The Japanese scattered a few shells widely over different parts of the city last night, including four mortar shells in our area. The day turned out to be fairly quiet. A Piper Cub has been aloft constantly but artillery fire is a long way away to the east. Reports are still full of contradictions but people still talk of casualties in the tens of thousands. The Spanish Consul cabled home reporting 86 known dead; the Swiss reported 50 saved against two known dead.

René Klingler was over the south side today so I asked him where he went. "Around ... by the burned-out Singalong church."

— What did you see?

— I saw the sea.

A better description of what happened to the south side doesn't exist — there was nothing to see. Everything had been flattened. I hope to get over there tomorrow. Surprisingly, much of Avenida Rizal and Oroquieta didn't burn down.

I have to admire the spirit of old man Piñol. "We really had a great deal of luck," he said, despite his family's terrible ordeal and loss of almost every possession. I'll give you Penny's story later. Freixas lost three houses and all his goods at the Escolta. He's now flat broke and looking for PCAU^† food — a true riches to rags story. The wonder is that he lived through it at all.

. . . .

I heard yesterday that the Americans landed in Corregidor, but the report is some 48 to 96 hours old. As for taking over houses vacated by the Japanese, we now have Americans at the Burgos School, behind Santol, at Brixton Hill, and some with howitzers on the hill at the Santa Mesa dead-end besides the four 155s nearby. The Bachrach house is still being prepared for MacArthur.

FOOD is being distributed as fast as possible. Major McKenzie gave Joe Bessmer food to distribute under the International Red Cross banner, a very kind gesture. I've been asked to help see that it gets to real refugee hands — a pleasure to help those in need. Manila is full of people asking others for "great" favors such as a couple of plates, an aluminum pot or two, a blanket, bicarbonate of soda, a pencil, medicines, clothes and everything else.

A curfew notice is out but not strictly timed; essentially, don't venture out in the dark. The Americans themselves admit to "trigger fingers," a practice acquired after much jungle fighting.

...ooOoo...

^† Philippine Civil Affairs Unit