Last night the Americans launched a heavy attack on the Walled City. They weren't the only ones busy; looters attacked the Escolta until they were finally chased out at dawn. The Military Police were still acting very strict when I arrived there. The looters were gone, of course, but they'll probably be back tonight because the curfew is not being enforced. I asked the well-known old Bombay watchman of the Wise Building what happened. "Many of the looters were Chinese," he said, "and I don't know what they were looking for." Ever the most organized, my guess is that they were probably salvaging construction materials for rebuilding.

American engineers have erected a temporary structure over the ruins of the old Jones Bridge. One span is already up and the other is being worked on. This will have to do until the Bridge can be restored to its former self.

Osmeña finally arrived and had his inauguration ceremony at Malacañan. After a little dress parade of American troops the band played the Philippine National Anthem and the Star Spangled Banner. MacArthur gave a ten-minute speech. His voice faltered when he described the damage to Manila.

. . . .

MFP: "2,000 Civilians Set Free by Daring Raid on Los Baños." Said MacArthur: "Nothing could be more satisfying to a soldier's heart than his rescue." For several nights, guerrillas infiltrated through enemy lines to block roads and surround the camp. While an amphibian unit crossed Laguna del Bay during the night, elements of the 11th Airborne Division took off from Nichols for a parachute drop on the camp itself. The Japanese guards, doing their morning calisthenics, were caught completely by surprise. The entire garrison of 233 men and officers were wiped out. Our losses were two killed, two wounded and 2 internees slightly injured. MacArthur terms it a "Rescue." Having created the belief that the internees were in danger, he had to "save" them.

Frankly, I'm a bit disappointed at the drama in MacArthur's recent communiqués on Manila, Cebu and Los Baños, and even the way that thick clouds of propaganda mixed with sensational survivor reports have obscured the facts of the Battle of Manila. The whole battle has been a series of tragic errors. It began with a fantastic miscalculation of Japanese intentions for the Santo Tomas internees, then with the equally fantastic misinterpretations of refugees from South Manila. I've been running around gathering reports and questioning people, and updating my diary every night by candlelight — with just one aim: to find the truth and write it down.

. . . .

continues...