The thrilling message, "Send us more Japs" came from Wake Island before it fell to the Nipponese on Dec 23 1941. Ensign Bernard J. Lauff, of Milan Mich. a communication officer on Wake, said here while on his way home It was Just possible that he sent It, although he doesn't recall. However Lauff explained It was common practice to pad out short messages In order to confuse the enemy He could have used those words for padding purposes. The occasion for Lauff's explanation yesterday was an assertion In San Diego Calif, by Commander Campbell Kaene veteran of the fall of Wake, that Lauff authored the message. For some time, the message had been attributed to the Marine garrison commander Lieutenant Colonel James P S Devereux. But when Devereux was liberated from a Japanese prison camp recently he at once denied he ever sent such a message, saying frankly his leathernecks already had all the Japan that they could handle and then some.
