3/28-4/3/48

3/28 Sunday Eugene and Sylvia have been collaborating on secret messages. Eugene has a ruler in front of him which contains an important message invisible to the naked eye. The handle of the skipping rope alongside the ruler is a power light illuminating the message. A spool which Eugene peers through is a powerful telescope which enables him to read the message. He then spells out words for Sylvia to write. The messages concern "All the crooks, robbers and thieves in the world". Sylvia today rebelled in the middle of the message. She wanted to look into the telescope. We were supposed to visit Al today but Danny got a sudden high temp. so we went to the Educational Alliance on E. Bdway instead. We saw two pictures - 10¢ for children 12¢ for adults. The sound was very noisy. The first picture "The Cummington Story" about refugees settling in a small town was very indistinct but "Pecks Bady [sic] Boy" with Jackie Cooper, Jackie Searles [sic] and Thomas Meighan made in 1934 was much better.

3/29 Eugene drew "The Jack Tales" edited by R. Chase and including Jack and the Bean Tree "Peter Duck" by A. Ransome, "Twenty-Four Unusual Stories" retold by A.C. Tyler and for Sylvia "Cock-A-Doodle-Doo" by B & E. Hader. She played in the yard rather than go to the library. Eugene made a merry-go-round which he had failed to do previously. Arabs wiped out a 42 man Jewish food convoy. Elsewhere 150 more were spared when they surrendered their arms. Quill resigned his City C.I.O. Council presidency with anomalous statements of differences. He claims he does not wish to be caught in a fight between the Nat'l and City C.I.O. The Wallace for President Comm. started an "Enlist for Peace" month.

3/30 The kids played in the yard this morning. Stayed home from work today and we went to the zoo. Sylvia had her pony ride which she had looked forward to all afternoon. We saw some striking colorful penguins and visited the house of small mammals. We ate candy and popcorn and took pictures. At home played Eugene a chess game and taught Sylvia a little. Sadie and her sister Betty dropped in an night. We partook of frankfurters, baked beans and homemade french frieds. Fascists captured the Greek Labor Congress as Murray hailed the Greek gov't and labor movement for its democracy and freedom. The T.W.U. will remain in the City C.I.O. A.F.L. office workers struck wall street. J L Lewis boycotted the Gov'ts fact finding board in the Coal stoppage.

3/31 Arnold called for Eugene and they went off to the Aqueduct where they played with the rubber hoop together with several others. Sylvia played in the yard. Right after lunch Eugene left to meet Arnold. Cops clubbed Wall St. strikers and their seamen supporters who had formed a human barricade in front of the Stock Exchange. The House voted to include Franco in E.R.P. 149-52.

4/1 We all went to Mother's for lunch on Susan's birthday. Sylvia and Eugene Susan amused themselves by saying "I'm chair years old" "I'm sofa years old" "I'm bed years old" etc. Later they paraded carrying brushes and hand mirrors. Eugene wrote me a message in mirror writing. An Ohio C.P. leaders home was wrecked by a mob of several hundred while he and his family were away. Wallace demanded an end to our intervention in the Italian election. He was picketed and booed by war vets. A P Randolph and Grant Reynolds asserted they would advise Negros and whites to refuse to defy the draft unless segregation and Jim Crow were abolished. The Philipps [sic] Oilers defeated Kentucky U 53-49 to win the Nat'l basketball title. Outstanding were Kurland - 20 points and Beard 23 points. The House passed the 6 billion dollar E.R.P. with Franco aid retained 329-74. Cable workers ended their 3 month strike without an agreement.

Obviously Dad meant to write either "refuse" or "defy", but what he actually wrote is the opposite of what he meant.

4/2 The party continued. Present were Mom, Lilly & Susan and family, Rachel, a friend of Lil's Gertie and her two kids. Blume Ann and Barbara came later. Mom gave Sylvia Lil's old dancing costume. We gave Susan a pretty red suit and white blouse. ---. The kids made Easter baskets. Mike Evelyn and Isabel came over for a delicious lunch of roast beef and trimmings. I had to leave for work early. Magil got his Palestine passport in a reversal. Russia ordered all U.S. and British trains passing through its sector in Berlin to be inspected, suspecting transfer of machinery and stores from Berlin to Bizonia. Green opposed U.M.T. but weakened on Selective Service in "House" hearings. The C.I.O. opposed both at present.

4/3 Yesterday the kids got a gun and a junior doctor's kit. Lillian gave Evelyn several doilies. This morning Eugene worked on the weekly P.M. chess problems. Sylvia playing with the pieces knocked the crosses off the kings. Eisenhower, subject of the Truman shelvers for the presidential nomination, endorse U.M.T. the draft and condoned Jim Crow in the Army. Congress over-rode Truman's veto of the big 6 billion dollar income tax cut overwhelmingly. The reduction favors the rich. A Welfare Dept red hunt started. Another Italian union leader was assassinated. Rep. Isaacson was denied a passport to attend a Paris conference to aid Greek democracy. India started a red-hunt. Egon Irwin Kisch is dead.