At 0600 an American plane dropped a couple of bombs then went to work machine-gunning the fields. The Japanese claim they shot down a plane strafing a searchlight unit at 0310, while yesterday, "eyewitnesses" saw two planes in a formation of four "expertly" blasted out of the sky by anti-aircraft fire. It took the propaganda people over a day to find these eyewitnesses; the Japanese themselves claim nothing of the sort.

Tribune: "Foe destroyer sunk, 2 cruisers destroyed in Philippine waters" — by kamikazes on December 11 and 13 in the Surigao Strait. "Luzon Areas Again Raided" — and not a single American plane was claimed. "Enemy loses 10 B-29s in Japan raid" — two went down, the rest were only "damaged."

"Japanese forces in Ormoc sector have situation under control." Only the propaganda boys are in control ... barely.

For the third straight day, American carrier-borne planes carried out an 8-hour attack on Manila and its environs. All the airfields were bombed and strafed; and for the first time, American F6Fs fired rockets. The boys started around 10 fires, maybe on small oil "depots" or caches of gasoline drums. I know of no one who has seen a single American plane shot down in these three days!

There's no pep in the antiaircraft fire — it's sluggish, desultory and without method; perhaps because the operators are afraid of being taken out. And it makes no difference to the Americans although antiaircraft bullets have been exploding all over town. One such hit the roof of our porch and continued through the galvanized sheeting, ceiling and floor, before exploding on the concrete driveway. (We couldn't find any pieces.) The Japanese have been telling us that the Americans have been dropping small bombs, but we're too smart to fall for it. Rumors say the raids are to cover a landing in Mindoro, Negros, Panay, Cebu or what have you.