Early to Malacañan to file the required gasoline report. We declared two tins and buried seven. Requested a special car license for Dad due to his age. He shared a carromata downtown with a Japanese employee of Daido, who told him that soldiers get half their pay in military currency here and half in yen back home for their families. Our military currency is worthless in Japan; the soldiers can’t even exchange it to send home.

Impatient Japanese wouldn’t wait for the keys and broke into Fisk’s bodegas. They made out with a massive haul, including four vehicles plus Fisk’s huge Packard Limousine. Fisk received a large shipment of liquor just before the war started.

For saying “arigato” and bowing without reason, ace pelotari, Salsamendi, got slapped once then twice more when he protested. (Chalk up one defeat for Salsa!) Word quickly spread that talking Japanese can get you into trouble, and just when the Japanese want us to learn their language. A couple of other girls got slapped too for various reasons. In Japan the practice may be common in matters of discipline; here you’ll just make a lifelong enemy.

The representative of the Nanking pro-Japanese government arrived to promote the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere. Chinese houses hung banners saying, “Welcome Mr. Lim.” The Japanese are pleased, Mr. Lim is enthusiastic, and our Chinese, now stripped of their goods in the name of co-prosperity, are stupefied.