Lim & I almost came to blows in his office, Garcia the silent witness.
He made this statement — “The failure of the Scout officers to be given assimilated rank is not the fault of the P.I. government. It is the fault of their own hindrance.” I asked him what meant and he repeated the same statement. I told him he did not mean that and that if he meant what he said he was all wrong. I then told him that it was the fault of a law which the Scout officers here powerless to interpret –whether acceptance of PA commission would cause them to lose their US commissions. Lim talked in a manner to imply that these Scout officers should quit the way he did saying he quit the USA even though there was no retired pay coming to him and that he was going to accept the PA commission. I told him he was all “baloney” for I knew how he had opposed his own retirement and that I knew the radio he tried to send to Villamin in the name of Reyes. He tried to lie about this but he was caught cold. He tried to bluff me by saying — “Do not put into my mouth what I do not mean.” I told him to learn to say what he means, and that as long as I live nobody could blame the Scout officers for their failure to be assimilated. He grew very angry and said “Do not say that again in front of me” to which I said I was going to say what I believe as long as I am alive, and that I did not care what he did. He sobered down then.
The trouble is — Lim is trying to side with the Constabulary so that they will be for him when the choice comes for C of S. He is sacrificing the Scouts because he gets nothing from them.
Lim further said — “Do not be a lawyer for these Scouts for I am as good a lawyer for them.” I replied “I am not trying to be a lawyer for anybody. I am one of them and I am defending myself. You are a much better lawyer than I am.”
I fought today singlehanded and in turn —
Garcia, Lim, Eisenhower and Valdez who all tried to put these officers at the bottom of the Lt Cols. I proposed the higher officers to be placed in middle of Lt Cols and Joe G, Guevara, Pob. at the bottom. Lim wanted to put these last three above Velasco.
Garcia was reconciled to my recommendation so was E and V. after some argument.