Since the pitch-black night of 1-2 August 1943, when the Japanese destroyer Amagiri rammed and sank the PT-109, debate has flared over precisely what happened. Did John F. Kennedy “allow” the 109 to be rammed because he ran a slack ship and failed to take timely action? Or was he simply in the wrong place at the wrong time?
Testimony from a former tent-mate of JFK’s suggests neither position may account for what really happened that night. Between the lines of that testimony is an even more startling implication: That Kennedy and at least one of his crewmen deliberately may have withheld the truth.
Crisis Situation
Those who have studied this incident generally agree Kennedy had, at most, 10 to 15 seconds in which to react to the sighting of the onrushing Amagiri. Reportedly, he signaled the engine room for full speed and then turned 30° to starboard, toward the destroyer, to present a smaller target and possibly to ready a torpedo counterattack. With so little time, however, the destroyer hit before these measures could take effect. If PT-boat veteran Ted Robinson is to be believed, however, the notion that Kennedy’s emergency response failed because he lacked sufficient time no longer holds much water.
