1. What role did the United States Naval Academy play in the careers of these four men?
2. How was the career of each man entwined with new developments in submarines and carrier aviation?
3. Contrast the differing leadership styles of Nimitz, Halsey, Leahy, and King.
4. Why didn’t King initially succeed Leahy as Chief of Naval Operations, and what series of events gave him a second chance at the job?
5. Why was the relationship between the U.S. Navy and General Douglas MacArthur so confrontational? Were there times when the relationship was less fraught?
6. Discuss King and Nimitz’s relationship, particularly King’s role in crafting global strategy and the extent to which Nimitz was given rein to implement it in the Pacific.
7. How did King interact with Army Chief of Staff George Marshall and with their counterparts on the British General Staff?
8. Did Halsey’s prior operational commands prepare him to command the Third Fleet? How did that experience, or lack of it, affect his decisions at the Battle of Leyte Gulf and in the subsequent typhoons?
9. Who was more deserving of the final set of five stars—William Halsey or Raymond Spruance?
10. Why has Leahy’s role in FDR’s White House been overlooked? Did FDR plan such a role, or did it evolve with the circumstances?