ABSTRACT
To understand Henry Stimson's approach to Atlantic strategy and planning, one must also understand two important things about him. First, as a former National Guard officer with a much earlier tour as Secretary of War under his belt, Stimson thought himself a military strategist. The second important point is that Henry Stimson possessed an almost visceral dislike of the navy and its senior officers, which appeared to stem in large part from that service's entirely different approach to looking at the world. With such an active interest in the naval aspects of the war, it is little wonder that Henry Stimson soon began occupying himself with the progress of the war against the U-boats in the Atlantic. Unlike Henry Stimson, Frank Knox came to his job as Secretary of the Navy unable to claim any share of military or naval expertise.
