Wednesday, May 28, 2014

8/8-8/14/48

8/8 Sunday Lost to Schinase. We both read the great first novel of Norman Mailer "The Naked and the Dead".

8/9 A Soviet teacher here was kidnapped by a band of White Russians upstate and rescued by Consul General Lamokin and two associates. A new 'spy' witness has appeared - Alex Koral. A meat boycott is starting. Nine T.W.U. heads were forced to quit the A.L.P. N.Y.C. newspaper typos won $9 per week raise. Rosika Schwimmer is dead at 70.

8/10 Left for farm again. Alex Koral, the 'mystery man' failed to add anything new to the spy scare refusing to talk to the UnAmerican Comm. The Senate hearings on the case have been halted due to Truman's "lack of cooperation".

8/11 There is a bow and arrow craze here. Both kids have them, Sylvia calling hers a bowdin arrow. I split chess games with Eugene while he romped over what competition he found at the farm. The "States Rights Americans" composed of Southern Democrat dissidents nominated Gov. Thurmond of S.C. for President and Gov. Wright of Mississippi for Vice Pres. It is based on white superiority.

I do remember the bow and arrow craze. I remember finding the proper size tree sapling, cutting it and scraping off the bark to make the bow. 

8/12 The kids draw in bed every morning until breakfast time. Duncan Lee, Ed Miller and William Ullman, leading gov't officials during the war who have been accused of being Soviet spies denied all at the hearings. 30,000 Negroes voted at the D.C. primary. Truman signed and criticized a weak housing bill. We picked blackberries for the first time. Previously it had been blueberries.

8/13 Sylvia looks rather comical since she has lost a front tooth.

8/14 Mrs. Kosenkina jumped out of a third story window of the Soviet Consulate. She is held by Amer. authorities. Apparently she has been held involuntarily by Soviet Consul Lamakin rather than rescued by him. She has no doubt been bribed by us to turn traitor. Lauchlin Currie, Frank Coe, Donald Hiss, Harry D. White and Dr. & Mrs. Gold continued the parade of accused spies who denied all. Right wingers in Dept. store unions joined employers in 'fighting the left' by demanding the latter file non-Comm. affidavits. Non-Danube states were excluded from the Danube Control Comm. Sylvia threw a fork at Eugene after an argument at the dinner table.   

Sunday, May 18, 2014

8/1/48-8/7/48

8/1/48 Sylvia will not go to the movies shown in the bungalow for the kids. She went one time but started to cry inexplicably and I had to take her home. She says I'm her best friend and she wants to marry me.

Because, I guess, this was the first entry in Book 4 (he did use the arabic number, instead of the Roman numeral he used in the first three books), he identified it with the year, and did not write "Sunday". But it was a Sunday.

8/2 Came home early this morning. A. Szakasits, Socialist, has been chosen Premier of Hungary to replace Zoltan Tildy who resigned when his son-in-law was arrested on spy charges.

8/3 The C.P. convention opened at the 'Garden' before 18000. The Union Lens Co. has been struck by the U.E. for three months. During the last few days much violence has occurred with beating of strikers, arrest of leaders and calling out of the Nat'l Guard. Oppenheim Collins was struck. A N.L.R.B. election with Local 1250 barred because of refusal to sign non-communist affidavits was won by an A.F.L. union. Stalin held a two hour meeting with US, British and French envoys.

8/4 The papers have been full of the revelations of our self confessed former spy. This E.T. Bentley plus Louis Budenz and Whittaker Chambers former C.P. member now a 'Time' editor have implicated many wartime 'New Dealers' as members of a Soviet Espionage ring! Named have been Alger Hiss, Donald Hiss, Nat Witt, Lee Pressman, John Abt, Victor Perlo, Henry Collins, Charles Kramer, Harry Dexter White, Nathan Gregory Silvermaster, William W Remington, Lauchlin Currie, F. Coe, W H Taylor. Communists mentioned were J North, J Golos, G Dennis.

8/5 The 3rd Ave. bus line turned down a 7¢ fare, insisting on 8¢ and has refused to pay a 24¢ hourly raise. It has fired 52 men and a strike is due. The State A.F.L. Convention barred 20 delegates as "reds". Ringleaders included I.L.G. men Joe Tuvim, Joe Ryan and Martin Lacey. The Anti-Poll tax bill was scuttled in Congress. The Trieste C.P. was split by the Tito issue. The Brazilian Labor Fed. was dissolved by the Gov't as 'Communist'.

8/6 Truman called the current "spy" hearings a red herring. Browder appealed to the C.P. Convention for reinstatement but was rejected on the grounds that he was still Anti-party. 5000 picketed the White House in a demonstration called by the Civil Rights Congress. The State A.F.L. refused to ban the Klan and endorsed the school ban in the "Nation".

8/7 The Western envoys talked with Molotov for three hours on the Berlin Crisis. It was claimed Uranium ore was shipped to Russia in 1943.

Saturday, May 10, 2014

Deaths (Book III)

As can be seen, a large part of this page is torn off. I could probably reproduce it by going through the diary and finding deaths Dad reported, and, of course, I could put in the two-thirds that exists. But it's all in the diary, and I'm not going to do that now; we'll leave this page as the record.

Index (Book III)

1947
4/25 Hundreds of Thousands protest Anti-labor drive
4/27 We explode bomb and eat out
4/29 I stay home due to my vaccinations; Palestine issue discussions start in G.A.
5/1 Mexican President Aleman gets great reception here
5/2 A.F.L. & C.I.O. meet in unity session
5/4 Eugene wins two chess games from Pop
5/5 C.P. ministers ousted from French Cabinet
5/6 Supreme Court upholds search without warrant; Chinese Communists win big victory; Basques strike
5/7 Eugene gets new lenses; we get a singer rebuilt portable
5/8 Brazil outlaws the C.P.
5/10 "House" approves the Greek Aid bill 287-107
5/13 Mass lynch trial starts in S.C.
5/14 Taft slave labor bill passed by Senate 68-24
5/22 28 lynchers acquitted in S. Car.
5/27 The Soviet Union abolishes capital punishment
5/31 Over 100 killed in 'round the world plane crashes. Purge of Anti-Democrats begins in Hungary.
6/11 Greatest labor demonstration ever in N.Y. held by 100,000 C.I.O. men
6/13 We buy bed for Eugene as 23 Agrarian Deputies are expelled in Bulgaria
6/17 Marshall initiates plan to reconstruct European economies as 10,000 hear Wallace in Wash D.C. Truman vetoes Tax Bill, Nat'l Seamen strike
6/21 Truman vetoes Taft Hartley bill. House overrides it
6/24 Senate over rides Truman veto.
6/25 We see Bronx Park Rose Gardens after Sylvia cuts her hair.
6/28 Many Anti-fascists convicted in court cases.
7/1 Fascist plot uncovered in France
7/3 Russia refuses to go along with the Marshall Plan.
7/5 Kramer is Wimbledon champ
7/9 Hotel rent frozen here; A.L. beats N.L.; Miners win big victory.
7/10 2000 Greek Anti-fascists arrested in Athens.
7/13 Marshall Plan parley opens.
7/14 Georgia prison massacre.
7/16 We decide to double Germany's industrial capacity
7/21 Dutch reopen warfare against Indonesia
7/30 3 Irgunists executed followed by Irgun retaliation then pogroms in Palestine & England; Russia vetoes Balkan Comm.
8/4 Indonesian war halted by UN request.
8/11 Odom sets round the world solo flight record 73 hrs-5mi-11sec
8/16 Free, partitioned India takes control
8/18 Gov't loyalty purge begins
8/19 Greek guerrillas set up free gov't
8/24 Sylvia develops red throat
8/25 Revolt in Ecuador. Greek gov't dissolves; Legion Commander Griffith calls for Amer. troops in Greece
8/30 Internecine slaughter in India; We agree to let Germany produce 11 million tons of steel.
9/1 We win Davis Cup over Australia
9/2 Hungarian C.P. leads gov't coalition to victory in elections.
9/5 19 American nations sign mutual defense pact as P.R. is again attacked.
9/8 Exodus Jews clubbed off the vessel
9/10 High prices probes start
9/20 LaGuardia dies at 64.
9/24 "Freedom Train" exhibited; Bulgarian Petkov hanged.
9/28 Eugene picks up chess game in 42 st parlor
10/5 Eugene starts Sunday School
10/6 Communists of nine European countries start Information Bureau
10/7 Yanks win World Series; Truman asks big food conservation program
10/11 Chile & Yugoslavia break relations as Arab army masses at Palestine
10/16 Cuban Fed of Labor outlawed
10/17 Eugene gets first filling
10/20 DeGaulle wins big election victory
10/21 Hollywood red probe opens
10/22 Brazil & Chile break with Russia
10/25 Forest fires sweeping Maine
10/29 Board of Ed refuses to ban left wing meetings
10/30 President's Civil Rights Comm.asks end of discrimination.
11/5 P.R. beaten in New York amid red-baiting
11/11 Dr. Holzman diagnoses virus infection of chest for Eugene
11/13 DeGaulle asks new Axis as Communists battle enemies in France & Italy
11/18 Friendship Train makes nationwide collection of food for abroad
11/23 Eugene has all-day belly-ache as Schuman forms French gov't.
11/24 Schuman forms French gov't as Chinese vote in first gen'l election
11/26 "Big 4" Ministers met as movie moguls decided to fire anti-fascists
11/30 Palestine partitioned by the U.N. 33-13
12/3 Battles rage in Greece, China, Palestine, France
12/5 Justice Dept. issues list of "subversive" Anti-fascist groups on our anniversary
12/6 Louis wins unpopular decision over Walcott
12/10 College ban on anti-fascists starts
12/13 Lewis Coal Miners leave A.F.L.
12/15 Russia revalues its currency
12/17 P.C.A. asks Wallace to run on a third ticket
12/25 Free Greek gov't announced
12/27 N.Y.'s greatest snowstorm falls
12/30 Wallace announced his candidacy

1948
1/3/48 We have "shower" for Shirley
1/8 A.C.W. quits A.L.P. on "Third Party" issue
1/14 Find I have low blood pressure at Dr. Holzman's
1/23 C.I.O. votes against a 3rd Party 33-11
1/25 Get drunk at Milton's wedding
1/30 Gandhi assasinated
2/3 Eugene gets well nigh perfect report card, as Truman promulgates his civil rights program
2/8 Pop's banquet at the Crestmore.
2/12 C.I.O. indicted for political activity as Soviet composers criticized.
2/13 Greek guerrillas run gauntlet
2/18 Leo Isaacson wins sensational election
2/19 Started dentistry work
2/26 Czech gov't reorganized with Communist domination
2/28 Lillian gets cold with her neck, eye, nose affected
3/2 Political prisoners start successful hunger strike
3/7 Molly and Sam's 25th Anniversary party
3/11 Masaryk's suicide.
3/15 Western bloc of E.R.P. nations formed.
3/18 Truman asks U.M.T. and the draft
3/20 U.S. reverses self on the Palestine partition
3/21 Talbert wins Nat'l Indoors
3/28 Quill resigns from City C.I.O.
4/7 Sylvia has an infected ear
4/10 A revolt caused great damage in Columbia; Lillian's facial neuralgia starts
4/13 Miners win $100 monthly pensions
4/21 O'Dwyer raised the subway fare to 10¢ as the Popular [remainder of this entry, and perhaps one more, is mostly torn off and cannot be read]
5/1 Eugene contracts inflammation of a gland in the neck
5/4 We go to the circus
5/5 154 Greek patriots were executed in Greece
5/10 Botvinnik wins World's chess Championship
5/15 Israel established
5/18 Stalin hails Wallace's plan for peace discussions
5/20 The "House" passes the Mundt Bill
5/22 Sylvia has inflamed ear
5/26 G.M. workers signed a contract containing an Escalation clause to go up and down with the cost of living.
5/27 Sylvia sees a headless boy and we hear Eugene sing at Assembly
6/3 Thousands demonstrate against the Mundt Bill
6/5 Dr. Holzman says Eugene has a cold on top of his allergy
6/11 Senate passes the draft
6/13 Eugene stays at Evelyn's
6/20 We make our first visit to Coney Island
6/22 Sylvia gets German Measles
6/26 Joe Louis knocks out Joe Walcott in 11.
6/29 Cominform denounces "Tito"
7/1 10¢ fare starts
7/3 Sylvia's 'measles' start
7/4 Bob Falkenburg wins Wimbledon
7/8 Congressional inquisition against left wing dep[cut off] leaders starts. Sokols demonstrate for Benes in Czech. Satchell Paige signed by Cleveland.
7/9 Truce ends in Palestine
7/10 Sylvia has complication (congested lungs) and [cut off]
7/11 Sylvia guesses 'nut' riddle
7/13 Sylvia gets another complication - inflamed ear
7/14 A.L. All stars win 5-2
7/15 Togliatti was wounded by an assassin; Truman was nominated on the first ballot
7/16 A new truce will take place in Palestine
7/19 Left wingers lost in the N.M.U. election
7/20 We leave for the Feiner Farm in Ferndale; Peggy Thaw born at 6 P.M.
7/21 Twelve C.P. leaders indicted for conspiring to overthrow the Gov't
7/23 The Progressive Party opened its convention at Shibe Park
7/24 Pat Seerey hit four hime runs for the White Sox
7/25 Eugene has emotional upset
7/26 Eugene and I get lost in the woods