Pearl Harbor

Have suspected it for the past few days I cannot say for sure that there is something big “cooking” around here — bigger than anything yet. Can’t say for sure just where we are going to strike, or roughly it’s going to be a big push into the Japanese Mandate, which will be plenty of work for the patrol boats — good! It’s funny, but no one gave me this information, I just pieced together from countless small bits of totally unrelated information — the bearings of departing task forces, Marines practicing landings at Midway, submarines practicing landings in rubber boats at Barbers Point, ships leaving loaded with torpedo boats, photographic interpreters working late, etc., etc.

Went into town this afternoon and after a long search, found some saddle soap for my boots. Dropped in and left Patu my “overseas cap” from Java to have copied. Picked up Marion Robinson and her sister Jean (married to a reserve sub officer). Had dinner with them — damn nice kids. It’s their family that owns the island of Niihau and, till the war, kept it populated with only pure Hawaiians, prohibiting whites or orientals from even landing on it. The family is well loved by Hawaiians in the islands.

Had trouble getting a room at the Royal and was finally taken in by a friend of mine whom I was lucky enough to run into and who had a spare bed. He (Dick Klinge) had one of the best rooms in the hotel (#264) — right on the corner over the beach with a superb view of Diamond Head (in the moonlight). Slept wonderfully.