that I must tell the British Government, statistica, recommendations. Dr. Court is a very grave, sober responsible man, all three of them are in fact. Mr. Evans is a Quaker, and more or less represents them there, although he is too unobtrusive a man to push himself into the limelight. Dr. Griffiths was the Superintendent at the Queen Mary Hospital.
K
They were gravely apprehensive about conditions in Stanley. The physical and mental condition of the people there already showed marked deterioration. They were in no condition, due to severe loss of weight to stand, any epidemics such as dysentery, malaria, colera. There was no quinine in the Colony, practically no medicines. Food was rapidly giving out, only two shiploads of rice had come to the Colony since the capitulation. The enormous supply of tinned food laid in by the Hongkong Government before the war was seriously depleted, so much had been taken away to Japan, and the town had been living on it for months. The condition of people in Stanley was not good, there would be a great many mental cases by the end of the summer, the months of July and August with the usual typhoons and intense heat would be more than they could bear.
The British Government must realize that any plans for the rehabilitating of Hongkong by these people after the war were impossible. They would be in no condition either mentally or physically to do anything, a new group would be required as these people would probably be useless for the rest of their lives There was if left another year in Stanley, if they lived at all. no use sending relief ships with food and medicine, the only course was to get them out, as quickly as possible. Every month of delay meant lives lost eventually.
This was on the 10th of May, and we had many talks in the time after that until I left Hongkong.
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I went on the 11th of May to see Mr. Oda, to thank him for sanctioning my going. He just looked at me and shook his head and said, "No, you cannot go, it is impossible, you are not eligible, you are no longer an American citizen, that law allowing you to retain your citizenship went through in1922, and you were married before that date." This is the summing up of some conversation. I pointed out to him that he had been informed incorrectly, that who ever told him the date of my marriage was wrong, that I had been married in 1984, and the records of the marriage
were in the Consulate General in`Shanghai. I begged him to wire Tokyo, informing them of this. He had explained that he had jurisdiction over a case such as Mrs. Reeves, which he took up direct with the Governor, but, in my case it was a matter to be decided by Tokyo and that if he did the reply would be, "Don't be a fool". He talked very frankly.
He wanted to help, to get me out, but he thought it would be hopeless, so I had to leave it. That same afternoon I was thinking things over, wondering whether there wasn't a possible loophole for another effort. I decided to ask Mr. Gibson to speak to Mr. Oda, and to emphasize again the date of my marriage. He could take it up where I could not. So I wrote to him, and he called in the next morning to say he would do what he could, although he was not at all hopeful. That evening he called in, all smiles, to say that Mr. Oda had wired to Tokyo on my behalf, but had told him not to let me know as he did not want me disappointed.
To know that he had done that, that he felt that way about things meant a good deal, whether he was successful or not.
On Saturday, the 16th of May, I have an entry in my diary to say, "He has fought it through for me, Mr. Oda telephoned to say I was to go with the Americans!!
The moment I heard his voice on the telephone I knew
I have it as all right and he said, "This is 'Mr. Oda speaking, fought it through for you. I wired Tokyo, and they have replied that you are eligible and can go. You will leave on the 20th of June. I am wiring to let your Government know that you will be going. Could any one have done any more for me than that man had done, a perfect stranger, and an enemy at that. He had done as much
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