1/30-2/5/49

1/30 Sylvia is learning to read rapidly. Played chess with Eugene and he sadly out of practice. England finally recognized Israel (de facto). We went to the Kingsbridge to see a good western "Red River" with Montgomery Clift, John Wayne also Henry Morgan in "[So] This Is New York".

1/31 Sylvia is in group 2 in reading and only she and Judy got stars for reading this morning. Eugene told her when she gets to 3A she won't be drawing suns any more. Stalin offered to meet Truman in a no-war pact. An Unemployment Council was formed in St Joseph Mich, perhaps the first of the coming depression.

2/1 Sylvia stayed home from school and in bed with a stuffed nose. She is driving us crazy as she reads and wants to know what 'THEN' spells etc. Eugene came home out of breath and excited with the news that only he and another girl will start 5A arithmetic although they are entering 4B. He is the only one to get all A's on his new report card. Kuomintang refused to arrest Chiang. We are making more destructive A-bombs than ever. We have given de jure recognition to Israel and Trans Jordan. Wallace asked Truman to accept Stalin's peace bid as Sec'y Gen'l Lie offered UN headquarters for a meeting.

2/2 Eugene got 96 in spelling, 90 in Arith. and A's and S's in all other subjects. Lillian found him shoveling snow and ice in front of the [?] yesterday with Bobby R and Richard Monka. He was very excited as they were being paid for it. He even refused to go for his weekly comic book at first. We understand Rich. got a quarter and gave the two smaller kids a nickel each. Sylvia is out of school still but walking around. Police Comm. Wallander resigned as of March 1. He will be replaced by Wm. P O'Brien. Western Germany C.P. leader Max Reimann was sentenced to three months in jail for threatening German leaders who collaborated with the authorities. A people's regime was set up in Peiping.

2/3 Sylvia went back to school with a slight sniffle. Eugene and the girl pres. are the only two in the class who never had to be "demons" for misbehaving. Stalin invited Truman to meet him somewheres in Europe. The left wing dept store Union Local 1-S won at Macy's 5-1. The A.C.W. chosen by the C.I.O. to take over withdrew.

2/4 Sylvia got a star for cutting out clothes made of wool from a magazine. She forgot her "rich watch" (10¢) this morning. She also wants to know what a "soup case" is. New officers were elected in Eugene's class. He is out of office but will try to retain his office monitorship, by writing the best letter. Textile arbitrators rejected a 10¢ hourly increase for Amer. Woolen employees on the grounds of poor business prospects. Truman solved the battle of injunctions in the new labor law being debated by saying he has authority now to block strikes now by court injunction. Truman stated peace parleys must be made within UN channels. Mindszenty pleaded guilty to charges of treason espionage and black marketing at the opening of his trial in Hungary. William Rust died at 45. Chile freed many imprisoned Communists proving the inefficacy of duress against the Party.

2/5 Eugene went off to the television studio with his class. Lillian went over to the school where the class met. Eugene immediately started romping with his classmates oblivious to Lil's presence. Sylvia sets the anagrams standing up. They're supposed to be playing games like "Farmer in the Dell", etc.