Tribune: "Stiff Penalty for Grafters.... President signs bill prescribing severe punishment for bribery, violation of food control laws, profiteering and like crimes" — life imprisonment or death sentence.

Received a note from Joe today dated February 12 — the first since last October. He got my Christmas letter but noted I didn't get two letters he wrote around that time. "I am trying to make a special effort to send this letter through and hope that I succeed."

Sometime ago, seeing the younger Sergio Osmeña drive down the Escolta in the luxury of a big Buick, I said to Tony Morales: "I wouldn't want to be in any of these Osmeña boys' shoes; somebody's going to pot one sooner or later." Last night, someone did.

Nicasio Osmeña, the brilliant but awry son of the Vice President and a long-time cad on the Philippine scene, walked into the Trocadero and sauntered over to speak to Carlos Padilla. Then he was called to the phone, where someone stuck a pistol in his ribs and invited him out. Nic tried to get away from the two or three guys; they fired thrice — scoring no direct hit but doing considerable damage. At the hospital, he said: "I never saw the guy ... I don't know why they should'a dunnit — I'm not a spy."

A friend described Nic as a big talker. "'Chico,' he'd say over and over, 'hay que ser listo.'" [Kid, you've got to be smart.] "'What do you want? Whiskey? Oil? Gasoline? Now's the time to get it.'" Indeed, his apartment was loaded with Scotch Whiskey — genuine too. He made a fortune procuring for the Japs, and saw to it that his pockets were well lubricated in turn. When Radio Tokyo praised him for his sincerity and cooperation, "Nic wasn't sore. In fact, he was mighty pleased."