Evening star., 1944-08-16
japanese Treachery
Revealed on Guam
AS Yankees Gave Up
ny KEITH WHEELER,
North American NeVspaper Allianc


GUAM, Aug. 2 Oelayed) During
the reign of terror coincident with
the Japs' first few weeks on Guam,
the surviving white people were
rounded up.
These included Capt. George j.
McMillin, naval Governor; four
Navy nurses, one wife OF q naval
omcer and other naval and marine
personnel.
All of these Americans were
marched from the Agana plaza
more than 4 miles to Pitt, where
they were put aboard a ship to
Japan.
Slaps Captains Face.
Capt. McMillin's surrender incl
dentally proyided the bitter revela-
ton that Guam was nourishing
traitors. The Jap commander had
Capt. McMillin in the public square,
stripped Of his uniform, rendering
the odicial surrender. Capt. Nc
Millin was given paper and told
to sign.
Capt. McMilhn refused to sign,
saying he was empowered only to
surrender the military forces, not
the people of the island and their
property. Whereupon, from the
crowd, appeared japanese mer-
chant, a long time resident of Guam.
He stepped forward and slapped
|McMillin's face.
The slapping of McMillin-Jap
style, with a doubled fist-was the
first recorded instance of slapping
on Guam. Since then hundreds
have been slapped for crimes rang
ing from failureto bow with the
proper servility to using the English
language and open rebellion.
Life Changed Suddenly.
Life on Guam, always happy.
carefree and comparatively wealthy
place, began to change Immediately
for the worse. And it continued
to change throughout nearly 80
dark and weary months.
Manuel Leon Guerrero, 70, former
Pitt Navy Yard bookkeeper, tells
how things went in the early
months:
After the first fighting. the Japs
herded all the people Of the Agana
area into the plaza. We were forced
to give up all matches, guns, knives,
anything with which we might do
damage"
Each of us received a white cloth
identification tag and were forced to
wear 1t on our left breast" Mr..
Guerrero continued. "All stores of
food and supplies were requisitioned
and brought into Agana. We were
ordered to surrender all United
States money by January 81, 1912"
Tells Of Shaping.
In the matter of money Francisco
Guerrero, 48, who was Agana's sani-
tary commissioner, had something
to say. Because Of his knowledge
Of the people, the Japs quickly made
him clerk In the Agana civil affairs
ONCE. One day he was writing
orders according to direction when
behind him he heard the thudding
Of slap after slap on flesh.
when I dared I looked over my
shoulder. I saw an ofncer slappinR
Pedro Martinez. Pedro was q gray
haired, mild man and the most re-
spected merchant in town. They
were slapping him because he would
not tell where his American money
was. He took the slapping and did
not tell"
On January 10, 1912, American
prisoners were shipped to prison at
the same time as the Japanese
army assault forces departed.
simultaneously, 800 Jap naval per-
sonnel and about 800 civilian jap
workers, clerks, teachers and ON :
cials, took over the island.
Monopoly Takes Over.
Then came something new In the
Islands economic life. This was
the Nanyou Kohatsu Kaisha (South
Seas Development Coz, the Japs'
semigovernmental commercial mo-
nopoly which spreads over the
whole Western Pacific like an
octopus.
The Kohatsu took over all stores
and stocks Of goods, closed most
stores, took over the farm lands and
declared them imperial Jap prop
erty with Emperor Hirohito as the
legal owner
AT first" said Jesusc Barcinas,
former school teacher of Merizo
117TfIco11 1yyoo11rNco17r1ooScoo31 49,,