Edwin T. Layton Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Edwin T. Layton

Born	(1903-04-07)April 7, 1903 Nauvoo, Illinois, U.S.
Died	April 12, 1984(1984-04-12) (aged 81) Carmel, California, U.S.
Allegiance	United States
Service/branch	United States Navy
Years of service	1924–1959
Rank	Rear Admiral
Commands held	USS Boggs
Battles/wars	World War II Korean War
Awards	Navy Distinguished Service Medal Navy Commendation Medal
Children	Edwin T. Layton, Jr.

Edwin Thomas Layton (born April 7, 1903 – died April 12, 1984) was a very important Rear Admiral in the United States Navy. He is best known for his amazing work as an intelligence officer, especially before and during World War II. He helped the U.S. Navy understand enemy plans, which was super important for winning battles. He was also the father of historian Edwin T. Layton, Jr.

Early Life and Navy Start
Naval Career Highlights
Later Life and Legacy
In Film and Stories
Honors and Awards
Works
Images for kids
See also

Early Life and Navy Start

Edwin Thomas Layton was born in Nauvoo, Illinois, on April 7, 1903. He went to the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, and finished his studies in 1924. For the next five years, Layton served in the Pacific Fleet. He worked on a battleship called USS West Virginia and a destroyer named USS Chase.

Naval Career Highlights

Learning Japanese and Intelligence Work

In 1929, Layton was chosen as one of a few naval officers to go to Japan. There, he would learn the Japanese language. On his way to Japan, he met another young officer, Joseph J. Rochefort, who was going for the same training. Both of them became intelligence officers. Rochefort became an expert in breaking codes, while Layton focused on using this secret information for war planning.

Layton worked at the American Embassy in Tokyo for three years. While there, he even met Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, a famous Japanese naval leader. Layton's ability to speak Japanese very well became a huge advantage as his career continued, especially when World War II started in Europe.

During the 1930s, Layton worked twice in the Navy Department's Office of Naval Intelligence. He also spent time at sea, including three years on the battleship Pennsylvania. In 1937, he returned to Tokyo for two more years as an assistant naval attaché. After that, he commanded the ship USS Boggs for a year.

Pearl Harbor and World War II

Exactly one year before the attack on Pearl Harbor, Layton became the main intelligence officer for Admiral Husband E. Kimmel. Kimmel was the Commander-in-Chief of the United States Pacific Fleet, which had recently moved to Pearl Harbor. Layton was in charge of all intelligence in the Pacific Ocean area.

Layton strongly believed in using secret code-breaking information to plan war operations. He had strong support from both Admiral Kimmel and later, Admiral Nimitz.

Layton wrote a book called And I Was There: Pearl Harbor and Midway — Breaking the Secrets. In his book, he explained that Admiral Kimmel and General Walter C. Short (the Army commander at Pearl Harbor) were unfairly blamed for the attack. Layton believed that higher-ups in Washington, D.C., especially Admiral Richmond K. Turner, kept important intelligence from them. This information could have warned them that an attack was coming and that Pearl Harbor was a target.

Layton argued that Washington was reading top-secret Japanese diplomatic codes, called Purple. However, very little of this information was shared with commanders like Kimmel. This secret information included messages from a Japanese spy in Honolulu, Takeo Yoshikawa. This spy reported daily on the exact positions of ships in the harbor, using a grid system that was clearly for targeting torpedoes and bombs.

Forrest Biard, another naval linguist, worked with Joseph J. Rochefort's HYPO team. This team worked in a basement they called "The Dungeon." Biard described Layton as a key member of the team that provided vital information for winning the Battle of Midway. He said Layton was "sharp, quick thinking, fast acting, intuitive, fast to comprehend, and extremely aggressive."

Rochefort and Layton were close friends and worked together perfectly. Rochefort gave Layton clear and reliable information. Layton would then add his own ideas and analysis. After that, he had to convince Admiral Nimitz to trust this highly secret information. Luckily, Admiral Nimitz quickly learned to trust the Rochefort/Layton team.

The Battle of Midway

In May 1942, Layton and the Rochefort team disagreed with Washington about where and when the next Japanese attack would happen. Washington thought it would be Port Moresby or the Aleutians in mid-June. But Rochefort and Layton were sure it would be Midway in the first week of June.

The story of how Rochefort's team proved they were right is amazing. Admiral Nimitz deserves great praise for trusting their analysis. He risked trouble with his boss in Washington, Admiral King, by following Layton's advice. Nimitz also made the right choice by picking Admiral Raymond Spruance to lead the fleet at Midway.

Layton stayed on the staff of the Pacific Fleet until February 1945. Admiral Chester W. Nimitz recognized Layton's important work. He invited Layton to Tokyo Bay when Japan officially surrendered on September 2, 1945. After the war, Layton spent three years as Commander of the U.S. Naval Net Depot in California. He then became the first Director of the Naval Intelligence School in Washington D.C. for two years.

Korean War and Retirement

In 1950, Layton served as Intelligence Officer in Hawaii during the early parts of the Korean War. His skills in understanding events were very important. In 1951, he returned to his old job as Fleet Intelligence Officer for the Commander-in-Chief, Pacific Fleet, for two years.

After the war, in 1953, Layton worked for the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He was Assistant Director for Intelligence and then Deputy Director. His last job before retiring was Director of the Naval Intelligence School.

Later Life and Legacy

Layton retired from the Navy in 1959. He then worked for the Northrop Corporation in Tokyo, Japan, from 1959 to 1963. He retired from Northrop in 1964 and moved to Carmel, California.

Many secret documents about Pearl Harbor and Midway were not made public until the 1980s. Layton's book, And I Was There: Pearl Harbor and Midway — Breaking the Secrets, was published in 1985, a year after he passed away. His third wife, Miriam, helped make sure his story and research notes were available for the book to be written.

In Film and Stories

Layton's important actions inspired a character named "Matthew Garth" in the 1976 movie Midway. Garth's role in turning secret radio messages into useful information clearly shows Layton's real-life contributions. In the 2019 film Midway, Layton was played by actor Patrick Wilson.

Honors and Awards

The Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island, honored Layton in the 1960s by naming the Chair of Naval Intelligence after him. The Navy/Marine Corps Intelligence Training Center in Dam Neck, Virginia, also has a building named Layton Hall.