Robert Alfred Theobald

Infobox Military Person
name= Robert Alfred Theobald
lived= 1884 - 1957
placeofbirth= San Francisco, California
placeofdeath=


caption=
nickname= "Fuzzy"
allegiance= United States of America
branch= United States Navy
serviceyears= 1907–1945
rank= Rear Admiral
commands= Destroyers Pacific Fleet Task Force 8
unit=
battles= World War II
awards=
laterwork= Author

Robert Alfred "Fuzzy" Theobald (January 25, 1884-May 13, 1957) was a United States rear admiral and, most notably the author of the 1947 book "".

Born in 1884, Theobald graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1907. By 1939, Theobald had been appointed chief-of-staff under Admiral Claude C. Bloch and, shortly after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, was named commander of the Destroyers Pacific Fleet in December 1941.

In 1942, Theobald was promoted to Rear Admiral and given command of Task Force 8 based in Alaska. After suffering minor defeats against Japanese naval forces, including the Japanese capture of the Aleutian Islands of Attu and Kiska, Theobald was subsequently replaced by Rear Admiral Thomas C. Kinkaid. Remaining inactive until his retirement in 1945, Theobald gained considerable notoriety with his book "The Final Secret of Pearl Harbor: The Washington Background of the Pearl Harbor Attack", which accused the Roosevelt administration of "arranging" the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor as provocation to enter World War II.

Theobald's son, Robert Jr. (1910-1989) was also a graduate of the United States Naval Academy (1931) and served as a captain in the U.S. Navy.

Bibliography

*Theobald, Robert Alfred. "The final secret of Pearl Harbor; the Washington contribution to the Japanese attack." New York: Devin-Adair, 1954. (ASIN B0006ATV54)

References

*Parrish, Thomas and S. L. A. Marshall, ed. "The Simon and Schuster Encyclopedia of World War II", New York: Simon and Schuster, 1978.

External links

*cite web|url=http://www.usna.edu/cemetery/PDF%20Files/Section%203/0343-%20Theobald,%20R.%20A.pdf
title=Theobald, Robert Jr.
work=USNA Cemetery Documentation Project
publisher=United States Naval Academy
format=PDF
accessdate=2006-07-27

* [http://www.rooseveltmyth.com/FinalSecret/index.html Online copy of Admiral Theobald's book on Pearl Harbor]

* [http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F00C11FB3B54177B93C6A8178ED85F438585F9&scp=2&sq=Robert+Theobald&st=p New York Times obituary]