De Potter visited us today, played the new hit "I'll Walk Alone" on our piano, and got me humming it all day. Also visiting was one Raymond Banks of New York City who played "In the Mood" for hours on his left hand, one finger at a time. De Potter got him talking about Leyte. At one time the Japanese caught a lot of P-38s on the ground and destroyed quite a few of them. "If the Japs had been smarter they might have won that battle." Banks (137-148 2-G) said that his company liberated 1,000 civilians from a "large building" (probably one of UP) down a bit from the PGH. He was surprised when they came out ... "and kept coming out."

Father Keene dropped in to bring some of the Connor belongings. I asked him about the forty priests of several orders that he went to bury yesterday. The Japanese placed them in a crowded shelter, which they then shut and guarded. One priest dug frantically for four days and burrowed his way out; the rest suffocated to death.

The other day, we speculated about the number of civilian deaths in the Battle of Manila. Maurer thought 30,000 to 50,000; Graemiger thought it was more; I estimated 20,000 at most. Today I asked Pete Siy how the Chinese fared. He estimated only 1,000 of more than 40,000 perished, and as for the whole city, 10,000 tops. That gives you an idea how far apart one guess is from another.

Tonight MacArthur entertained another ten of his Honor Guards at the White House. At 2030 we had another blackout — not a light shone on MacArthur's or Soriano's place.