I just heard that the 145th Regiment of the 37th Division will become MPs tasked to stamp out looting and black marketing. This afternoon I biked over to Pennsylvania and was amazed to see no MPs south of Herran. The street was full of valuable wire strands, hundreds of rolls ready to be carried away ... and, in fact, being carried away one-by-one by looters. In the compound behind Teofilo Assile's house, six looters were demolishing a two-year-old house built by the Japanese. Odette showed me the house of Schroeder (an American citizen), used by the Japanese as a hospital from February 4 to 9 and abandoned intact. The second floor has been completely looted — I mean it's gone!

The MPs are guarding Malate, where there's practically nothing left to guard, but not Pennsylvania. I don't know who's responsible, but Manila is in charge of the Marshal Provost General so I guess Dunckel is "it". He tried to pull a fast one this afternoon. He took over the Myers' house at the end of Manga Avenue, from which place all the furniture had been looted. So he hired several men to go hunt for the Myers' furniture — just like that, see? Out on their impossible task, the men run into Mr. Paul Meyer, who tells them that he too was looking for his furniture. He gave them a description of the missing items so that the men were quickly able, with Paul Sr. and Jr., to identify and recover many valuable pieces.

Now I presume this is what Dunckel then said: Well men, did you find any furniture?

No sir. In the first place, we have no description of the furniture. We know where there is some looted stuff but we can't find either Mr. Myers (who is in Santo Tomas by the way) or anyone who can tell us what was or wasn't his furniture. But we did find some furniture belonging to Mr. Paul Meyer, which he was able to retrieve.

Well then — go and get it, answers Dunckel, just like that.

So the Filipinos and one American drive to the Meyers' this afternoon in an army truck to get the furniture. Naturally there's a hitch — the Meyers balk: "Did you tell the general it's our furniture?" asks Paul Jr.

Yes sir, but we were told to go and get it anyway.

"I'm afraid there's been a mistake", says Paul gently, "I don't see why the general wants our furniture, and what right does he have to grab it anyway?"

The American soldier, chewing gum, nods vigorously.

"I suggest", says Paul, "that you tell the General about it. If he wants me to come over and see him, I'll be glad to do so."

"Hell no," says the American soldier, "let the General come to you."

. . . .

continues...