News: Landings in New Britain! Announced this morning, it's the biggest Pacific landing yet.

When two Japanese MPs walked into the Astoria the other day, four "graduates" from Fort Santiago walked out. One gutsy Filipino remained, and bumped into his former torturer in the toilet. "Don't you remember me?" he asked, as the Japanese gaped. "You should ... we met at Fort Santiago." His face coloring, the MP grunted and walked out.

A rush is on to find a copy of La Vanguardia's December 10 issue, which included part of what Aquino said to the seven foreign editors just arrived from the Tokyo Conference:

Aquino clearly told them that no other country in the Pacific had the liberties that the Philippines enjoyed.... Despite being under U.S. domination, it was never administered as a colony, but like an autonomous and free country, whose citizens had, and enjoyed, the same rights and privileges as the Americans. The Speaker explained we had complete freedom of assembly, of speech, of the press, and other many rights.

Comments varied between stunned silence and derision. A typical response: "Too late!"

The Japanese Army and Navy have stopped paying their accounts and they've definitely stopped buying. Someone said they've spent their budget for the year and are waiting for January.