Word: java
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Dates: during 1940-1949
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...through 1941 under a grant from the Rockefeller Foundation. High point was the discovery of the first skull in 1929. Geological data indicated that Peking Man lived over 500,000 years ago, which would make him older than the Piltdown and Neanderthal Man and possibly a contemporary of the Java apeman. He was small: 5 ft. 1½ in. Peking Woman was 4 ft. 8½ in. His brain was approximately 20% smaller than modern...
Then Vishinsky proposed that a UNO commission of inquiry be sent to Java. Blustered Bevin: "His Majesty's Government will not take that." The best hope of compromise seemed to be outside the Council; the Dutch Government offered Indonesians self-determination "in our time...
When Yamashita, the Tiger of Malaya, gobbled up his country, Thamboe and some of his British bosses escaped to Java. By and by Java fell and he met the Japanese again. Little Brown Thamboe said, "Oh, please, Mr. Tiger, don't eat me up, and I'll speak my beautiful English for you." So Thamboe started writing Japanese propaganda, and the Japanese were very proud of his nice words...
When the war was "over" in Java, Thamboe saw that some of the tigers were still fighting. This was meat to Charles Thamboe. He started a Dutch-baiting Indonesian newspaper, called the Independent, which he distributes among British soldiers in Java, telling them what imperialist devils the Dutch are. At the same time he is careful to praise the British. He doesn't know how long his latest game of wits with the lords of the jungle can last, though the British so far have not suppressed his venture...
Little Brown Thamboe knows he fares best when the tigers are biting each other's tails; if he has to leave Java, he wants to go back to Malaya and agitate for freedom there. It would be fine with him if nothing is left of the tigers but a great big pool of melted butter...