Naval War College Review Volume 66 Article 9 Number 1 Winter 2013 Research & Debate Martin Bennett Follow this and additional works at: https://digital-commons.usnwc.edu/nwc-review Recommended Citation Bennett, Martin (2013) "Research & Debate," Naval War College Review: Vol. 66 : No. 1 , Article 9. Available at: https://digital-commons.usnwc.edu/nwc-review/vol66/iss1/9 This Additional Writing is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at U.S. Naval War College Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Naval War College Review by an authorized editor of U.S. Naval War College Digital Commons. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. Bennett: Research & Debate RESEARCH & DEBATE PARSHALL’S “WHOPPERS” EXAMINED FACT-CHECKING THE VARIOUS CLAIMS AND CONCLUSIONS OF JONATHAN PARSHALL Martin Bennett This was written in response to an article by Jon Parshall that appeared in the Spring 2010 Naval War College Review.1 When I first came across Parshall’s article I was interested and even intrigued, but the more I read, the more apparent it became that his work was not sound. One element, I believe, that may have colored what otherwise might have been an objective analysis was Parshall’s clearly stated goal to “bury Fuchida.” Gener- ally, a biased, set conclusion is not a good starting point for a historical analysis. Good research begins with questions and ends with conclusions, when facts permit. Parshall attempts to make the facts fit his conclusions, and when he can- not, he uses conjecture and assumptions to try to bridge the gap.