Father Hurley’s wartime memoirs

"In 1936 the Rev. John Fidelis Hurley, S.J., a powerfully built and indomitable young man of forty-six, assumed office as superior of the Jesuit Mission of the Philippines." Thus begins the Introduction to a new book published by the Ateneo University Press. The book is entitled Wartime Superior in the Philippines, the memoirs of World War II of Father John F. Hurley. The Introduction is by Francis X. Curran S.J., Professor of History at Fordham University, who had been appointed by Jesuit superiors to nag Father Hurley into writing his memoirs. Father Hurley had been reluctant to write down his experiences. "I don’t want to toot my own horn," he said. But orders from superiors had of course to be obeyed and the result is this book.

This is one of the most important books written about the War and the Japanese Occupation. It is not only important. It is also extremely interesting. Every chapter tells a story told simply and clearly by a clear-minded man who had very interesting experiences to tell.

In the vacuum of leadership during the Japanese Occupation, Father Hurley found himself looked up to by hundreds as a leader, and had proved to be a tower of strength, until he was at last imprisoned by the Japanese. He entered the concentration camp weighing 210 pounds, a "powerfully built man": he emerged from prison weighing only 130 pounds, no longer powerfully built but still indomitable.

It would not be true to say that I was a privy to everything in this book. But many of the things narrated were events or situations of which I was a witness, and I can testify to the meticulous accuracy with which Father Hurley tells his story.

Hurley had to fight not only the Japanese. He had to fight President Quezon who had highhandedly and contrary to existing practices ordered a Jesuit novice, Teodoro Arvisu, inducted in the army. That was one fight Hurley lost. Quezon ordered Hurley arrested and Arvisu inducted. Arvisu went to Bataan, won a medal for bravery, suffered in the Death march and in Capas, and returned to the novitiate.

Unlucky with Quezon, Hurley was luckier with the Japanese. He managed to keep together at the Ateneo more than 300 persons, including refugees. Despite constant harassments, that large community managed to remain free for one year and a half. Finally Hurley himself was imprisoned, the Ateneo was taken over by the Japanese, and the Americans were imprisoned, the rest dispersed.

The various incidents described here give an accurate picture of what the Japanese were like, and what the Occupation meant to the people of the Philippines. It also gives a glimpse (though that was not the book’s intent) into the religious situation in Manila and its environs.

The book also tells much of the Filipinos themselves. The Filipinos described in this book are a mixed lot. Many of those mentioned were heroes. Father Hurley was one American who not only liked Filipinos but admired them.

"Powerfully built and indomitable" were the adjectives used by Curran to describe Father Hurley. We who knew him well could add other adjectives. One of his traits was a concern (perhaps we might use a stronger word, a passion) for justice. Traditionally, Americans are known for their desire to give everyone his due. Fair play. Hurley had that virtue in an extraordinary degree. He wanted to be fair even to his opponents. One example (not mentioned in this book): One of his best friends, was an American businessman who had actually sued the Jesuits. When Hurley became superior he asked the lawyers for a review of all pending litigation. When this man’s complaints were explained to him he said, "But the man is in his rights. Call him. I want to talk to him." The man became one of his most loyal friends. Hurley was fair even to the Japanese.

One sidelight in the book: the amount of help given to the needy not only by the Jesuits but by many individuals, often at great risk.

Father Hurley’s work did not end when the Japanese imprisoned him. As soon as he was released he began to deal with the new situation. He founded the Catholic Welfare Organization (CWO), which eventually became the Catholic Bishops’ Conference (CBCP).

The Ateneo de Manila University Press deserves credit for finally publishing Hurley’s wartime memoirs. And Father Jose Arcilla S.J. has done the country a service with his annotations.