I recently read a new biography of Admiral Nimitz. He was, according to the author, one of only a few major figures in WW2 who did not compose his own memoirs or authorize a journalist to do so on his behalf. Fortunately, the documentary evidence is all there for someone who wants to dig.
In his retirement years, he received a considerable level of public adulation, with ladies swooning over his lovely white hair. (I understand this, as I always have to praise Newt Gingrich’s hair, even when there’s nothing else nice to say.)
According to Herman Wouk's fictionalized account of the war Nimitz explained this by saying his memoirs could be summed up in two words: "We won."
That has the ring of non-fiction.
Tax-chick, you are correct about Nimitz not publishing his memoirs. Associates of Gordon Prange interviewed Nimitz’s widow while working on “Miracle at Midway” (highly recommended btw). Nimitz’s widow said that Nimitz had told her that being truthful about events during the war would involve criticizing some other officers in the Navy. In his widow’s words, he couldn’t bring himself to hurt other people and that prevented him from publishing memoirs. In an age when Hollywood celebrities and reality TV stars are pushed on us as heroes, Chester Nimitz stands as an example of a real hero.