HOW ANDREW JACKSON MAY TOLD JAPAN HOW TO SINK AMERICAN SUBMARINES
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In the history of war, most disasters are blamed on a bad call by a general or on mechanical failures in weapons and tanks. During World War II, there was a certain incident involving a high-ranking official that would ultimately be consequential.
While thousands of American Sailors were risking their lives in the Pacific, a powerful politician was about to tell everyone what kept the Sailors safe during a press conference in Washington, D.C.
No one expected that the reason for thousands of lives lost would come from a U.S Congressman who is supposed to protect the Sailors. This is the story of Andrew Jackson May and how he somehow accidentally told Japan how to sink U.S. submarines.
Who Is Congressman Andrew Jackson May?
Before May was in Congress, he was a school teacher and graduated from Southern Normal University Law School in 1898. Both he and his twin brother opened a practice in Prestonsburg and served as circuit court judges.
His journey in Congress was rocky. He lost in his first campaign in 1928 but later won in 1930. By 1939, he became the chairman of the House Military Affairs Committee.
As the committee's chairman, he was one of the few people in the world who knew almost everything about the war. He sat in the rooms where the most important secrets, which were not meant to be heard by anyone, were shared.
Admiral Richard E. Byrd told him directly in a 1945 letter,
"Everyone in general appreciates the superb job you have done for your country in connection with Army legislation, and Naval officers appreciate in particular the cooperation you have given the Navy."
This gave May access to information no one could ever imagine; therefore, he needed to be careful about what he shared with the public.
How Did He Tell Japan How to Sink U.S Submarines?
During the summer of 1943, May and other committee members toured the Pacific Theater to inspect American military installations. On the tour, Naval officers provided a detailed operational and intelligence briefing.
May heard details about the Pacific submarine's performance during the discussion, which were classified at the highest levels and shouldn’t have been shared.
After the tour, he returned home in June 1943 and held a press conference because families were worried about their loved ones who were serving on submarines. He revealed that U.S. submarines in the Pacific had a high survival rate because Japanese depth charges, large underwater explosives, detonated too shallowly, which didn’t affect them much.
From that information alone, newspapers published it worldwide until it reached the Japanese intelligence base in Honolulu, Hawaii. Little did everyone know that this would become known as the “May Incident,” and thousands of lives would be lost because of his carelessness in sharing classified information.
The Sinking of American Submarines
It’s important to know why the information that May gave had such a massive effect on the U.S. submarines in the Pacific. During the early years of the war, U.S. submarines were hunted by Japanese destroyers using depth charges.
A depth charge is a large underwater explosive that would detonate at a certain depth, and the shockwave from the blast is what crushed the submarine’s hull. The Japanese military believed that U.S. submarines were fragile and could only dive to about 100 ft. before the water pressure would destroy them.
The Japanese would always set their charges to explore at shallow depths. But in truth, U.S. submarines were actually built much tougher and could dive to 250 ft or even 300 ft.
A few months after Andrew Jackson May’s press conference, U.S. submarines in the Pacific were attacked by the Japanese military. Although it was not confirmed that this had a direct connection to May’s conference, it was believed to have occurred because Japan learned of the information May shared during his press conference.
May’s Consequence After the Press Conference Spill
A report from the Navy's Pacific Submarine Fleet found that the Japanese military didn’t actually learn about the maximum operating depth of U.S. submarines. But they have noticed that the Japanese engaged their depth charges deeper than usual after 1943.
When Vice Admiral Charles A. Lockwood learned this, he wrote to Rear Admiral Richard S. Edwards.
"I hear Congressman May said the Japanese depth charges are not set deep enough," Lockwood wrote. "He would be pleased to know that the Japanese set them deeper now."
Lockwood still believed that Andrew Jackson May was responsible for why the Japanese changed how they operated their depth charges. May didn’t face consequences for this, but after his service ended, a federal jury convicted him of bribery on July 3, 1947, a charge unrelated to the leak of classified information.
Today, his story serves as a warning because words can be just as dangerous as bullets. Overall, this “May Incident” is also a sad reminder that in a war, the most important thing a person can do is know when to keep their mouth shut.
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BY ALLISON KIRSCHBAUM
Veteran, Military History & Culture Writer at VeteranLife
Navy Veteran
Allison Kirschbaum is a Navy Veteran and an experienced historian. She has seven years of experience creating compelling digital content across diverse industries, including Military, Defense, History, SaaS, MarTech, FinTech, financial services, insurance, and manufacturing. She brings this expertis...
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Allison Kirschbaum is a Navy Veteran and an experienced historian. She has seven years of experience creating compelling digital content across diverse industries, including Military, Defense, History, SaaS, MarTech, FinTech, financial services, insurance, and manufacturing. She brings this expertis...
