"Military police cracks down on sale of cigarettes." Cochero Melencio David allegedly sold 910 packets of cigarettes marked "Compliments of the American Red Cross for the Use of U.S. Government" on behalf of an unnamed POW, but pocketed the money for himself. That explains the widespread availability of these cigarettes in the street — or does it? How was he able to visit Bilibid a number of times, talk to American POWs, and walk out with that many cigarettes? The clincher is that it's on the front page of all newspapers. We know the Japanese themselves have been taking the cigarettes. Melencio, no doubt arrested for some tobacco-related infraction, was made a convenient scapegoat

Schaer, as well as most Swiss nationals, were absent from the Astoria today. A reliable fellow warned me the Japanese have three stool pigeons at the Astoria who get paid according to the number of persons they successfully report on.

In the local parlance, to be slapped once is to be "Baptized" and to be slapped a second time is to be "Confirmed." I guess that makes Schaer "Ordained."