Okinawa Falls after 82 days of fighting. "Okinawans take off," is how yesterday's Liberty News described their suicide leaps.

Breaking his dignified silence by being "forced to the wall," Roxas responded to his critics with a passionate speech. He praised the army for their heroic stand in Bataan and Corregidor, tying up 25 Japanese divisions that could have been used in New Guinea and Australia:

And now these men are repudiated ... by whom? Not by the enemy, but by their own countrymen ... because he served in one capacity or other under the Japanese occupation — without inquiring whether he served voluntarily or not; without inquiring whether while he was serving the Japs he was really fighting them....

In his own defense, he quoted letters of praise from guerilla leaders: for his "leadership and guidance" — Ramsey; for his "valuable services and courage" — Lapham; thanking him for his "assistance, cooperation and leadership" — Anderson; calling him "a man of destiny" — Hunt; the "hero of Mindanao" — Fertig; and "for invaluable help...our official secret military advisor" — Agustin.

"Let the people decide!" said Roxas before admirers mobbed and gave him three rousing cheers, the last being: "Mabuhay ang Presidente nang Filipinas."

Hans Menzi told me he will campaign for Roxas. When he advised Roxas not to dwell too much on collaboration, Roxas supposedly replied in Spanish along the lines of: What the hell, I have the election in the bag. I'm going to beat him in his own Cebu. Later, he sobered up and admitted it would be a fight.

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A cable from my brother Paul's wife in New York: WASHINGTON NOTIFIED JOE 0-98003 IN FUKUOKA PRISON CAMP JAPAN ... WRITE HIM ... LETTER FOLLOWING ... LOVE ALL ... MARY. Oh what JOY there is in Manga Avenue tonight!

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