FAST FACTS: US National Archives has a lot of World War II info

The US National Archives and Records Administration (Nara) considers the Philippine Archives Collection (PAC) an invaluable source of information on World War II in the Pacific. The PAC sheds light on the treatment of prisoners of war, military operations in the Philippines from 1941 to 1942, guerrilla warfare in the country, and conditions in the country under Japanese occupation.

The PAC has a total of 1,665 boxes. These were combined with the records of the US Recovered Personnel Division of the Armed Forces in the Pacific.

The PAC was moved to Kansas City, then to St. Louis, Missouri, and it is now at the Nara in College Park, Maryland.

The focus of the collection is on people who served in military or civilian capacities or in guerrilla units during the war in the Philippines. The records were collected to determine which claims for compensation were valid.

The Nara said “eligibility was easily established for veterans of the Philippine Army, Philippine Scouts, or guerrilla units that were recognized by Gen. Douglas MacArthur.

Members of outlaw guerrilla units that consisted of thieves and bandits as well as guerrilla units that sought to eliminate both the American and Japanese presence from the [Philippines] were not eligible for benefits or compensation.”

SOURCES: US NARA, PVAO