Evening star., 1944-09-26
Gen. K. J. Marshall Anxious
To Settle Debt Left in Manila
Aide Of Macarthur
Hopes to Be Among
First to Return
BY MURLIN SPENCER.

Associated Press War Correspondent.
ALLIED HEADQUARTERS IN
THE SOUTHWEST PACIFIC. -
Maj. Gen. Richard Jaquelin Mar
shall has a debt at the Army and
Navy Club in Manila which he
hopes to settle in the not too. dis
tant future.
1t was contracted the night of
December 81, 194l, when Manila lay
under the red glow of fires along
the waterfront and the advancing
Japanese were only a few miles
away. Gen. Marshall went to the
club for one last big dinner before
showing off for Corregidor. He had
that dinner but the head waiter,
stickler for formality even in the
city's last dying minute, gave him
the bill to sign.
But Gen. Marshall has other debts
to settle as WELL debts with the
Japanese contracted who captured
some of his best friends.
He is not alone. There are other
Macarthur men," the handful of
key officers who came out of the
Philippines with Gen. Douglas Mac
Arthur more than two years ago
and who live for the day they will
return.
Remained Behind.
Gen. Marshall is the man who
remained behind in Manila after
Gen Macarthur moved his head
quarters to Corregidor. His was the
task of moving supplies, and equip
ment from stores in Manila to Ba-
taan, of closing Manila headquar-
ters while making sure his staff
did not remain long enough to fall
prisoners to the Japanese.
Il shall remember that last night
the night of December 3l-as long
as l live" Marshall said. Il had
spent the week in the city after the
General (MacArthur) moved to
Corregidor on December "a. We
had moved as much material to
Bataan as possible and others were
destroying those things we couldn't
move.
I'VE were the front lines, without
any fighting men. but fortunately
the Jap was advancing cautiously
Il completed all my work and
called for boat to come and take
us to Corregidor, but it was delayed.
We decided we'd have one good meal
anyway. We hadn't had much all
week, sleeping in our clothes beside
the telephone. sending out for sand
Wiches. So we went over to the
club. bought their best steaks. peas,
potatoes-e er y h ing. including
wine, and had it served on the clubs
best silver platters. 1t didn't seem
to make much difference but the
waiter insisted on my signing the
chit.
Boat Arrives
Then We went down to the dock
and found our boat had arrived.
made myself comfortable in my
cabin and fell asleep only to be
awakened by blistering heat that
seemed to sweep over us in waves.
1t beat against the steel sides of the
ship.
From the deck I saw that the
fires we had set on shore had broken
loose and were sweeping out of con-
troll. In matter of minutes flames
200 feet high covered the entire
waterfront. Our ship had to pull
away from the dock. There was
smaller boat loaded with Filipinos
and it collided with a third one. The
harbor was full of tugs all milling
around crafty and if the Jap bomb
ers had come over that night they
could have made a killing"
Then, as now, Gen Marshall was
deputy chief of staff in Gen. Mac
Arthur's command. At 49 his wavy
brown hair is barely touched with
gray at the temples. He is five
feet. seven inches tall and his
weight of ITS pounds is 20 pounds
more than when he came out of
the Philippines.
Twice Married.
Twice married, he had two chill
dren by his first wife. His son,
Richard J. Marshall. jr.. an Army
Air Force enlisted man, was killed
in action in the North Atlantic. His
daughter is Mrs. r. J. Dove, Fort
Bragg. N. C. After his wife's death
in 1884, he married Mrs Isabel c.