damage, it is true, but their act aroused that grim determination of our citizenry to avenge such treachery and it raised, not lowered, the morale of our fighting men.
Pearl Harbor now has been partially avenged.
Vengeance will not be complete until Japanese sea power has been reduced to impotence.
We have made substantial progress in that direction. Perhaps we will be forgiven if we claim we are about midway to our objective!
The battle is not over. All returns have not yet been received.
It is with full confidence, however, that for this phase of action the following enemy losses are claimed:
Two or three carriers and all their aircraft destroyed;
In addition one or two carriers badly damaged, most of their aircraft lost;
Three battleships damaged, at least one badly;
Four cruisers damaged, two heavily.
Three transports damaged.
It is possible some of these wounded ships will not be able to reach their bases.
One American carrier was hit.
Some American planes were lost.
American casualties were light.
This is the balance sheet that Army, Navy and Marine Corps forces in this area offer their country this morning.
- 2 -
DECLASSIFIED Authority NND 76716
PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii, June 7 (AP). - A communique from Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, Commander of the Pacific Fleet:
The enemy appears to be withdrawing. Contact was lost during last night.
Additional damage was inflicted on two enemy cruisers. Until all reports can be checked it is impossible to state whether these cruisers are in addition to those reported in communique No. 3 or whether they were damaged cruisers included in previous reports.
One enemy destroyer was sunk.
One United States destroyer was sunk by a submarine, but nearby ships rescued the personnel with small loss of life.
Except for minor submarine activity in the vicinity of the Hawaiian Island chain, this section of the Pacific is quiet.
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