All are jubilant over our successes today. Eleven planes downed without any losses and two of the Jap’s capital ships sent to the bottom. A raid at noon on Manila was repulsed. Morale has picked up everywhere since America has come into the war, Even Singapore shows signs of improvement.
John McCord, the owner of the Blue Bar, and a good friend of ours, came up from Manila, arriving in the middle of the afternoon, and he. brought glowing descriptions of our defense. John came to the Islands during the Spanish-American war as a trooper, and he has every confidence in the ability of our men to take care of the situation out here. Manila is shaping up for a real war, evacuation is still in progress, even the Walled City is being evacuated of the non-essentials. People are going to the provinces as fast as they can thus making room for the defenders in Manila. The trains coming through from Manila have been loaded with people getting out. And that is the right thing to do.