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June 23rd, 1946

Got up earlier than usual today being Sunday so I could get out from trunk my Sunday clothes before beginning to sweep and mop the floor—Also to dust and wipe shoes ahead. At church this morning Father Scott said where he comes from they do not preach any sermon when it begins to get very hot in summer, as nobody wants to preach in the sweltering temperature, so beginning this Sunday he would bring pamphlet for each that we can read at our leisure instead of his preaching so that we may not have to stay too long in “this hot room.” He didn’t realize our smaller rooms specially the single cells are much warmer. First pamphlet distributed today is entitled “Christ and His Church. These Two are One” by Daniel A. Lord, S.J., Institute of Social Order 3742 West Pine Blvd., St. Louis 8, Mo. After catholic mass we remained for usual protestant service so called Osias instead of giving the prayer asked the congregation to read the Prayer of Repentance in the Army Service Manual. The scripture responsive reading was on Fear of the Lord, and the gospel selected was again on repentance—All these apparently slyly for the benefit of the un-repentant Nazis in the crowd. I think anyway that Osias had something like that in mind. BaMaw was the Speaker. His subject—“The Western is standing on its head.” He described the western christian man as egocentric creating his own God in his own image his ultimate being his personal God, his personal self. Man himself and his personal happiness man’s pleasure or happiness. Buddha he said 2500 years ago, just reversed that and instead preached the ultimate as Being cosmic process or cosmic power the law being or becoming of thing or of being and suffering being the sublimation of living, the pursuit of death through suffering that others may live. Said he cannot reconcile the Christian concept of a God who being all powerful and can correct lots of injustice and suffering go unrelieved or un punished. Said Freud and others cracked the idea of a soul—it is the fact of suffering as part of being that is the essence of Buddhism. Told him after the service that his speech which was well delivered in correct and elegant Oxford English was good, but nobody has yet cracked my soul, so everything is still alright.

Before start of catholic mass Father Scott asked me what news we had. Told him none. He then said he had read in yesterday’s paper—-presumably Stars and Stripes—That Ickes, the former secretary of the Interior had lambasted Roxas, saying Roxas in the uniform of brigadier-general had signed documents that were treasonable against the U.S.—Said also Roxas should now vigorously prosecute all collaborationists that had been indicted. Somewhat contradictory as inconsistent— if Roxas were a collaborationist how could he prosecute the other collaborationists? It is fortunate for Roxas, for the Philippines and for us that Ickes is out of Govt. of US. and has no longer any official connection with Philippine affairs.

After mass gave Father Scott an envelope containing Y30 together with Kyo Bun Kwan ask with request he please send in it to continue my subscription to “Time” magazine after ten more weeks after its expiration sometime this coming July. If I am not here any more, what’s thirty yen for the price?

At lunch I kidded both Osias and BaMaw that between the two of them they had today conspired to make it uncomfortable for the Germans—Osias with his prayers and hymns on Repentance and BaMaw on his cracking of the soul by citing mostly German authors and philosophers to prove it. They both hugely enjoyed the exposure and said they thought they had both done it very skillfully without anybody noticing it. Osias said it was like being caught by your wife! Guilty conscience? Have decided to give BaMaw a cigar for his part in today’s fun. Such a life.

Ikeshimo’s statement before the International War Crlmes Tribunal that everything that was broadcast from Radio Tokio during the war as propaganda ordered by the Jap. military should be of value to me in defense of speeches and broadcast as ambassador in case of my own trial I must keep the clipping on it from Nippon Times of June 21st, ’46 just in case. My counsel might find it useful in support of explanation of circumstances under which we were made to speak and broadcast While in Tokyo during the Jap. occupation of the Philippines.

Movies today. Started with newsreel showing ceremonies of putting on the hat on Cardinals Kemp and Spielman, 2 American cardinals by Pope in Rome recently—Main picture, however, was repetition of Vacation from Marriage which we had already seen some time before. However as situs is England and accent is very English decided to stay for it too to try to understand what they are saying. Aquino and Oslas preferred to remain in their respective rooms, and Osias took advantage of chance to talk to Sgt. and guards about Nazis, their clannishness, then trying to hog all magazines and books to themselves first and unfairness of changing rules about bathing and shaving. It seems he succeeded as guards promised there would be no change.

Read “Time” of June 10th before going to bed at 7 pm.