Talk:Santo Tomas Internment Camp

Latest comment: 11 years ago by RightCowLeftCoast in topic Ernest Stanley

Ernest Stanley edit

A reader has taken offense at my description of Earl Stanley as "the most hated man" in Santo Tomas and one who was always with the Japanese and never communicated with other foreigners in the camp. He cites Earl Carroll as proof that Stanley did communicate with other foreigners. However, Carroll only briefly mentions Stanley as "hanging around the Jap offices" to gather information. That doesn't contradict what I said in the article.

A.V.H. Hartendorp, who wrote the most extensive account of Santo Tomas, said that "Ernest Stanley who served as a translator with the Japanese and who was long looked upon with some suspicion by most of the camp population, was actually a British agent." Celia Lucas in "Prisoners of Santo Tomas" gives an extensive description of Stanley and concludes that he "was possibly the most hated man in camp." She further comments that Stanley was "Number one" on the American "shooting list." Whether Stanley was in fact a British agent, I don't know, although I doubt it. That he was mistrusted, and in fact hated, and considered a collaborator with the Japanese by many or most of the internees seems pretty well established.

I should clarify my intentions. First of all, my description of Stanley as "hated" is a quote -- not my own words. Second, my intention was to portray Stanley as an unlikely hero, a man who became essential because of his knowledge of Japanese and the trust the Japanese had in him. His negotiation of a truce between Americans and Japanese saved the lives of more than 200 hostages and 47 Japanese soldiers holding them. Smallchief (talk) 14:54, 5 August 2012 (UTC) 14:53, 5 August 2012 (UTC), 2 October 2011 (UTC)Reply

To the reader who added the "additional note" to the Ernest Stanley section: the tone of your "note" is inappropriate for this encyclopedia and the additions should either be revised to meet Wikipedia standards or removed. Tad Lincoln (talk) 06:49, 12 December 2012 (UTC)Reply
I have removed the "additional note" per WP:BURDEN. It is verified and does not cite any reliable source.--RightCowLeftCoast (talk) 14:32, 10 March 2013 (UTC)Reply