5/29-6/4/49

5/29 Sunday Sylvia still in bed. She amused herself by looking at the album of greeting cards. Lil and Eugene went to the Lido to see the old "Gone With The Wind". Eugene liked only the war episode.

5/30 Memorial Day Beat Dumbrava. Sylvia was in and out of bed. At night I went to the "Jerome" to see Dean Stockwell and Pat O'Brien in "The Boy With the Green Hair" and Robert Ryan and Audrey Totter in "The Set-Up" - the sordid side of the boxing game. We both read "Victor Herbert - The Music Master" by Claire Lee Purdy. Ripley is dead at 55.

5/31 Lil took Sylvia out today. Bolivian miners struck with over 100 killed including union officials and Americans.The Ford strike was settled with discharged workers re-instated. The speed-up, pension and welfare disputes will be mediated. Russia rejected the Western proposals for German unity under the new Bonn Constitution and for majority rule in the four power commission. The first lynching of 1949 occurred when Caleb Hill, Georgia negro was shot by a mob after being taken from jail. Eisler was elected a member of the People's Council of the Soviet Zone of Germany.

6/1 Eugene has been too busy to go to the bathroom lately quite often. Sylvia looks like another child. Her hair was cut by Lillian and her voice has changed due to the tonsil operation. A new hormone, Compound E or Cortisone has been discovered which works miracle cures on arthritis sufferers. Judith Coplon's trial started with papers found in her pocketbook containing notes implicating a number of individuals as Communists or radicals, introduced as evidence. Dr. de Los Rios is dead at 70.

6/2 Beat Trocalli. The perjury trial of Alger Hiss growing out of W. Chambers charges that he was a Soviet spy started in Washington. It was charged that Hiss had accepted 65 important papers from Chambers for transmission to Soviet agent Bykov. The congressional grilling of David Lilienthal for alleged "incredible mismanagement" in his job of Atomic Energy Commissioner started with Sen Hickenlooper the chief critic. Mrs Eisler has won the right to join her husband in Poland.

6/3 Gates was held in contempt at the trial for refusing to answer questions about "party" officials. Chambers took a terrific grilling from defense Atty Stryker and was glad to admit he lied, perjured had no conscience, etc. while a Communist.

6/4 Sylvia drew "The Doll Who Came Alive" by Enys Tregarthen "In Voytus Little House" by J. Porazinska, "See and Sew" - a sewing manual by M Carasz [?] and "Here Comes The Postman" by D. Park. Eugene drew "The Island of the Mighty" by P. Colum, "Fairy Tales From Brazil" by E.S. Eells, "The Sword of the Vikings" by J. Davis Adams and "The Master Monkey" by D. G. Mukerji. Then we went to the "Grand" seeing "Little Women" with June Allyson as Jo, Janet Leigh, Elizabeth Taylor and Margaret O'Brien, Peter Lawford and Mary Astor. Also State Dep't - File #649. A Negro pastor in Birmingham who has moved into a "restricted" neighborhood has had his home threatened by bombing. Winston & Hall have joined Gates in jail for contempt.