Oregon Woman Honored for Heroism as Spy and Humanitarian
Spy, Actress, Patriot From Oregon Receives Monument on Capitol Grounds
(SALEM, Ore.) — A new monument honoring Claire Maybelle Phillips will be dedicated on Tuesday, Sept 19 at 11 a.m. on the northwest corner of Capitol grounds near the World War II Memorial.
Gov. Kate Brown will unveil the monument. Author Sig Unander will provide historical background on Phillips and the significance of the monument.
Claire Phillips, a stage actress and singer who grew up in Portland, is noted for heroism as a spy and humanitarian during the Japanese occupation of the Philippines during World War II.
After the surrender of Filipino and American forces on Bataan, she ran a nightclub for enemy personnel in occupied Manila, secretly using the profits to buy and smuggle food and medicine to starving American soldiers in Japanese prisons.
She also collected military intelligence for use in the war effort. Arrested, tortured, convicted of espionage and sentenced to die, she was rescued by U.S. Army Rangers when Manila was liberated in 1945.
Phillips was decorated with the Medal of Freedom in 1948 by General Mark Clark and later honored by Oregon Gov. Douglas McKay and Portland Mayor Dorothy McCullough Lee.
Her wartime memoir, Manila Espionage, became the basis for the Hollywood feature film, I Was An American Spy.
The monument was donated by the Oregon State Capitol Foundation, a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, whose vision is to create a living history, enhance the dignity and beauty of the Capitol, and foster cultural and education opportunities.
