April 12, 1942

I know you must be worried, not hearing from me for so long. If I could only be granted one wish, it would be that you be notified that I am still O.K. Did you ever receive any word through the Red Cross?

The rumor still persists that Bataan has fallen and there seems to be every indication that this is true. Nine civilians who fled to Bataan on Janaury first to escape the Japs, came in to camp yesterday afternoon and give quite an account of goings-on over there. They said they had been living in a cave in the mountains all this time. The Japs have been continually bombing and shelling our positions; that our forces had received no reinforcements and were on starvation rations. They had seen only two American planes since January first. From this it really looks like we have been deserted completely. I can not understand it; we learn of raids on Australia and all other places being repulsed by American pilots and planes yet we do not have any here where it seems they are needed most. Four months have passed since this war started and not the slightest signs of reinforcements have arrived. Todays paper says that our President F.D.R. has broadcast that it is impossible to send aid to the Philippines because the Japanese navy has control of this part of the Pacific. Also that F.D.R. has given General King full authority to make the best surrender terms possible. These people that came in yesterday say that they saw thousands of our boys that had been taken prisoners marching along the road as they were being brought in. Try as I might, I can not see anything particularly optimistic in the present picture of conditions. Although there is the other side or school of thought, who never say die and stick to their story that these people who have come in yesterday, being stuck in a cave all this time, know no more than we or probably less and that their evacuation from Bataan was part of a twenty four hour truce that was arranged between the Japs and American troops to bury their dead and evacuate all civilians in this area. We heard this several days ago and it is not at all unlikely as I can well imagine the stench of dead bodies must be terrible in this hot climate. So Bataan may still be in our hands for all I know. It's a fifty fifty bet as I see it.

We have just received another notice from the boss of this camp that we can send a note home and I have sent one to you which I hope you may soon receive. It is a sterotyped note but at least lets you know all is well so far.

This morning we heard a heavy bombing which seemed to come from the direction of Nichols Field which was music to our ears as we all wanted to believe that it came from our flying fortresses. We have not yet heard definitely what it was but as there are a few out on passes today, we will probably hear about it at tonights session.