June 2, 1942

The hot season is over and the rainy season off to a good start. Everyone is now having to rebuild their shanty to make it water proof so the construction business is going strong again and some are putting up real fancy shacks; wood floors and all.

The flag of truce is again flying in our camp and I have gone back to try again. The one that got out of line came around nicely, so had no alternative. The ups and down in concentration camp life are most amusing.

At last night's rumor session the "stuff" came in hot and heavy that our forces had bombed Formosa and Japan. We have had this so often but always hope that it might be true one of these days. So far as we know to date, there has been only one bombing of Japan. It is about six months since this war started and it seems high time we were getting to work somewheres.

The Jap paper states that the U.S. has set June 13th as McArthur [sic] Day. We wonder why! From our limited knowledge we fail to see much of anything he has done except to strategically retreat and not in a very orderly fashion either. There is perhaps a lot we don't know and naturally wonder why he has been set up as a public hero. If and or when I ever get back to civilization, believe me I'm going to shout loud and long.

Joe Reich, the chap that came into camp a few days ago, tells a most interesting story of their escapades during the last five months out in the hills trying to keep away from the Japs. There were originally four of them in their party, all Americans, but only three ended up in camp, one having been killed enroute. His story alone would fill a book so will let it go at that, other than to say that they are most thankful to be in here after facing what they thought was to be sure death, on several occasions.

Another rumor that comes in "hot and heavy" is that Allied forces have been "going to town" in bombing the Ruhr section of Germany, dumping thousands of tons of bombs and killing one hundred and twenty thousand in the raid. The Russians continue their "big push" and are expecting Germany to fold up most any day now.