A usually well-informed Mr. Ygoa told me that the American Airborne Division from the South had fought its way to Vito Cruz by 1600 yesterday, while the Americans from the North had fought their way to Isaac Peral then northwest to the Intramuros entrance. A mere mile separates both forces, inside of which lies one of the best residential districts in the Far East. The best apartment houses are there, almost all brand new, concrete, modern and with penthouses ... and all set to be blown up with dire consequences for the occupants of surrounding properties.

0830: A Japanese shell landed 250 yards north of us. There's a huge fire with the most concentrated black smoke I've ever seen. Walked to Santa Mesa Avenue for a better look as two P40s circled low over us; it was the Manila Gas Corporation and not Meralco as most thought. On the way back another Japanese shell landed in the field behind Manga Avenue. Spotting the shooter, American planes dropped six heavy bombs on his area — a new one incidentally — south of Marikina.

0953: Repeated firing from the American battery nearby is putting me on edge and giving our house the shakes. The noise is coming from all directions, and a fire just started across the river where the Japanese are not supposed to be. A Piper Cub above since 0800 must be looking for them.

A wisecrack I've now heard a number of times goes: "The Manila fighting is over, the paper says so, but it doesn't say who won." Another comment says American casualties will surpass by far the casualties of Bataan and Corregidor — a great exaggeration no doubt, but I'll stake my life that civilian and U.S. Army casualties will be much greater in the so-called mopping-up operations than in the "fighting."

I gave Bob Peyer Joe's name to check with the American Red Cross in Santo Tomas. He told me that there were no casualties from yesterday's shelling of the camp, but the Japanese burned the Concordia College between 0200 and 0300 last night. Some 700 were there, including the patients evacuated from the Hospicio de San Jose.

A Tabacalera Spaniard evacuated from the "south" by the Americans says that everything belonging to the Tabacalera has been razed to the ground ... "but everything." In Ermita, the Japanese evacuated women and children from air-raid shelters then threw grenades inside to kill the males!

The American Army was able to feed 35,000 in two days. American rations, generous as they are, will feed quite a few more than 35,000. Fifty thousand sacks of California rice are on their way over. With our harvest and a little help from American transportation, things should be OK. The new American railroad now stretches to Capas.

1045: American planes are on the hunt and dropping bombs on the eastern extremities of the city. About 40 Japanese shells have flown over us, missing by about 200 yards. And just now a third salvo sailed over from a "new area" — Paco or Santa Ana.

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