On Park’s orders, Stevens used Japanese aircraft and aircrews to assist in the withdrawal of former prisoners from the interior of Java and Sumatra. At first, he restricted the use of Japanese aircraft to freight work in case lives should be lost through the use of uncertain equipment, but during a visit to Java in December, Park found that unless he authorized the use of Japanese aircraft to carry passengers, evacuation would be delayed and suffering prolonged among the thousands still to be rescued. He would also be placing a still heavier burden upon his own hard-worked men and machines.
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