Sunday, December 28, 1941

Manila heavily bombed yesterday after having been declared an open city. Santo Domingo Church in Intramuros (Walled City) destroyed by a direct hit. (Santo Domingo, virgin saint brought to Islands in 1600, elaborately jeweled later by Chinese convert, one of best dressed saints in P.I.’s, people came long distances to see her jewels.) Also two girls’ schools hit, piers destroyed, at least one ship left blazing in harbor, all after Manila had withdrawn fortifications and moved all military offices and objectives. Japanese report Baguio has been taken. At news hour broadcasts there is only 15 minutes of music and then silence. This silence of radio stations and obvious avoidance of local news is ominous. On the Central, air shelters are being completed for all employees and residents, and gas masks distributed (simple gauze affairs saturated with chemical solution which would be satisfactory for one gas attack). We really know nothing of what is going on in the Islands. I cannot hope for word from Jim until this tension is eased. He does not know I have left Bacolod. A report from Chungking today announced that it would take the American fleet two to three months to be sufficiently organized to come to the Southern Pacific.