Description
Includes typescripts of James M. Robb's
manuscript "Carry On" written while he was a patient at the Bilibid prison-hospital in
the Philippines during World War II; correspondence from his parents' efforts to locate
the manuscript, 1946-48; reports and documents pertaining to Japanese treatment of
Philippine prisoners of war, especially the "Hell Ships" that transported POWs to Japan;
resources collected by his sister Marion Robb about the history of POWs in the
Philippines with related correspondence, 1980-98; and additional family materials from
his daughters Jannis Robb Garred and Allison Robb Marks, including a letter
(photocopied) from James M. Robb to his wife, 1938.
Background
James M. Robb earned his A.B. in political science at Stanford in 1931 and his law
degree in 1934. He worked for three years with the Oakland Title Company before
returning to Manila in 1937, where he joined the law firm of DeWitt, Perkins and Ponce
Enrile. When World War II broke out, he enlisted in the U.S. Army and was a first
lieutenant in the Quartermaster Department during the siege of Bataan. He survived the
Bataan death march and several POW camps in the Philippines, but died at sea in January
1945 while being transported with other POWs to Japan. Robb worked on a book detailing
wartime conditions in the Philippines and the POW camps while he was a patient at the
Bilibid prison-hospital; the manuscript was buried for safekeeping and retrieved when
American troops liberated the Philippines.
Restrictions
All requests to reproduce, publish, quote from, or otherwise use collection materials
must be submitted in writing to the Head of Special Collections and University
Archives, Stanford University Libraries, Stanford, California 94304-6064. Consent is
given on behalf of Special Collections as the owner of the physical items and is not
intended to include or imply permission from the copyright owner. Such permission
must be obtained from the copyright owner, heir(s) or assigns. See:
http://library.stanford.edu/depts/spc/pubserv/permissions.html.
Availability
This collection is open for research.