It was my 8th-grade history teacher, Mr. Danhausen, who started me on my life-long obsession with World War II.
It was my friend, Anthony Garrett, who provided me with a copy of his grandfather's journal.

Elwood Llewellin Garrett was an American businessman in Manila at the time of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.
This is his story, as he recorded it, of living under Japanese rule in an enemy-occupied foreign land.

March 25, 1942

The rumors are all bad today so most everyone is "down in the dumps" and crabby as hell. This is a great life but am afraid a lot of them are weakening. Todays rumor is that our lines in Bataan suffered heavy losses and Corregidor took a terrible bombing yesterday, with the Japs loosing only four planes.

There are always Jap guards patroling the grounds with bayonets set, which is, I suppose to make an impression on us and to let us know they are the victors. They also have a machine gun mounted at the gate, the looks of which I do not particularly care for. I wonder how the Japs interned in the states are being treated. I hope they get the same treatment we get here; that is, locking them up and having them depend on friends outside to bring them food. According to international law, the Japs are supposed to feed us but they have not and if it were not for our Filipino friends we would have starved long ago.

This just about brings us up to date on things in general so from now on will try to keep it so.

I got weighed today and am 168 pounds or a loss of 27 pounds since the beginning of this mess and the last time we were together all my clothes fit like a tent and you would hardly recognize this streamline figure, of which I am quite proud. This is probably due to poor chow, no drinks and nerves, however, am feeling fine otherwise and none the worse for wear and tare.

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