1/16-1/22/49

1/16 Sunday We took a walk to Fordham where we saw six stores gutted by fire. In the morning I had taken the kids downtown for ties. Sylvia plays with the anagrams a lot. Eugene is a lot of help in solving cross word puzzles with Lillian. Chinese Communists capture Tientsin. Three unions are warring for control of the Dep't store field. Thousands are heading for Wash D.C. to protest the trial of the 12 C.P. leaders starting in N.Y. Monday. Mao Tse Tung laid down eight conditions for peace - Punishment of war criminals, abolition of the constitution, abolition of the present form of gov't, reorg. of the army, confiscation of bureaucratic capital, land reform, cancellation of traitorous treaties, org. of a dem. conference to form a new gov't.

1/17 Sylvia told us a cute story that the teacher had told her class this morning. 400 police guarded Foley Sq against outbreaks at the opening of the C.P. trial. Race riots are spreading in South Africa with hundreds killed. The Greek and Turkish gov'ts fell - the latter because of the H.cL [?].

That last looks like three letters, with a period only after the first, and the second appears to be either a lower case "c" or "e". Regardless, I don't know what it is, even though I can find why the Turkish government fell at that time.

1/18 Sylvia was looking over pictures and said "grandpa looks just like daddy when daddy was a little boy". Eugene forgets something from school every so often. An ex aviator, M.J. Monti admitted treason to the U.S. by broadcasting for the Nazis, and was sentenced to 25 years. The Western States formed a joint board to keep Germany dis-armed. The W.F.T.U. executive board session opened with C.I.O. and T.U.A.C. delegates out to dissolve the organization. Presidents received a pay raise from $75000 to $100,000 per year.

1/19 Sylvia was crying in the morning because Eugene wouldn't read the diary to her. The Senate OK'd Acheson 83-6. Bevin is ready to release the interned Jews in Cyprus and recognize Israel due to the Jewish military victories.

1/20 Eugene got 100% on his report on Switzerland. China is next. We have finally granted Israel the $100,000,000 loan. The Chinese gov't asked for a cease fire agreement.

1/21 Eugene's birthday We gave Eugene the St. Nicholas Anthology and Sylvia gave him a pencil box. Mrs. Gallins gave him a fine 'Fun and Riddles' book. Togliatti and Cachin asked for peaceful collaboration between the powers. Defense attorneys at the C.P. trial have unceasingly attacked the blue ribbon jury which omits poor industrial and Negro members. The Chiang gov't fled to Canton. Carey, Deakin and the Dutch Kupfers Kupers walked out of the W.F.T.U. DiVittorio was named temp. pres. to replace Deakin. The Board of Ed. voted to bar I.W.O. classes in the public schools. Truman was inaugurated before 130,000 with millions watching on television. The four major points of his speech were, support of the UN, economic aid to other countries, military pact with Western Europe and American technical aid and capital to help peace loving nations.

I remember the book they gave me; I still have it, although it obviously didn't mean to me what it meant to them. I've scanned in below what they wrote on the first (blank) page of the book, even though it's not actually in the diary: 

1/22 Eugene was the first to get an 'A' for reciting the boy's poem in school - "Our Heroes" by Phoebe Cary. Sylvia made a clock in school and is learning to tell time. Sam modernized our drapes and hung them this morning. We have recognized the new Venezuelan and El Salvador dictatorships. The Greek guerillas captured its third town in a month.