Question
A car stops at a building and Yamamoto gets out as he is greeted by Yamaguchi. They talk about Nagumo:
Yamaguchi: Someday that old fool will make an even bigger mistake.
Yamamoto: None of that talk inside. We must be united against the Army.
Yamaguchi: I'm not Nagumo.
Why did Yamaguchi say "I'm not Nagumo"?
Answer
You've abbreviated the full line that Yamaguchi says:
I'm not Nagumo. You don't have to instruct me in the obvious.
They have been discussing Nagumo who they consider to be incompetent and trying to get him dismissed from his command position. Nagumo was an admiral responsible for the attack on Pearl Harbor but was criticized (like in this conversation) for not launching a third attack to destroy other facilities on the base.
Yamamoto suggests that Yamaguchi needs to be careful what they say inside (the Imperial General Headquarters).
Yamaguchi is mildly insulted, saying that he is competent unlike Nagumo, and doesn't need to be told something so obvious.
Answered By - iandotkelly
