5/19-5/25/46

5/19 Sunday We went to the "I Am an American Day" Program at Central Park. Also visited the zoo for a while and came home on the 5th Ave bus. Eugene rubbed his eyes all day. Sylvia as usual wanted to go home all the time. Antonescu will die. Zapirain and Alvarez got 20 and 18 years prison in Spain. Holland C.P tripled its vote getting 10 seats. The Catholic Party led with 32 and the Labor Party 29. Veterans staged a "housing operation" meeting with O'Dwyer and meeting at the 69th Regiment Armory where Rep. Patman was the main speaker. The R.R. strike has been postponed for 5 days.

5/20 Eugene and Gloria have quarreled again and 'don't like each other'. We went to Fordham after school drawing the Tarrasch chess book again and doing some shopping. Played some chess in the evening. Eugene's classmates look up to him as the only one that can read in the class. 200,000 rallied against hunger and the reactionary gov't in Tokyo. Major Benton N.C. negro has been sentenced to death on a rape charge of which he is apparently innocent. Azerbaijan has declared war after five attacks against it by Iran. Booth Tarkington is dead. Sylvia sleeps with one of her dollies. Her carriage stands at right angles to her crib and must not be moved. Eugene touches his loose tooth continually. It was #35 for Eugene yesterday - South Dakota and 36 today - Missouri. He beat me on naming states and South Amer. countries but I won on European countries.

The library was the Fordham library. Regarding "the only one that can read in the class", apparently Danny Walters was not in my class this year. Somehow I neglected the following story during the kindergarten entries: At our 25th high school reunion, I met Danny Walters (now deceased) who said "Gene Edelstein! I remember you .." and I started to acknowledge that I also remembered him, and he continued "   from kindergarten! I remember Mrs. Lyston asking if anyone in the class can read, and two hands went up." I said I didn't remember that. He said "Why should you, she picked you!" Danny had apparently been carrying around his disappointment that I was picked to read, instead of him, for 37 years.

5/21 Played a chess exercise with Eugene during his lunch hour today. An Army C-45 transport crashed into the 58th floor of the Bank of Manhattan building last night at 8 PM killing all five occupants - one a WAC. Fog was the cause. Lorenzo Reed negro has been extradited to Floria's chain gang by Dewey. The President signed our $400 increase - retroactive to Jan. 1.

Presumable the "our" refers to the Postal Workers Union, of which Dad was a member.  

5/22 Sylvia has stopped scratching her nose which is all healed up. We play a chess exercise during Eugene's lunch hour every day. Alexander Perodi is representing France at the "Council". Iran announced her inspectors in Azerbaijan had verified the Red Army's evacuation by the specified date May 6. As usual, Ambassador Ala had been speaking on his own in charging otherwise. Truman has seized the struck coal mines. LaGuardia has criticized Hoover's advocacy of early dissolution of UNRAA and end to free distribution of food. Here the black market deals in every article. Butchers and meat wholesalers are closing to beat the black market. Butter is to be gotten at infrequent intervals in quarter pounds at ceiling price of 18¢ only in chain stores.

5/23 Lil took the kids over to Molly's after school. Sylvia played with "Aunt Beckie" while Eugene taught her chess. He also played some with Milton. Eugene and Gloria are reconciled. The American Baseball Guild claims to have organized 90% of the Pirates besides other teams and wishes to bargain on their behalf. This morning Louise offered Sylvia a chiclet whereupon tears started rolling down her cheeks tho' she took the proffered box. Truly an emotional child. The "Council" refusing to give up a good thing has retained the Iranian issue for possible future discussion. Gromyko absent as usual. Seven planes shot down in Manchuria by the Communists are reported to be American manned by American crews. Marcantonio is attempting to bring up the FEPC Bill every Calendar Wednesday. The Senate Committee has approved legislation to give the Dep't of Agriculture power to remove controls and raise prices on farm products. It also cut subsidies and killed low cost clothing. Czech "Protector" Karl Frank has been hung. Although criticizing Franco's regime as anti democratic from the very beginning we have denied it is a threat to peace, continuing our appeasement policy. Lillian read "The Wide House" by Taylor Caldwell.

Don't know "Aunt Beckie"; don't know who "Louise" was.

5/24 Ernie K. over for some advice. Hundreds of unionists are being arrested in Rochester in a strike growing out of the firing of D.P.W. workers for forming a union. Browder in Moscow saw Losovsky in connection with the distribution of Soviet literature here, paid a call to Molotov and gave a news conference. Govt in Exile Prime Minister Giral told the 'UN' investigating comm. that Franco's army is growing. Certain citizens are getting arms. Cardinal stars Lanier and Klein and rookie Martin have not reported for duty and have applied for permits to Mexico. Truman has repudiated Senate leader Barkley's concessions to the OPA bloc and called for defeat of amendments. Eugene went to the puppet show and movie staged ingeniously by Richard and Paul Monka and Robert Kreisler. Henry George Weiss is dead. At night Eugene asked Lillian if he could "T-I-P". She let him do some typing. Split with Schauer.

Unsure of that name of the person who "is dead", cannot find a reference.

5/25 Took haircut. Truman has condemned the R.R. strikers who went out Thursday at 4 PM against low pay and outrageous working conditions. The President has threatened to use the Army to run the railroads. UN aide Hutson's greeting to Gen. Bor, Polish exiled general of the premature Warsaw uprising has evoked a protest from Polish Ambassador Lange. The Fur Union convention is celebrating a successful organizational campaign. OPA has rejected landlords' plea for a 15% rent increase made in a suit before the Court of Appeals. Sylvia vomited at lunch.