Dr. John W. Ditzler Reassigned - Philippine Defenders Main

BATAAN RELIEF
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vancementof one grade in rank is the least thai. wec:an do for them.
Had it not been for their j;taUanlstand it is hard to say what might
have happened in our waf with theJapanese. These boys kept t he
J aps so busy that they did not have the time. nor the inclination
to move in on us at Hawaii, and other places.
We, who know these boys: who have lived with them and
watched many of them grow to manhood from children; who intimately
knew the officers who commanded t hem can never believe
that there was a coward in the group. These boys volunteered for
action, and they knew when they volunteered that in a short peri·
od of t.ime they would see that action. They were promised one
year's training before they would be moved overseas - they
received somewhere between six and eight months training. 1bwards
t he last of t.his t raining they had only one gun to train with.
They all knew when they leftEI Paso that they had not the proper
training for battle. yet everyone of them were more than anxious
to gel. into baWe. Had there been any cowards among them. they
would havegott.en out before they left EI Paso. All of them were happy
in the thoughts thaI. 81.Iast they were going to see action - t he
action for which they had all enlisted.
Undoubtedly, there is more to the Secretary's letter than appears
on the surface. Could it be that he now wished to accuse-our
brew boys of cowardice so that the inadequacies of his own deplU't·
ment might be covered up? Could it be that he does not wish the
public to know how little these boys had to fight with, when it was
his duty to see that they were properly prepared? Could it be that
he is trying, now. to discredit that gallant soldier. General MacArthur?
Perhaps, Senator. it might be better that the Court Martial
of the two high ranking officers from Hawaii be held at once. land
I understand that they are perfectly willing to be tried atoncel. so
thaI. the public may know who is to blame for t he loss of the Philippines.
Secretary Stimson will never be able to cover up the failure
of his own Department by calling the boys of Bataan. "cowards':
We. of the last war. know GeneralMacArthur, we know how men
under him fight; we know that never would a man under his com·
mand surrender until given the word by his superior officer, we
don't know. but we all feel that MacArthur has been given a lousy
deal. but most of us are positive in our thoughts that the boys of
the 200th - not oneof them - was ever a coward or a slacker in his
duty.
Cordially yours.
(Signedl Paul C. Corrigan.
National Executive Committeeman.
lll.h District. comprising New Mexico.
Colorado. Utah and Wyoming.
Bataan Club of Salinas (BROI;
Mr. Henry A. Stimson.
SeCretary of War,
W,.shington, D.C.
Dear Mr. Stimson,
Salinas, California.
Dec. 1st. 1943.
With reference to your letler to the Senate Military Affairs
Committee. relative to Senate Bill 1374, and your opposition to
resular promotions for men taken prisoner in the Philippines. Wake
and Guam campaigns.
Un less the public has been badly misinformed, our men involved
in the fu-stcampaignsof the war, surrendered only after taking
physical. ment.aland moral beatings beyond the capacity ofhuman
nature to absorb.
it will be remembered, 'A'f! hope. that these men were sacrificed
necessarily butcold·bJoodedly. to hold up theJaps- progress as long
as possible. They fought long after they had suffered the shock of
learning that in spite of all the glowing promises they had heard.
they were completely on their own. Without a doubt, t hey met the
testand measured up to it. Surely in return for all this. there should
come a realiution of our obligation to these men.
I n view of the facts. we cannot do other than take exception to
your opposition.
14 - THEQUAN
Yours very truly.
THE BATAAN CLUB OF SALiNAS.
From a mother of a son now a prisoner of the Japanese who
fought on Bataan, and Vice-President and co-founder of BRO:
Rt. 2. Box 606
Albuquerque. New Mexico
December 16, 1943.
Hon. Henry L. Stimson
Secretary of War
Washington, D.C.
Dear Mr. Stimson:
After thinking seriously about the recent report of yourobjection
to Senate 8ill1374, I feel I mustwriteyou as I knawthere musl
be some misunderstanding some place. I do not forget that you and
Mr. Hull stood practically alone on the issue of sending aid to the
Philippinea.
While 'A'f! know that a great many of our Senators were in favor
of sending General MacArthur men and material, they have not.,
so far, had the authority. I feel Mr, Stimson. that our men and boys
in the Pacific were and still are in a peculiar position in regard t(l the
usual practices of warfare. and in regard to aid, there is no use going
into the terrible struggles of Wake. Guam, and the Philippines.
It is a page in American History we will forever look at with shame.
The first, and we pray the on ly time we sent our soldiers into bat,..
tie and did not back them up - the first time our soldiers were ever
sent any place the Stars and Stripes waved that they could not look
up when they heard the Star' Spangled Banner and say: "Every
man. woman and child under that banner is behind us. They will see.
we get help." They were so sure of it. But the men, the ships, the
planes. t he medicine and supplies were not rorour sick, starving
and wounded men.
I realize we had to assist Europe. if only for ourO'Wn protection,
but wealso had en obligation to ourselves to uphold our awn honor.
T have investigated and have been informed by good authority that
ninety·seven per cent of the men going overseas now want to go to
the Pacific. They remember Bataan. Wake, and Guam.
Our men, going into battle in the other theatres of war. have
weapons to fight with, full stomachs to build up their strength. If
sick or wounded. they have medicine. blood plasma and hospit.als.
thank God - but our men had none of these things and those that
survive are now prisoners.
There are thousands of men here in this country who never had
and never will have one day of foreign service and they are receiving
advancement every few months, while those men of the early
days of our war are placed in a poSition where it is absolutely impossible
for them to advance unless a grateful people. allow them
one advancement a year.
You and I know, as everyone does, it was not humanly possible
for them to hold out a day longer as from all the reports of officers
and men there, as well as from Tokyodispatches. they were so weak
that many could not even stand - sick. starving, barefooted. and
in rags. Could anyone ask any more of them?
We hope and pray that none of our gallant men taken prisoners
by Germany will have toserve even a year. and we thank God they
are getting a Red Cross package once every week. but those taken
in the Pacific have already served two years, and in that time they
have received. we hope, two Red Cross packages.
Mr. Stimson. lam asking not only asa mother of the boysoV1!r
there. but as a citizen of one of these, our most glorious United
States- can't we do something to show those men and boys that
we still love justice and that their early struggles are appreciated
by a grateful and loving nation.
Senate BiI11374
Sincerely yours,
Ethel M. Bickford
(Mrs. Charles Bickfordl.
The following is acopyofthis INFAMOUS bill designed only
to give our heroes a promotion of which they justly deserve:
78th - 1st - Chavez
To provide for promotion of certain American prisoners of war.
That effective December 8. 1942, each officer of the Army.
Navy, (including the Coast Guard) or Marine Corps below the grade
of colonel or corresponding grade in the other services. and each
ICon/hilled on Poge 15)