Having taken Note of General Rafael Crame of the Philippine Constabulary, not only being the first Chief of Constabulary, the PC, I have been able to see that he had a most unusual military career. Looking at his education, training and experience, leading up to his appointment to the position of Chief of the Philippine Constabulary, it appears to me that he was one of the very first in a position of power in the Philippines which set an example for the rest of the country to follow, in showing that there were capable people in the Archipelago, militarily, civilly and within the government ranks. They just needed an opportunity to show that they could do the job. With proper research, I'm sure that a complete book of General Crame's life could be developed and put together complete with footnotes and annotations, so that he might better be placed in a position to be the National Hero he was.
In reading some of the various histories, some of them are not clear. Also there is no meta-data to support who and what he was. A lack of photography while Crame was performing his duties of Chief of the only real fighting force other than the Scouts, during the Insular period, Crame was one of those who Filipinos could be proud of, while at the same time satisfying the demands of the Philippine Coimmission and the Governor-General of the Philippine Islands, really, at the same time. This was no simple task. Yet General Rafael Crame does not exactly get the credit he deserves with a proper number of photographs presented. Furthermore, a book could provide a place that would include what funeral honors were his via any newspaper accounts which might also be included concerning his transition as the head of a great organization to the calling of Father Time.
If there are no photographs in the various archives of famous men with Rafael Crame, from the governments and civil divisions, perhaps the files of United States Officers and Governor-Generals could be combed in the Philippines and in the special collections of the United States Universities and the Bureau of Insular Affairs, where such photographs might be found and identified. This should be part of the curricula of high school and the University in the broad area of Philippine Education.
The challenges of keeping the peace in the Philippine Islands during a period where both the numbers of the officers and men of the PC were in decline as was its budgets from year to year.
Perhaps relatives of Crames have photographs that have not come to the fore. Also if he compiled and personal papers that would be of interest to historians of the Constabulary, his views would be greatly appreciated.
Any diaries or letters might also shed light on the day to day operations of the PC, as well as the very special cases of which there were many.
The Mutiny of a large number of soldiers being the most obvious and stand-out case. It is that very refusal to accept the Medal for Valor that characterized General Crame. He did not seek the limelight and perhaps he was just a little too humble, because historians and those researching the PC during the Insular area, currently have a darth of photographs and written material compiled by an official biographer. The present is built on the foundations of the past and Rafael Crame's 10 years under two full time Governor's-General as well as Acting Governors-General is really a prodigious achievement and it needs to be documented and celebrated. Even student in the USA in history of the World, history of the Philippines and history of the USA should all have access to this most important figure, just as those same people have access to Henry T. Allen and other famous Chiefs of Constabulary.
I hope someone reads this who has similar beliefs and has access to the people who can make the suggested book a project of research. Likewise, the task of locating photographs of Crame in action during his PC career would be a lot more than just interesting. It would deepen the Philippine police and military heritage. AF
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