This report provides an overview and policy analysis of the Abu Sayyaf terrorist group in the Philippines and the recently announced Philippine-U.S. program of military cooperation against it. It examines the origins and operations of Abu Sayyaf, the efforts of the Philippine government and military to eliminate it, and the implications of a greater U.S. military role in attempts to suppress it. The report will be updated periodically.

Report collecting statistics from a variety of sources on casualties sustained during Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF), which began on October 7, 2001. OEF actions take place primarily in Afghanistan; however, OEF casualties also includes American casualties in Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Guantanamo Bay (Cuba), Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Jordan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, the Philippines, Seychelles, Sudan, Tajikistan, Turkey, and Yemen.

Photograph of a military Jeep driving on a railroad track. Several soldiers look over their shoulders at the camera.

Letter from Carlos Cheng to George Perutz discussing the upcoming consolidation of the H. Kempner Cotton Company.

Handwritten letter from Chester Nimitz to his grandfather in Fredericksburg. Nimitz discusses preparing for target practice in Manila Bay. He mentions the ship's cat being thrown overboard by the concussion of the 12-inch guns being fired. The cat was recovered. He also mentions entertaining officers of the British fleet.

Handwritten letter from Chester Nimitz to his father in Kerrville. Nimitz mentions the upcoming target practice competition. He also mentions the possibility of returning to China in case of trouble there. At the end, Nimitz asks for Kerrville's newspaper, the Mountain Sun, to be delivered to him.

Letter from Dillon Anderson to Harris Leon Kempner thanking him for his letter of January 6, enclosed with a copy of he Foreign Policy Bulletin on Laos which is of his interest. So, Anderson requests Kempner to suggest any names of the people who are living in The Philippines, South Vietnam, Burma, Laos, Cambodia, and Thailand so he could ouch bases with them.

Letter from George Cooke Brundrett to Valree Brundrett discussing his life during World War II in the Philippines. George was captured and held as a Prisoner of War in May 1942 after his battalion was ordered to surrender. He would die as a P.O.W. in July 1945.

Letter from George Perutz to Harris Kempner discussing international firms in the Philippines and Hong Kong.

Letter from Harris Leon Kempner to Dillon Anderson handing a copy of letter that they have written to their contact in Bangkok, Mr. Lyman. If he couldn't help, he'd at least provide leads. And Kempner mentions that he's working on Philippine letters currently and would send them over once he's done.

Script from the WBAP-TV/NBC station in Fort Worth, Texas, relating a news story.

Script from the WBAP-TV/NBC station in Fort Worth, Texas, relating a news story of the south Vietnamese government who said that the Chinese Task Force that drive Vietnamese forces from the Paracel Islands may be preparing to head for the sparkly chain farther south.

Script from the WBAP-TV/NBC station in Fort Worth, Texas, relating a news story.

Script from the WBAP-TV/NBC station in Fort Worth, Texas, relating a news story.

Script from the WBAP-TV/NBC station in Fort Worth, Texas, relating a news story.

Front: Text describes action on various war fronts: German offensive gains momentum, "Greatest Japanese Defeat," Soviet forces in action, Fighting bitter on Italian front. Maps: [German offensive] -- Mindoro -- Philippine Islands -- Leyte, Samar battle area -- Czechoslovakia, Hungary border -- Northern Italy near Bologna. Back: 1945 calendar with advice: "Every day be careful what you say or write!"

Front: Text describes action on various war fronts: Jap-Held Island Hammered from Air, Philippines take Allied Aerial Blows, Allies Blunt German Western Front Drive, Battle Rages Inside Budapest. Maps: Burma, India, China -- Iwo-Jima -- Distance from Japan to Saipan -- Philippine targets -- Belgium region -- Central Europe -- Eastern front. Back: Map of Germany and its approaches.

Front: Text describes action on various war fronts: Allies score multiple gains in Burma; Luzon hammered from air-superforts active; German bulge compressed; new Philippine landings. Maps: Pacific action; [Burma]; steps to Luzon; Luzon invasion; Counter-offensives. Back: Two black and white aerial photographs of Duren, Germany: before and after.

Front: Text describes action on various war fronts: U.S. aircrafts invade enemy waters, American troops penetrate Luzon, Allies Strike German Perimeter, Red Army on the Move. Maps: U.S. aircrafts invade enemy waters -- Western front salient -- Burma -- American troops penetrate Luzon -- Road to Manila -- Soviet offensive. Back: Color map of Sumatra and Malay states

Front: Text describes action on various war fronts: German Salient Compressed, Red Army in Full Scale Offensive, Tarlac Falls - Pacific Air Action Continues. Maps: European fronts -- South from Lingayen -- Formosa -- South China Sea. Back: Color poster highlights the importance of saving.

Interview with A. B. Rawlinson, a machine gunner in the US Army during WWII. He answers questions about his life during the war and his experience abroad.

Interview with George Holcombe, a Methodist pastor and civil rights activist from Houston, Texas, and his wife and associate Wanda, from Sims, Texas. The Holcombes discuss their family origins, initial exposure to racial problems and civil rights, their respective educations, pastoral work in Baton Rouge and Chicago, the Ku Klux Klan and dangers encountered, work with the Ecumenical Institute of Chicago and empowering black communities, the 1968 Chicago riots, Fifth City, and similar work in Australia and the Philippines.

Interview with Glenn E. McDuffie, an Armed Guard in the U. S. Navy during World War II. He discusses lying about his age in order to join the navy at 15 and his experience in boot camp. He served as an Armed Guard on merchant ships that transported supplies across the Atlantic and remembers being in London while German bombers flew overhead. He transported German prisoners out of Marseilles and Naples shortly after the liberation of those cities. He remembers going to Times Square upon hearing that the Japanese had surrendered. He claims to have been the sailor in the iconic photo of the sailor kissing the nurse in Times Square on V-J Day. He describes how he proved he was the sailor in the photo, what he did after the war, and how he learned that his brother survived the Bataan Death March.

Interview with William Taylor, an executive at Caltex Petroleum Corporation from New York, about his experiences working for the company in the Philippines and Thailand, the joint venture refinery in Thailand, expansion of the company, and the move of headquarters from New York to Dallas.