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Isaac C. Kidd Jr.

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Isaac C. Kidd Jr.
Admiral Isaac C. Kidd Jr.
Birth nameIsaac Campbell Kidd Jr.
Born(1919-08-14)August 14, 1919
Cleveland, Ohio, US
DiedJune 27, 1999(1999-06-27) (aged 79)
Alexandria, Virginia, US
Place of burial
United States Naval Academy Cemetery
AllegianceUnited States
Service / branchUnited States Navy
Years of service1941–1978
RankAdmiral
CommandsUSS Ellyson
USS Barry
Destroyer Squadron 32
Destroyer Squadron 18
Cruiser Destroyer Flotilla 12
US First Fleet
US Atlantic Fleet
Battles / warsWorld War II
AwardsDefense Distinguished Service Medal
Navy Distinguished Service Medal
Legion of Merit
Bronze Star
Other workCollege of William and Mary

Isaac Campbell Kidd Jr. (August 14, 1919 – June 27, 1999) was an American admiral in the United States Navy who served as the Supreme Allied Commander of NATO's Atlantic Fleet, and also as commander in chief of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet from 1975 to 1978. He was the son of Rear Admiral Isaac C. Kidd, who was killed on the bridge of the battleship Arizona during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

In 1978 Kidd was among a number of retired four-star officers who testified before Congress in favor of the controversial SALT II arms control pact.

Biography

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Graduation

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Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Kidd graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1941; he was commissioned an ensign on December 19, 1941, just 12 days after his father was killed aboard his flagship. As Time described the event, when Kidd received his commission as ensign "the U.S. Naval Academy and its guests broke into a thunderous cheer— an unprecedented demonstration in honor of Ensign Kidd and his father."[1] During World War II he served as a gunnery and operations officer on destroyers in both Europe and the Pacific, and participated in various Allied landings in the Mediterranean as well as at Iwo Jima.

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His 23 years at sea during his 37-year naval career included 15 years in command of destroyers, destroyer divisions and squadrons and three U.S. fleets in the Atlantic, Pacific and Mediterranean; he also served as executive assistant and senior aide to the Chief of Naval Operations in the early 1960s, earning citations for his efforts in the Cuban Missile Crisis and several other crises. In 1967, he was chosen by his friend and colleague Admiral John S. McCain Jr. to head the Naval Court of Inquiry into the USS Liberty incident during the Six-Day War in June of that year.[2] The Inquiry quickly became controversial amid allegations of a cover-up from both Liberty survivors and high-ranking Navy officers.[3][4][5][6] The allegations concern the deliberateness of the Israeli attack and the suppression of evidence that would prove this. Captain Ward Boston, Admiral Kidd’s chief legal counsel, corroborated many of these claims in a 2004 affidavit. He also claimed that the entire Inquiry was a sham meant to exonerate Israel: “I know from personal conversations I had with Admiral Kidd that President Lyndon Johnson and Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara ordered him to conclude that the attack was a case of “mistaken identity” despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary.”[7] From 1975 to 1978, Kidd served as Commander in Chief of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet.[8]

Retirement

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Shortly after his 1978 retirement, Kidd was among a number of retired four-star officers who testified before Congress in favor of the controversial SALT II arms control pact. Kidd declared that while he was not entirely thrilled with the proposed treaty's verification procedures, "the alternative of having no ceiling at all, considering our position at this point in the so-called race, I find totally unacceptable."

He also taught the law of the sea at the College of William and Mary. His six children included Navy Captain Isaac C. Kidd III.

Kidd died of cancer at age 79 at his home in Alexandria, Virginia, and was buried in the Naval Academy Cemetery.

Awards and decorations

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V
"A" Device
Bronze star
Bronze star
Bronze star
Bronze star
Bronze star
Bronze star
Bronze star
Bronze star
Bronze star
Navy Diving Officer Insignia
Defense Distinguished Service Medal Navy Distinguished Service Medal
with 2 stars 		Legion of Merit
with 2 stars
Bronze Star
with "V" device 		Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation Navy Expeditionary Medal
China Service Medal American Defense Service Medal
with Atlantic Device 		American Campaign Medal
with star
European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal
with 3 stars 		Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal
with 4 stars 		World War 2 Victory Medal
Navy Occupation Service Medal National Defense Service Medal
with star 		Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
Vietnam Service Medal Philippine Republic Presidential Unit Citation Philippine Liberation Medal
United Nations Korea Medal Navy Expert Rifle Marksmanship Medal Navy Expert Pistol Marksmanship Medal
Command at Sea Insignia worn on right breast pocket

References

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  1. ^ "June in December," TIME, 1941-12-29.
  2. ^ Saxon, Wolfgang (1999-07-04). "Isaac C. Kidd Jr., 79, Admiral And Expert on Maritime Law". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-06-15.
  3. ^ Scott, James (2009-06-02). The Attack on the Liberty: The Untold Story of Israel's Deadly 1967 Assault on a U.S. Spy Ship. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 978-1-4391-6605-5.
  4. ^ https://www.youtube.fom/watch?v=tx72tAWVcoM
  5. ^ Tourney, Phillip F.; Gahary, David R. (2018). Erasing the Liberty: The Battle to Keep Alive the Memory of Israel's Massacre on the USS Liberty. Rockstar Publishing. ISBN 978-0-692-99228-9.
  6. ^ "WHAT I SAW THAT DAY Israel's June 8 1967 Holocaust of U…". Goodreads. Retrieved 2023-06-15.
  7. ^ https://www.wrmea.org/004-march/declaration-of-ward-boston-jr.-captain-jagc-usn-ret.html
  8. ^ "A Brief History Of The U.S. Fleet Forces Command". United States Fleet Forces Command, United States Navy. Archived from the original on 2006-10-05. Retrieved 2006-10-06.
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