Claire Phillips
| Claire Phillips | |
|---|---|
World War II spy Claire Phillips
|
|
| Born |
Claire Maybelle Snyder December 2, 1907 Michigan, USA |
| Died | May 22, 1960 (aged 52) Portland, Oregon, USA |
| Nationality | United States |
| Other names | Clara Phillips Clara Fuentes Dorothy Clara Fuentes "High Pockets" |
| Occupation | Entertainer and club owner |
| Known for | World War II spy |
| Notable work | Manila Espionage |
| Home town | Portland, Oregon |
| Spouse(s) | (1) Manuel Fuentes (2) John V. Phillips |
| Children | Dian (Diane) Claire Fuentes |
| Awards | Medal of Freedom |
Claire Maybelle Snyder (December 2, 1907 – May 22, 1960), also known as Clara Fuentes, Clara Phillips, Dorathy Fuentes as well as High Pockets, was an American spy, entertainer, club owner, and author most noted for her exploits in the Japanese-occupied Philippines. She was portrayed by Ann Dvorak in the 1951 movie I Was an American Spy. She was also the author of Manila Espionage, a book about her wartime experiences. In 1951, she was awarded the Medal of Freedom.
Many of Phillips' statements and claims about spying were later determined to be "without foundation", although in 1957 she was awarded $1,349.21 by the United States Court of Claims in compensation for assistance she had provided to American Prisoners of War and Filipino resistance movements.
Claire Maybelle Snyder was born on December 2, 1907 in Michigan to Jesse Edgar Snyder, a marine engineer, and his wife Mable. Claire's family moved to Portland Oregon when she was a young child. She grew up in Portland. She attended Franklin High School in Portland before running away to join a traveling circus
In the 1930s, she worked in night clubs in the northwest U.S. and later joined a musical stock company that toured east Asia including Hong Kong and Manila. While on tour in the Philippines, she met Filipino sailor Manuel Fuentes at a night club where she was performing. They married and had a daughter, Dian [later Americanized to Diane] Claire. The marriage did not last long and soon the couple divorced. She briefly returned to Portland.
Before the beginning of the war, Claire, now Claire Fuentes returned to the Philippines and was singing in a night club in Manila where she met her future second husband, Sgt. John V. Phillips. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the couple retreated with the army away from Manila. On December 24, 1941, they got married in the jungle.
During the invasion of the Philippines by Japanese forces in 1941 and early 1942, her husband was captured. He later died in a prison camp, though she did not learn this until some time later. After the surrender of the American forces in the Philippines on April 9, 1942, she was convinced by an American soldier turned insurgent named John Boone to help the resistance.
...
Wikipedia