author
Marcial Primitivo Lichauco
1902–1971
A Filipino lawyer, diplomat, and diarist, he wrote with an insider’s eye on Philippine politics, independence, and life during wartime Manila. His work blends firsthand observation with sharp historical interest, making it valuable both as memoir and as record.
1 Audiobook
The conquest of the Philippines by the United States, 1898-1925
by Moorfield Storey, Marcial Primitivo Lichauco
About the author
Born in Manila on November 27, 1902, he became one of the early Filipinos to study at Harvard, earning an A.B. from Harvard College in 1923 and later graduating from Harvard Law School in 1926. He went on to build a career in law and public service, and is also remembered as a diplomat.
As a writer, he is closely associated with books and diaries that illuminate modern Philippine history. He co-authored The Conquest of the Philippines by the United States, 1898-1925 with Moorfield Storey, and his wartime diary was later published as Dear Mother Putnam: Life & Death in Manila During the Japanese Occupation 1941-1945.
He also wrote Roxas: The Story of a Great Filipino and of the Political Era in which He Lived, showing his interest in the people and events that shaped the nation. Across his work, the strongest appeal is the combination of lived experience, political closeness, and a clear desire to document the Philippines in times of change.