Feb. 7, 1942 (Saturday)

Netherlands East Indies

Still down with fever — feel like hell. “Doc” been over to see me several times and is dosing me up. Pendola volunteered to keep an eye on me, and his first official act last night was to threaten the manager with death and distraction if he didn’t produce a blanket for me — after much mumbo-jumbo one appeared.

Brownie came back last night with his radio out of commission. Still no word of Hogan. Six fellows just came in on a sub from Corregidor — one of them is Swenson.

Another air raid today — nine planes — one bomb each — a bit of damage to Holland pier. They had already dropped their bombs when the siren went off — heard later that the Dutch observers thought they were American B-17s returning from Balikpapan. The worst damage they do is to scare the native workmen away — these people seem to have neither the stoicism of the Chinese, nor the fatalism of the Mohammedan. The Dutch aren’t too much better — they race out-of-town in their cars. the minute the sirens go off. Each air raid makes the town a little more deserted — the native shops seem to be closing one by one.