The Long Hunt

By Aug. 9, when organized enemy resistance on Guam had ended, 10,971 Japs had been buried (along with 1,214 U.S. casualties) and the disorganized enemy had been driven into the hills. To the folks back home a communique announced that Guam had been "secured." But to the bearded, haggard soldiers and marines who had done the securing, that did not mean that the fighting was over--not by a long shot.

This week Marine patrols were still at the dirty, dangerous job of rooting the Japs out of their caves, dead or alive--usually dead. In both phases of the campaign, the prisoner total was only around 500. But in the first three months after the "secure" announcement was issued. 6,267 more Japs were killed. The search went on, would probably continue for months.

One new method of extracting the Japs was a series of inshore patrols by a landing craft. As marines inland prodded every tussock, probed every cave, the LCI cruised close to the cliffs, while a language officer at a loudspeaker urged the Japs to come on down and give up. Among his persuasions: good food, clean beds, plenty of bathing, the chance of honorable surrender. Some of the Japs were persuaded. Many others, still convinced that there was no such thing as honorable surrender, were not.

The LCI men meanwhile learned a little more about Japanese mental processes. One of their cases was a Jap officer who discussed surrender at the water's edge, confident of the protection his flag of truce gave him. He asked 24 hours to make his decision: surrender or harakiri. But when he turned up 24 hours later, he had discovered another alternative. He politely informed the Americans that he had decided to stay in the jungle, politely withdrew.

Far to the south on Morotai, also "secure," the hunt (by Army troops) was still on, as it was on most of the Pacific islands where U.S. troops had broken the Japs. Last week, G.I.s brought in an especially interesting exhibit--a Japanese who spoke good English. He had been lurking around one of the camps for two weeks, had seen U.S. movies from afar. G.I.s grinned when he was asked his opinion of the cinema shows. Said the prisoner: "Lousy."

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