Evening star., 1945-10-29
Sen. Woinwrisht's Own Story:
tier; Wainwright Broodcosts to Mindonuo
(TWenty-third of a Series.)
BY GEN. JONATHAN M.
WAINWRIGHT.

When Col. Jesse T. Traywick re-
turned with the typed copy of my
enforced surrender letter to Maj
Gen. William F. Sharp, Col. Haba
the Jap in charge of me, informed
me that he was taking me to Manila
in the afternoon to broadcast these
same instructions to Sharp and to
make similar broadcasts to Coils
Guillermo Nakar and j. p. Horan
commanders of the small force still
unconquered in Northern Luzon
Sharp commanded a larger force OF
Americans and Filipinos on Minda-
mao.
baked at the broadcast demand
for it went against my grain. ]
told Haba that Sharp in all prob
ability would ignore my radio Or
ders. An argument began, but !
suddenly ceased in the middle of
the debate. For it occurred to me
that such a broadcast would give
Sharp "a hours leeway to get in
touch with Gen. Macarthur, while
my written orders were en- route:
"a hours in which he could inform
Macarthur of the existing situation
and obtain his approval of the pro-
posed surrender.
Haba then left me to go to Bataan
to communicate by phone with 1t.
Gen. MaSaharu Homma's S headquar-
ters He told me he would return at
z o'clock to take me to Manila.
Sat All Day.
All that day l sat in my little
room with the members of my staff
I had decided to take with me- I
had already chosen Col. Traywick
as the officer: to send down to Gen.
Sharp. ASSIGNED my assistant chief
of staff, G-1, Col. N. c. Pillet, to
accompany him. I chose my as
sistant chief of staff, Ga, Col. N. C.
message to Col. Horan and my as
sistant quartermaster, 1t. Col. T.
Kalakuka, to fipd Col. Nakar in the
desolste asda suerrifa la country of North
Col. Kalakuka was tough. Wig
orous soldier with considerable tall
ent as a linguist. But these were to
be some of the last hours I ever
spent with hi IN. He was never heard
of again after setting out to find
Nakar.
Col. Haba returned for me at S
o'clock instead of 2 o'clock. had
packed a bag, but he told me to
leave it; that I would be coming
back to Corregidor that night. But
never saw Corregidor again.
Under guard, Col. Haba led me
and five of my staff officers out of
the tunnels west end. And again
we passed through my captured
men. They were standing there in
the blazing sun in the area where
I had seen them the night before.
Obviously they had not been fed or
given any water during that ter
rible time.
All Get to Feet.
They were in very bad shape. But
as I walked through them they all
got to their feet Some stood at
attention and saluted as I passed,
and I raised my hand to my old
sunhelmet. Others just stood, took
off their hats and held them across
their chests.
Again l felt the tears yelling up
to my eyes and could do nothing to
stop the emotion. am a student
of the Civil War, but not until then
did I know how Gen. r. E. Lee felt
after AppomattoX.
A Jap assault boat, similar to the
one I had used the day before, May
6, 1912, when I went to Bataan to
see Homma, picked us up and took
us across the bay to Lanao, where
we were ordered to debark and were
marched to the front yard of a
Philippine elementary school which
had been turned into a Jap bar
racks.
We were told to wait; that we
would soon leave there for Manila.
After two hours the barracks cook
appeared with little rice and some
bony fish. But we ate every shred
of it, for it was the first food that
any of us had had for 48 hours. An
hour after We finished, and long
after dark, Col. Haba announced
that we would not start for Manila
Japs Work on Nerves.
The patient Jap process Of rot
ting our nerves systems had begun.
We drove up through Bataan,
with all its showdy memories,
rounded the bay by way of San
Fernando Pampanga and Calumpit
where we had fought for the very
right to reach Bataan, and arrived
in Manila in about four hours
Though it was nearly midnight, we
were taken directly to Station
KZRH.
Driving through the streets of the
city-which I had long loved-was
a shock. Although Manila had not
suffered heavily from bombing or
fire at that time. it was a ghost
city. The last time I had been in
the neighborhood of the broadcast
ing station it had had the dazzling
brilliance of Times Square, what
with its theaters, shops. restaurants
and crowded street traffic.
Now there was nothing No one
was astir. Only an occasional Jap
Army vehicle or a furtive pony cart
used the once -bustling streets
Manila was dead.
We were met at the radio station
by Jap propagandist with the
smoothest of manners and a pure
oxford accent. He ushered us in
side, gave us some fruit and in a
lew minutes informed me that he
was ready for my broadcasts.
Broadcasts Order to Quit.
Slowly, and repeating myself fire.
ouently, I broadcast the substance
of the letter to Sharp and ther
repeated the orders to Coils. Nakal
and Horan. Jap news-cameramer
recorded the tragedy.
5y / am. on the morning of May
8 was finished with the disgusting
job. I told Col. Haba that I was
ready to return to Corregidor.
Yet, even as l said it, 1 knew the
Japs-in their nerve-cracking way
had changed their minds. I knew