accompaniment. It was a touching gesture.
While we do not recall the
words, the song ends on the theme of "We will be waiting to meet you
again, sometime, somewhere."
Shortly thereafter, we said our formal good-byes.
The group ac-
companied us to the ship's ladder where the entire crew appeared to be
assembled on deck.
At this time they presented to each member of our
team a paper-wrapped, oblong package with their personal good wishes.
(Our assumption as to the liquid contents was later confirmed to be
"Fine, Old, Rare". )
Our actual departure was accompanied by handshakes, formal salutes
and repeated good wishes and expressions of personal regard.
In response
to the continuous waving of all the Japanese, we returned the gesture
from the deck of the launch and all continued to wave until we were out
of sight of each other.
1200
Even from the dock, we exchanged hand-waving.
Wrote and dispatched final message from Rabaul to Commander
JTF-7 (see Tat L, Appendix I).
1330
The afternoon was very pleesantly spent with the Haszlers on
a motor tour of the Gazelle Peninsula, travelling the high
ridge surrounding the harbor of Rabaul.
Numerous native
villages were pointed out to us and we actually visited one
native hut.
As explained to us by Dr. and Mrs. Heszier, the
family groups sitting at the roadside and the noticeable foot
traffic on the roads is the usual Sunday routine for the natives.
Wherever we went, children and adults alike waved to us froz
the roadside.
During this tour, we went through a recently
~
CONFIDENTIAL
e.
Baer
7IS
ROE ARCH/~-