Netherlands East Indies

A young Dutchman here at the hotel (the Brunet) — an excellent fellow — told me that he compiled the reports of the treatment meted out by the jobs to a group of young Dutch Red Cross nurses at Tarakan. There were 30 of them, and the Japanese soldiers treated them in a mostly revolting and brutal manner. Some of them died and the rest are still in the hospital. Some of them were this fellow’s friends, so he felt it more than most. The people of the U.S. have certainly never begun to be cognizant of Japanese character — literally, they are animals!

Say goodbye to Russe Fette last night — he’s flying to Chungking — that’s better than that cement covered Dutch coaster he was going on.

A few days ago, help finally arrived for us from the U.S. — the old XPBS-1 was flown out here with a load of spare PBY-4 parts! — Was there ever anything to equal it? I think we still have one old “4” left. Now with some spare parts will be able to knock hell out of these Japs — oh boy.

Another air raid — results unknown. Finished C.S. Forrester’s “The Earthly Paradise” — very good. This is about Columbus’s third voyage — Forester can’t be beat when it comes to any kind of a sea story. Read “Lady Chatterley’s Lover” a few days ago. It stunk — whatever made it so much talked over?