An Expats Life in Manila on The Eve of WWII- The 1941 Letters of Charles Mock

(Source: Bulletins of the American Historical Collection 2002)

Charles (Charlie) Mock, age 32 from Cape Cod, Mass, was sent to Manila by Liberty Mutual Insurance Co. to provide services to a contractor engaged in building facilities at Cavite Navy Base and Bataan. Letters to his Mom (July- December 1941) give glimpses of what life was like for an American in Manila just prior to WWII. It’s interesting to note how residents at that time disregarded the danger posed by Japan. In January 1942 Charlie Mock was interned at Santo Tomas University along with other enemies of Japan. BB