We Won't Stay Silent

Claire Phillips

Claire Maybelle Snyder was born, December 2, 1907, in Michigan. Her parents were Jesse Edgar Snyder, a marine engineer and his wife, Mabel. Claire's family moved to Portland, Oregon, when she was a young child. She attended Franklin High School, before running away to join a travelling circus. Some accounts give her birth name as, Mabel Clara Dela Taste.

In the 1930's, she worked in night clubs around the northwest US and later joined a music stock company, that toured East Asia including, Hong Kong & Manila. While on tour in the Philippines, she met Filipino sailor, Manuel Fuentes, at a nightclub where she was performing. They married and had a daughter, Dian (Americanized Diane) Claire. The marriage didn't last long and the couple soon divorced, than Clair briefly returned to Portland.

Before the beginning of WW2, Claire Fuentes, returned to the Philippines and was singing in a nightclub, when she met her future husband, Sgt. John Phillips of the 31st Infantry Regiment. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the couple retreated with the army from Manila. On December 24, 1941, they married in the jungle.

During the Japanese occupation of the Philippines during 1941-42, John was captured. He later died in a prison camp, though Claire didn't learn this until much later. After American forces surrendered on April 9, 1942, Claire was persuaded by an American soldier turned insurgent named, Captain John Boone (who was also part of the 31st Infantry Regiment) to help the resistance. Working with the young Filipino dancer, Fely Corcuera, Claire forged papers and created a new identity for herself as a Philippines-born Italian dancer named, Dorothy Clara Fuentes. Together, the two women established a cabaret called, Club Tsubaki; a gentleman's club that soon became popular with Japanese officers in Manila. Using the cabaret as a cover, Claire was a member of the so-called "Miss U Spy Ring", that obtained information from the Japanese officers, who were patrons at the club. The spy ring was in place to help support the Filipino resistance & some of the information she collected was transmitted to American forces in the Pacific and used to counter Japanese military maneuvers.

In addition to spying, she worked extensively with Naomi Flores, Margaret Utinksy & anti-Japanese guerilla groups, to smuggle badly-needed food, medicine, supplies and news to the prisoners of the Cabanatuan camp. To the prisoners at Cabantuan, she became known as "High Pockets", the name was said to be a reference to how she hid messages in her brassiere. On May 23, 1944, Claire was arrested by the Kenpeitai (Japanese military police) after one of the messengers she used to contact the POW's at Cabanatuan was captured, interrogated and killed. She was taken to Bilibid Prison, the infamous Japanese prison in Manila, which was only 2 miles from the American prison camp. Despite being tortured, Claire refused to divulge any information. She was held in solitary confinement for 6 months and was set to be executed for espionage. Her sentence was commuted to 12 years of hard labour. In January 1945, when she was released from prison by American forces, she was close to starving to death.

After WW2, Claire filed a claim with the United States Court of Claims for $146,850, in reward for her wartime services. The court turned down her claim, determining she was "guilty of false testimony & fraud". Another court ruling in 1957, found that many of her "statements and claims were later found to be without foundation" but nevertheless awarder her $1349.21, for the aid she provided to American prisoners of war and Filipino guerillas.

After the war, Claire returned with her daughter, Diane, to the US: where she wrote, Manila Espionage, a book retelling her experiences. She received the Medal of Freedom in 1951, upon the recommendation of General Douglas MacArthur.

Claire Fuentes-Phillips died of meningitis on May 2, 1960, age 52.