5/11-5/17/47

5/11 Sunday Played some tennis this morning with Klubock & Dohlmann while Lillian went to the cemetery. Later to mom's for Mother's Day bringing a nightgown. The kids and I gave Lillian a box of candy. Eugene made a beautiful card. Lilly Yudowitz came up to see mother also. Lillian read "Only an inch from Glory" by A. Halper. Jackie Robinson is having some trouble with the Dodgers, receiving threatening letters. Some players, especially St Louis Cardinals were said to be planning a strike against him.

5/12 Left Sylvia in playground school and when I didn't return by the time class finished I found her crying. Auto layoffs are starting. Unemployment relief rolls are rising. Lillian took Eugene down to get his final exam for new lenses. They will be $3.75. I played some tennis with A. Lavender while Sylvia played with her carriage and ball and ate cookies. Saw two old pictures "It Happened Tomorrow" with Dick Powell, Darnell & Oakie & "The Circular Staircase" [actually, "The Spiral Staircase"] with Dot Maguire & George Brent. Read "The Portable Poe".

5/13 This morning I beat Levy while Sylvia went to school. Wallace in a speech called the Anti-Communist drive a disgrace. There is great unrest in Shanghai with strikes rice riots against a hunger diet. Palestine independence will not be discussed in the UN investigation of the Palestine problem. Under Sec'y of State Acheson has resigned due to financial reasons. R. A. Lovett banker will replace him. A mass trial of 31 white men accused in the lynching of Willy Earle opened in Greenville, S.C. The Army will get instructions in combatting [sic] and directing Communism.

5/14 Eugene was holding a stone in the street and of course it ended in Gloria S. & he throwing stones at each other. They vowed not to play with each other again. Sylvia goes down to play with Norma G, but will not go to Bobby R's house. Italian premier DeGasperi resigned again when right wingers were barred from the gov't. Struck flour mills were seized by the French gov't. The "Big 5" were barred from the comm. of inquiry on the Palestine problem. The Taft slave-labor bill was passed by the Senate 68-24. Southern Dems voted for it. Only 3 Republicans opposed it. At the lynch trial many confessions were read. R.C. Hurd was accused of being the trigger man. Kesselring was condemned to die in Italy. Schacht received 8 years in prison as an old Nazi.

5/15 Sylvia has discovered what can be done with a ball. She's doing a lot of bouncing in the house. Last night I found a chart of a chess mate Eugene had left with instructions to me to print my name, also give address, state, zone number and City. Gromyko at the UN G.A. advocated a bi-national state independent in Palestine. He favored partition only as a last resort. The American and English zones of Germany are in a crisis due to food lack. Truman signed the so-called Portal-to-Portal act which actually undermines working standards. Thousands are striking at the Reynolds "Camel" plant. Foster returned from Europe, charged Wall Street is intervening in the affairs of the new European democracies, before 17000 at the "Garden".

5/16 Played some tennis with the girls. Later Molly came over to take Sylvia to the zoo. Sylvia said she would stay with Molly for five days. Eugene is supposed to see a puppet show this afternoon in school. Many statements are being read at the S.C. lynch trial confessing to participating in the mob action. Australia, Canada, Czecho., India, Iran, Netherlands, Peru, Sweden & Yugo will comprise the comm. to investigate the Palestine situation. The A.Y.D. is under attack nationally as a communist front. Wallace, Robeson and R.J. Thomas spoke at a great P.C.A. meeting before 22000 in Chicago.

5/17 This morning the kids with Bobby R did tricks on the monkey bars at St. James. 100 B-29 Superforts "bombed" N.Y.C. yesterday in a mock attack. Liberals are winning municipal elections throughout the country. The C.I.O. Exec. board named a comm. to run the Mill & Smelter union until unity is restored. Both factions were rapped. Secessionist red-baiter Driscoll was removed from his post. The Shipbuilders union was asked to withdraw the charters they had given to the secessionists. All "phone" workers have returned. Raises were about $4. per week.