Davao internees spent a tough 13 days in the hold of a ship. One young man died during the journey, and four women had to be taken straight from the boat to a hospital. On his first evening at Santo Tomas, one fellow was invited for dinner at a friend's shack. He couldn't hold his tears back as he bit into the meat — the first he'd tasted in a long time. One Burgess was so badly off, he was sagging under the strain. The Swiss Consul, a relation by marriage, obtained permission from the Japanese to have Burgess spend two weeks at his house to recuperate. Burgess left Santo Tomas in the morning, but made the mistake of returning that afternoon to get some clothes — and you guessed it — the Consul is still trying to get him out.

Eight "approved" internees came down from Baguio. One Al Curtis saw his one-year-plus baby for the first time. His Spanish wife moved into Santo Tomas to be with him.

A girl I danced with on New Year's Eve, who works as a stenographer to a Japanese firm, mentioned to a friend that their Japanese members were each issued a pistol.

At noon today I saw a group of some 120 American prisoners walking towards Azcarraga; six men walked with crutches — three were missing a leg. As they went by everyone stopped and looked. One of two Filipinos walking in front of me said: "Never mind boys, we'll give it all back to them soon." I gave him a thumbs-up as I passed and he smiled back.

Downtown was swarming with newly arrived Japanese. There are more than thirty boats in the Bay — sitting ducks under the full moon. If only...

A Filipino doctor on a house call found his patient, a Japanese colonel, listening to his radio at full blast — to William Winters!