The third voyage of GRIPSHOLM  carried out the last diplomatic exchange in the Far East, and was the first in which mail was brought out from American prisoners in the Philippines on the return trip to the United States. GRIPSHOLM sailed from New York on September 2, 1943 bound for Goa, with port calls at Rio de Janiero, Brazil; Montevideo, Uruguay; and Port Elizabeth, Union of South Africa. Aboard was another group of 1,517 Japanese and 8 other enemy nationals to be exchanged for 1,724 Allied nationals, together with relief supplies and mail. Rendezvous was made with TEIA MARU at Mormugao on October 15, 1943.

Prior to the departure of TEIA MARU from Yokohama on September 13, 1943, newspapers in Japan carried notices for the benefit of citizens who had relatives interned in Allied Nation civilian internment camps, advising that an opportunity for an exchange of mail was near at hand. The newspaper "Mainichi Shimbun" in its edition of August 22, 1943 (Figure 165) published an article urging that post cards should be written and posted quickly so as not to miss the opportunity; although not specified, the "opportunity" was the departure of TEIA MARU for the rendezvous with GRIPSHOLM. The article also advised that it would henceforth be possible to send post cards once a month from Japan to Japanese internees aboard in the U.S.A. and England.

After departing Yokohama on September 13,1943, TEIA MARU called at Shanghai on September 20, where 1,048 nationals of the United States, Great Britain, Canada, Chile and other Allied Nations were boarded. After departing Shanghai, TEIA MARU made a port call at Hong Kong on September 22, from which port she departed the following day after boarding 146 enemy nationals and 182 Filipinos. On September 26, 1943 she called at San Fernando, La Union, in the Philippines, where 152 civilian repatriates climbed aboard the ship's ladders from launches in San Fernando Bay. Also boarded at San Fernando were many bags of mail from prisoners and internees in the Philippines.

Details concerning the repatriates from the Philippines are recorded in the following account:

"On August 27th [1943], the Official Minutes of the Executive Committee [of internees at Santo Tomas] stated that the exchange ship TEIA MARU would leave Manila during the last week of September bound for Mormugao, in Goa, where connections would be made with an exchange ship from the United States. The TEIA MARU was said to be a fine new vessel of 17,000 tons, capable of taking care of the entire party of repatriates, which was estimated to be some 350 in number. It was also announced September 13th that a confidential list was being made of the internees to be repatriated. These were chosen primarily from a list received by Tokyo from Washington with substitutes filled in by the Japanese Bureau of External Affairs in Manila. Events now moved rapidly, and on Sunday, September 26,1943, the repatriation party, 127 in number, left camp, escorted by Mr. Ohashi of the Commandant's staff at Santo Tomas Internment Camp to board the TEIA MARU at an undisclosed Philippine port. The group was joined by twenty-four members of the consular staff and one internee from Baguio, making a total of 151 adults and one infant. Of these, 131 were Americans, 15 Canadians, and 6 nationals of other allied countries."

TEIA MARU departed San Fernando on September 26 and made port calls at Saigon and Singapore en route to Mormugao. The exchange with GRIPSHOLM was completed on October 15,1943 and TEIA MARU departed Mormugao on October 21. She called at Singapore (renamed "Shonan" by the Japanese), from which port she departed November 2, en route to Manila. The Hong Kong News of Sunday, November 7, 1943 carried word of her impending arrival in Manila:

"EXCHANGE SHIP DUE IN MANILA

Manila, Nov. 5 (Domei) —The exchange ship, Teia Maru, with 1700 repatriates from North, Central and South America, is scheduled to arrive here tomorrow.... It will be recalled that the Teia Maru called at North San Fernando on September 26, where it picked up more than 100 enemy nationals returning to their homeland from the Philippines, before sailing to Goa."

Another report described the entry of TEIA MARU into Manila Harbor:

"The TEIA MARU arrived in Manila on November 6. According to the TRIBUNE, there were 1,350 Japanese nationals aboard, and when the ship was passing Corregidor, a naval officer who had boarded the ship climbed to the bridge and began explaining the details of the former American stronghold through a megaphone. The returning Japanese saw the battleground where the American Forces were crushed and forever swept out of East Asia. Slowly the ship proceeded toward Pier 5, Manila."