1/7-1/13/51

Jan 7 Sunday We visited Al & Edith in the rain. Danny is beginning to play chess. He played war, casino and checkers with Sylvia. Al beat Eugene at chess but I beat him one. Communists captured Hongchon and Wonju on the road to Pusan. Taft asked for our withdrawal from Korea.

Jan 8 UN forces held in the streets of Wonju in a delaying action. French continued to gain in their counter offensive against the Viet Minh. The U.S. continued to have difficulty in branding China an aggressor in the UN. The Catholic Church entered the fight to suppress "The Miracle" with a daily picket line at the Paris Theatre.

Jan 9 American troops sped up their retreat, giving up Osan and Wonju. Truman delivered his "State of the Nation" speech. He put forth a 10 point program 1. Appropriation for military expansion 2. Extension of the draft 3. Aid to the "Free World" 4. Expand production and stabilize prices rent and wages 5. Aid to agriculture 6. Improve labor laws for better production 7. House and train defense workers 8. Increase supply of medical personnel. 9. Aid to schools 10. Increase taxes. 

Jan 10 Communists were pushed back three miles by UN counter attacks. Ex Hitler generals conferred with the Allies on German re-armament. Censorship was instituted on news from Korea here. The word "retreat" was banned. Criticism of UN actions was also proscribed. Nehru insisted that the UN consider China's grievances. Max Werner is dead at 49.

Jan 11 Eugene is forgetting everything but his head these days but he remembered something in arithmetic that the whole class forgot, he said. Americans lost Wonju after regaining it. The British Commonwealth conference supported Nehru's plan for Red China's acceptance in the UN. Defense Sec'y Marshall asked a permanent U.M.T. and draft of 18 year old and extension of service period from 21 to 27 mos. Sinclair Lewis is dead in Rome at 65. 

Jan 12 Communists sped South to slash the rail line to Pusan. Millions of Koreans are on the march with their children fleeing in cold and starvation to they know not where. They are not only fleeing the Communists but the certain bombardment by U.S. planes of all the cities they evacuate. The U.S. in a surprise move agreed to a peace conference with Russia and China. Other conditions are a cease fire, withdrawing of foreign troops and discussion of Formosa and a UN seat for Red China. A former schoolmate of Remingtons and the notorious Elizabeth Bentley testified that Remington had been a Communist. 

Jan 13 Sylvia had been warned many times to not to touch Lillian's things but she looked into a box of powder on the shelf in the bathroom and half of it spilled. She got quite a scolding and had to pay for a new box (69¢) which she protested against very strongly. In tears she argued that not all of it had spilled. Bobby came up to play with Eugene and they asked permission to participate in their favorite pastime - wrestling. British Commonwealth Prime Ministers in conference asked peace talks now and re-armament of Germany and Japan. Truman asked for a great tax increase and a greater Army. Ilse Koch who has gone the gamut of histrionics in her trial for Concentration camp atrocities was carried out as the trial ended. Communist troops launched a big attack on the UN line threatening to spring a trap on the Allied troops. American planes continued to blast thousands of Koreans to bits daily. Heavyweight Champ Ezzard Charles T.KO'd Lee Oma in ten rounds. Oma was not down but out on his feet.