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Post by EXO on Jan 28, 2017 8:11:51 GMT 8
The following is provided by Lou Jurika" Inasmuch as Ernest Stanley has generated a lot of rumor and hearsay over time, so the task of separating fact from fiction at this late date is very hard. However, when the 200 Japanese were marched out of Santo Tomas with Ernest Stanley in a white shirt leading the procession, my father's oral history mentions that he, my father, followed right along behind them at the end of the column, fairly hoping he would have a chance to shoot a few Japs if they broke formation. No such luck, the release went off without a hitch, the Americans returning to Santo Tomas and the Japs ostensibly getting wiped out by Filipino guerrillas they ran into by chance some minutes later. That last part is something I would love to see verified as it has never been quite documented that I know of.
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Post by EXO on Jan 29, 2017 8:50:10 GMT 8
The following is posted at the invitation of Lou Jurika. Lou does not place much reliance on anything written by Rupert Wilkinson (or Denny Milligan for that matter), so he advises extreme caution. He concedes that Angus Lorenzen's recollection of six Japanese soldiers being tied up in a round nipa shack on the grounds of Santo Tomas on February 6th opens up a whole new aspect to be pursued. He can't recall AVH Hartendorp mentioning that in his book on The Japanese Occupation of The Philippines, "but on the other hand Angus Lorenzen doesn't make things up", so this warrants further investigation of just exactly who those Japanese soldiers were and where they came from, not to mention where they subsequently were taken.
In my book "Manila 1945 - Aftermath" I included a National Archive image of a several Japanese PW's on a work detail burying a number of coffins at the site of the Camp's garden. They are working under the very watchful eyes of members of the 1st Cavalry. Based on conversations I've had with men who had guard duties over Japanese PW's in the Philippines, it's unlikely that the prisoners were inclined to escape, being aware that they were far safer inside the compound than outside where the Filipinos could have their way with them.
I have also quoted A.V.H. Hartendorp who wrote "In the late afternoon of Synday 4th, six American soldiers, killed in action the night before, and three internees were buried near the boardwalk to the gymnasium. Some Japanese were buried some distance away."
So, here's what Lou sent me: From: Angus Lorenzen [mailto:xxxx@xxxx.net] Sent: Friday, January 27, 2017 9:44 AM To: 'Louis Jurika' <xxxx@xxxx.com> Subject: RE: ERNEST STANLEY Hi Lou You say you are looking for verification that the Japanese guards escorted from Santo Tomas on February 6, 1945 and released in a location that they had designated were subsequently wiped out by Filipino guerrillas. On the afternoon of February 6, survivors of that massacre were brought back into Santo Tomas and confined in a round nipa shed, outside of the east side of the Annex building, which previously had been used for grinding coconuts to make milk. I saw about 6 prisoners seated on the ground with hands tied behind them. I was told that they were guards who had survived a firefight with guerrillas after they were released from Santo Tomas. I wrote of this incident in my book, "A Lovely Little War." In critiquing my book, Rupert Wilkinson claimed that the Americans had tipped off the guerrillas, so they were lying in wait for the Japanese. He stated that this was highly unethical of the Americans. I don’t remember if Wilkinson made this claim in his book "Surviving a Japanese Internment Camp", but I was so furious when I read the book because of all of his inaccuracies (particularly his statements about me) that I might have forgotten that one. Wilkinson claims he has written the definitive history about Santo Tomas and claims he has personal knowledge as a survivor. I only found out later that Wilkinson lived outside of Santo Tomas for most of the occupation, and his family only entered the internment camp in mid-1944. His book is a highly annotated academic work with many citations of other people’s work. He has used information from many books written by people who were in the camp, and infuriated people through his misinterpretation of what they wrote. Cheers, Angus
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E.G. Miller (LTC, Ret)
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Post by E.G. Miller (LTC, Ret) on Jan 22, 2021 11:09:45 GMT 8
Mr. Jurika, Am interested in your post re. Stanley, the Education Bldg. negotiations and your father's activity in this event. If you receive this pls email me at millereg2@gmail.com. Thank you. Ed Miller
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Post by EXO on Jan 23, 2021 10:23:11 GMT 8
Mr. Jurika, Am interested in your post re. Stanley, the Education Bldg. negotiations and your father's activity in this event. If you receive this pls email me at XXXXXX@gmail.com. Thank you. Ed Miller Lou doesn't often visit the forum, so I have passed your request and email address directly to him. I have deleted your email to preserve your privacy - EXO
Postscript: Lou and Ed are now in direct contact. - EXO
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