Forgotten heroes : Japan's imprisonment of American civilians in the Philippines, 1942-1945 : an oral history / Michael P. Onorato
Title
Forgotten heroes : Japan's imprisonment of American civilians in the Philippines, 1942-1945 : an oral history / Michael P. Onorato
Subject
Prisoners of war--Philippines--Interviews.
Prisoners of war--United States--Interviews.
World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American.
World War, 1939-1945--Prisoners and prisons, Japanese.
Description
This volume is a compilation of four oral histories conducted as part of the California State University, Fullerton Oral History Program.
Onorato is an American historian specializing in the Philippines during the American colonial period, and these interviews were meant to document the experiences of some key individuals; these were published as separate volumes in 1977-1987, right after the interviews were conducted.
The first of the four is "Henry Sioux Johnson: Stranger in a Strange Land." Johnson is a Chinese American fleeing from the Japanese in Shanghai only to be caught in Manila by the war. As an American citizen, he was interned in Santo Tomas and Los Baños. He discusses his internment in this interview. A study he conducted on the former internees is appended.
The second interview is "James J. Halsema: The Internment Camp at Baguio," where Halsema narrates his experiences in Baguio at the start of the war, and internment in Camp Holmes (now Camp Dangwa), and later Bilibid. Three articles written by Halsema (and published in the "Bulletin of the American Historical Collection") on the camp in Baguio and a list of internees are appended. (Halsema was the son of the prewar mayor of Baguio, and was a correspondent for the Manila Daily Bulletin at the start of the war).
The third interview is of a husband and wife, "Maurice and Virginia Chapman: Experiences in the Philippines." Maurice was a British bank accountant, while Virginia was an American; both met in the Philippines and were married in India. In this interview, they narrate their experiences from the start of the war (they were in Cebu), internment (in Cebu, Santo Tomas and Los Baños), and life in the Philippines before the war. Two articles written right after the war supplement the interview.
The last set of interviews is "Two Jesuits at Los Baños: Leo A. Cullum and James B. Reuter," where, in separate interviews, the two priests narrate their experiences as American Jesuits with Ateneo de Manila College caught up in the war in Manila. They describe life in occupied Manila and subsequent internment in Los Baños from 1944 to 1945. An article written by Fr. Reuter, “Singing in Captivity”, is added.
Onorato is an American historian specializing in the Philippines during the American colonial period, and these interviews were meant to document the experiences of some key individuals; these were published as separate volumes in 1977-1987, right after the interviews were conducted.
The first of the four is "Henry Sioux Johnson: Stranger in a Strange Land." Johnson is a Chinese American fleeing from the Japanese in Shanghai only to be caught in Manila by the war. As an American citizen, he was interned in Santo Tomas and Los Baños. He discusses his internment in this interview. A study he conducted on the former internees is appended.
The second interview is "James J. Halsema: The Internment Camp at Baguio," where Halsema narrates his experiences in Baguio at the start of the war, and internment in Camp Holmes (now Camp Dangwa), and later Bilibid. Three articles written by Halsema (and published in the "Bulletin of the American Historical Collection") on the camp in Baguio and a list of internees are appended. (Halsema was the son of the prewar mayor of Baguio, and was a correspondent for the Manila Daily Bulletin at the start of the war).
The third interview is of a husband and wife, "Maurice and Virginia Chapman: Experiences in the Philippines." Maurice was a British bank accountant, while Virginia was an American; both met in the Philippines and were married in India. In this interview, they narrate their experiences from the start of the war (they were in Cebu), internment (in Cebu, Santo Tomas and Los Baños), and life in the Philippines before the war. Two articles written right after the war supplement the interview.
The last set of interviews is "Two Jesuits at Los Baños: Leo A. Cullum and James B. Reuter," where, in separate interviews, the two priests narrate their experiences as American Jesuits with Ateneo de Manila College caught up in the war in Manila. They describe life in occupied Manila and subsequent internment in Los Baños from 1944 to 1945. An article written by Fr. Reuter, “Singing in Captivity”, is added.
Creator
Onorato, Michael Paul, 1934-
Publisher
Westport, CT : Meckler, c1990
Date
1990
Format
29 x 22 cm.
Type
Hardbound
Identifier
887363865
Call Number
D 805 .P6 O56 1990
Accession Number
14078
Pagination
xx, 318 p.
Illustration
ill.
Files
Collection
Citation
Onorato, Michael Paul, 1934-, “Forgotten heroes : Japan's imprisonment of American civilians in the Philippines, 1942-1945 : an oral history / Michael P. Onorato,” FHL-Roderick Hall, accessed December 16, 2025, https://fhl.omeka.net/items/show/683.