The barometer rose from 29.7 last night to 29.85 by 1000 on this fine spring-like morning. I was listening to the local station rebroadcast of Radio Tokyo when the bombs began to fall and the antiaircraft started barking. I switched to PIAM. At last the piano solo ended; there was a shuffling of feet before a voice said:

Attention ... [boom, boom, boom].

Attention Ladies [boom, boom] and Gentlemen.

[Swissh — boom! Rat-tat-tat, rat-tat-tat.]

Attention ...

[Swissh — boom, pom-pom-pom, rat-tat-tat-tat-tat, BOOM!]

This is an air raid signal ... on air raid ...

[BAMHFFF! BOOMFFF!]

Anyone hearing this ...

[BOOM, rat-tat-tat, pom-pom, whish — BOOM!]

[BOOM! BOOMRRRH! BHAM!]

Please pass [BOOM] it on....

It's 1100 now and we've had three waves of planes: the first at 0720, the second at 0800 and the third an hour ago. The second wave dropped the heaviest bombs yet on Nichols-Nielson. From a good six to seven kilometers away, the concussion waves rushed by me, shaking the house and rattling the windows a-plenty. Some black smoke rose from the east section of the fields but not much. The third wave was in front: Cavite, Corregidor, Mariveles, the Bay and possibly some in the Port Area.

At 0745 I saw some beautiful teamwork among the fliers. Some 30 planes came from the north, flying low in clear visibility. Puffs exploded near them, one almost tipping a plane over. Meanwhile other planes seemed to come from all directions. The 30 flew right over Manga Avenue before diving on their targets. There are no Japanese planes in the air, and I doubt if there are any on the fields now ... in one piece, that is. The Americans dropped big bombs and got away unscathed — a thrilling spectacle. A Japanese battery tried to get one plane hovering leisurely overhead. The plane flipped left and began its dive. A puff exploded where it would have been had it kept flying straight and level for another five seconds, but the plane was already a good half mile away.

continues...