Claire Philips (1907-1960) was spurred to action after seeing the horrible Japanese treatment of American prisoners of war during World War II. She used her skills as a night club hostess and entertainer to gain information and funds to help the Allies.
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Hello, from Wonder Media Network, I’m Jenny Kaplan and this is Encyclopedia Womannica.
Today’s spy was spurred to action after seeing the horrible Japanese treatment of American prisoners of war during World War II. She used her skills as a night club hostess and entertainer to gain information and funds to help the Allies. Even after she was captured and tortured she never gave up her fellow spies. Let’s talk about Claire Phillips.
Claire Maybelle Snyder was born on December 2, 1907 in Michigan to Jesse, a marine engineer, and his wife Mable. When Claire was young her family relocated to Portland, Oregon. Claire graduated from high school, but she didn’t care for academics and ran away to join a traveling circus in 1923.
Claire then performed with the Baker Stock Company, a theater group based in Portland, for a short time before working in night clubs during the 1930s. After that, she joined another traveling music company and toured east Asia, finally landing in the Philippines. While performing in a nightclub in the Philippines, Claire met Filipino sailor Manuel Fuentes. The pair married and had a daughter named Dian. But the marriage fell apart as quickly as it started, and Claire returned back to Portland with their daughter. That said, it seems their marriage would be on again off again for many years.
Claire didn’t stay in the U.S. for long. She returned to the Philippines in 1941 to perform in nightclubs once again under the name Claire Fuentes. While there, Claire’s seductive singing attracted the attention of Sergeant John V. Phillips of the 31st Infantry Regiment. According to Claire, she and John got engaged. But the happy occasion was marred by dangerous times ahead.
World War II was well under way and in December of 1941, the Japanese Imperial Army invaded the Philippines. Claire and John fled with the US army away from Manila to the Bataan peninsula. On Christmas Eve 1941, Claire later said that she and Sergeant John Phillips married.
The couple was not together long before John returned to battle. In 1942, John was taken prisoner after the Filipino -American Army surrendered. He was sent to a Prison Camp where American prisoners were treated brutally. John would remain there until his death.
Claire witnessed firsthand what the American prisoners endured during the Bataan Death March. The knowledge of what her husband was likely subjected to in prison inspired Claire to join the resistance.
She decided to go undercover as a Philippine-born Italian dancer named Dorothy Clara Fuentes. Alongside Filipino dancer Fely Corcuera, Claire opened a cabaret and gentlemen’s club named Club Tsubaki. Claire used her singing to attract Japanese officers as patrons.
Using the cabaret as a cover, Claire obtained information from the Japanese. She also used the money she earned to smuggle food and medicine to prisoners of war. Because Claire would smuggle messages in her bra, she became known as “High Pockets.”
Club Tsubaki was home to a successful spy ring for many years. The information Claire collected was transmitted to American forces in the Pacific and used to predict and counter Japanese military activities.
But in May of 1944, Claire’s operation was exposed. The Japanese military police captured one of her messengers. Claire was apprehended and sent to Bilibid Prison.
Despite being tortured with waterboarding, beatings, cigarette burns and mock beheadings; Claire never gave up information to the Japanese. She was rescued in February of 1945 when American soldiers liberated the prisoners.
After her release, Claire moved back to Portland. Claire suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder due to her time in prison.
She wrote a memoir detailing her war experience titled Manila Espionage which was released in 1947. The memoir became the basis of the 1951 film, I Was an American Spy, starring Ann Dvorak. Claire also made an appearance on the television show This Is Your Life in 1950.
At the recommendation of General Douglas MacArthur; Claire was awarded the Medal of Freedom in 1951.
On May 22, 1960, she passed away from meningitis. She was 52 years old.
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