ON 1 February 1941, command afloat in the high echelons was vested in three
Commanders in Chief, one of whom commanded the Asiatic Fleet, one the
Pacific Fleet, and one the Atlantic Fleet, provision being made whereby
one of these three, depending on the circumstances, would act as Commander in
Chief, United States Fleet, chiefly for purposes of standardization. In case two or more
fleets operated together, he would coordinate their operations. At the time Pearl
Harbor was attacked, the Commander in Chief of the Pacific Fleet was also Com-
mander in Chief of the United States Fleet.

Almost immediately after our entry in the war it became apparent that for the
purpose of exercising command all oceans must be regarded as one area, to the end
that effective coordinated control and the proper distribution of our naval power
might be realized. On 18 December 1941, therefore, the President changed this
organization by making the Commander in Chief, United States Fleet, separate and
distinct and in addition to the other three Commanders in Chief, and ordered the
Headquarters of the Commander in Chief, United States Fleet, established in the
Navy Department in Washington.

As of 1 January 1942, Admiral H. R. Stark was Chief of Naval Operations,
Admiral (now Fleet Admiral) E. J. King was Commander in Chief of the United
States Fleet, Admiral T. C. Hart was Commander in Chief of the Asiatic Fleet,
Admiral (now Fleet Admiral) C. W. Nimitz, who relieved Admiral H. E. Kimmel late
in December 1941, was Commander in Chief of the Pacific Fleet, and Vice Admiral
(now Admiral) R. E. Ingersoll was Commander in Chief of the Atlantic Fleet.

In March 1942, (coincident with my appointment as such) the duties of the
Chief of Naval Operations were combined with the duties of the Commander in Chief,
United States Fleet. Admiral Stark, who had so ably performed the duties of Chief
of Naval Operations during the vital period preceding the war, became commander of
United States Naval Forces in Europe. This move was accompanied by a number
of adjustments in the Navy Department organization, calculated, among other things,
to facilitate the logistic support of the forces afloat by providing for its coordination.
Except for the fact that the Asiatic Fleet ceased to exist as such in June 1942, that
basic organization of the United States Fleet and supporting activities is still in effect.
In the spring of 1942, however, and from time to time thereafter, independent com-
mands were established directly under the Commander in Chief, United States Fleet.

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