Monday evening the Japs agreed to turn all food supplies over to our Committee. Some “hot-heads” immediately clamored for immediate distribution of rice to the barracks to forestall seizure by military or other action. We all turned out and carried 240 sacks of rice to 24 barracks. The next a.m. the Japs found out and demanded that it be returned to their office in Barracks No. 3, and the life of the American Food Administrator, Mr. Bennett, was at stake till we did so. Again we carried rice. Our Committee haggled with the Commandant and his staff. Heavy bombing and air activity took place during the day.
One sad incident occurred, Pat Hell was found by guards just outside the fence. He would not respond to calls to come out of the brush, so they say, so a rifleman was called and Pat was shot and killed. Feelings ran high in the camp and there was much muttering. I understand now, why mobs sometimes do the things they do.
Last evening the Japs agreed to turn over to us 300 sacks of rice and they would take 100. The reason being, they became angry with us for taking the rice, was because part of it was military stores and we should not have touched it. They admitted our forces are on the island and that we could obtain food from the Filipinos easier than they could. Both sides duly signed the agreement regarding the 300 sacks of rice. This morning some of our fighter planes came over and buzzed around for a few minutes but did no firing until they flew away to the eastward. One pilot was seen waving to the camp.
We are promised 3 meals a day now, although our noon meal is only lugaw. We have no electric lights in our cubicles now. Perhaps the power lines are out. We hear that our boys are making good advances in the north toward Cabanatuan and south toward Malolos. The four of us are well, much stronger now.