Doc Savage 5

Pirate of the Pacific

July 1933

This story deals with piracy in the Far East and in particular the taking of an entire country as the prize. The story has some basis in fact. Lim Ah Hong, or “Limahong” as he was called, was an infamous pirate of the South China Sea. In 1574, he invaded the Philippine Islands and attempted to capture the town of Manila. His exploits are mentioned in History of the Philippine Islands by Antonio de Morga (Project Gutenburg text).

Piracy was still a very serious problem in the South China Sea during the time this story was written.

Tom Too’s pirates make frequent use of Mandarin Chinese.

Finance: It is revealed that Doc Savage is part owner of the shipping line that controls the Malay Queen.

Commonwealth of the Philippines: The Luzon Union is a thinly veiled attempt to disguise the fact that the real nation in question was the Philippine Islands. The question of Philippine independence had been hotly debated over the past few years. In December 1932 the United States Congress sent a bill to President Hoover that laid out a plan for independence. Hoover vetoed the bill. Supporters of the bill garnered the necessary number of votes to override the Presidential veto and the bill became the Hare-Hawes-Cutting Act of 1933.

The Act required ratification by the Philippine Senate. The language in the bill granted the United States certain rights to military bases in the country after independence. The Philippine Senate found this objectionable and rejected the bill.

This led the way for the Tydings-McDuffie Act or the Philippine Independence Act of 1934. The onerous language relating to US military bases was removed and the Philippine Senate approved the bill. Out of this the Commonwealth of the Philippines was created with a timetable for complete independence in 1945.

July 1, 1933 – The Douglas DC-1 makes its first flight.

July 5, 1933 - Human giant Robert Wadlow visits the Chicago World’s Fair.

July 12, 1933 - Minimum wage is set at forty cents per hour by law.

July 15, 1933 – Italian Minister of Aviation Italo Balbo lands on Lake Michigan for the Chicago World’s Fair with a squadron of 24 flying boats. President Roosevelt awards him the Distinguished Flying Cross.

July 16, 1933 - Construction begins on Grand Coulee Dam.

July 22, 1933 - Wiley Post completes the first around the world solo flight.

July 22, 1933 – Charles Urschel is kidnapped by “Machine-Gun” Kelley.

July 24, 1933 – Notorious bank robbers “Bonnie and Clyde” narrowly escape capture after a shoot-out with police.

July 24, 1933 – President Roosevelt give a Fireside Chat, On the Purposes and Foundations of the Recovery Program.

July 29, 1933 - Army troops under the command of General Douglas MacArthur break up the Bonus Army.