Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1942-04-02
Buckley Thought Macarthur
Planned Entire Trip by Boot
Torpedoboot Commander Was Willing to Try
And Did Not Learn of Real Scheme Until Later

Clark Lee. 35-year- Asso-
ctdted Press tDGr correspondent
whose BQt1dn dispatches are de-
scrtbed By Army men as "the best
the t0dr has produced on any
'front.'" drTiped in Australia three
days ago.
Mr.. Lee left Bataan some time
before Gen. Douglas Macarthur,
but Army censorship has forced
him to withhold details OF his
trip.
In the toIlo,Ding dispatch, hot0-
eUer1 he sheds fresh light on the
conditions under Which Mr.. Mac
Arthur his ,Dite and young son
got to Australia.
BY CLARK LEE,
Associated Press War Correspondent.
GEN. MAC ARTHUR'S HEAD
QUARTERS IN AUSTRALIA, April
2.-For military reasons the story
of our trip from Bataan Peninsula
to Australia has been delayed and
even now some details cannot be
published, but as a matter of fact
the journey was rather uneventful
and the high light was congratulate
ing Gen. Macarthur today and
hearing the story of his trip from
members of his staff.
We knew when some days age we
heard by radio of his arrival in
Australia that he must have left
Bataan with great reluctance and
only because he believed that by do
ing so he could better serve the
Philippines and the whole Allied
cause.
When it was finally decided that
he would have to leave, Gen. Mac
Arthur called in that bold bucka-
roo, 1t. John D. Buckley, motor
torpedo boat commander, and asked
If the lieutenant could take him
through.
1t. Buckley looked squarely at
Gen. Macarthur with his cold green
eyes and replied:
"On the nose. sir"
Did Not Understand Plans.
1t. Buckley thought, so the gen.
eral discovered later, that the as
signment was to run through the
japanese lines all the way to Aus
tralia in his tiny but tough boat
The general made clear that their
destination was an island in the
Philippines and asked 1t. Buckley
if he could make it through waters
in which the japanese were attack
ing shipping.
Can do. SIR 1t. Buckley an
swered-and it is history that he
did, although the journey was
difficult.
Gen. Macarthur is delighted with
the cooperation he has received in
Australia and is as confident as ever
that the Japanese can be stopped
and crushed.
Just before he left the Philippines
he staged several attacks which
pushed the Japanese back a con-
siderable distance on Bataan.
These blows were combined with
an attack on japanese ships in
midget but ingenious air force.
Caught 10 Jap Ships.
His aviators rugged a bombing
device onto their planes. enabling
them to dive at targets with fairly
heavy explosive loads. They caught
10 ships in Subic Bay and sank five
of them, including an 18,000-ton
transport on which it was estimated
that 5000 Japanese soldiers were
killed.
The Japanese were heard at that
time to complain bitterly about
"MacArthur's unfairness in send
ing planes to bomb and machine
gun soldiers while innocently swim
ming in Subic Bay and not carry
Ing weapons"
Our trip was tame compared with
Gen. MacArthur's.
Melville Jacoby. correspondent for
Time and Life magazines. and his
wife and I left Bataan for reasons
which still cannot be disclosed ex-
cept to say that the journey def
nitely was not an escape from the
war we had seen since its first day
and in which We had developed
the sincerest admiration for Gen.
Macarthur and his Filipino and
American soldiers, whose gallant
cause We believe is still not lost.
We hope to return to see them
recOnQuer the Philippines.