The Waterbury Democrat., 1944-08-07
Mosques and Ninarets blaslnr ln

Mo8queS and Minarets blazing an tle intense Persian sunlight |, travel by donkey cart and caravan over the bliStertag sands of the des- ert. the muexzan calling the faith. ful Co prayer through giant loud speakers. paying Fifth Avenue prices for flve-and-ten merchandise watching young and dapper King Farouk of Egypt enjoying an after noon snack of hamburgers and Coca-Cola at the Red Cross can- teen. listening to Frank Sinatra on the United Nations Radio from Algiers. taking showers every hour on the hour to survive temperatures of l30 or more. driving over hair pin curves Co tiny outposts snuggled against the sides of towering noun- tain peaks.
 These are some of the vignettes that are mingled in the picturesque and bizarre story of the most dralm- atic journey we ever made either as private citizens or troupers. When Lily and I left the United States to give a series Of concerts for the 0Is of the Persian Gulf command. we were as thrilled and excited as most people would be at the proS- pect of visiting the Near East and of coming face to face with the color. the adventure and the mystery of its fabled cities and towns. But now that we have lived through some of the richest and most provocative experiences of travel. we know that some of the story-tellers were only amateurs.
 To Form a CT Symphony
 Orchestra
 Palpably. 1t is impossible for us to paint day-by-day picture of the journey which took us to Cairo, Teheran. KaZvin and later to the Italian-North African theater of war So, as Lily suggests, we shall start in the middle of things, jump all over the lot and try to detail some of the highlights. Lily. inci- dentally, insists 0ike a modest wife should) that have the floor first. So hereby trot out what I consider a very special highlight.
 was in Teheran to form a CT Symphony Popular Orchestra. Word of my plan spread around the AaAattsa AAnN OlACC ing General Connolly had offered his fullest cooperation. The boys all amateurs but one--were given special furloughs and they came from their camps in the Iraq-Iran area by plane. truck. jeep and train to rehearse in this first profession ally conducted CT Symphony Or- chestra.
 In its final form, this unique or- chestra was composed Of SO CTS. with i6 violins and with the double bass turning out to be a gentleman who had played in the Cleveland Symphony Orchestra.
 We played in camps down on the Persian Gulf and at camps in the very heart of the Iranian desert. Travel was tough on all of us, but none took it better than petite Lily, whose good spirits and high humor always get her through the meanest situations. And when I say mean, I'm eeferring to dust storms which were more than brutal.
 Thanks again to Major Connolly, men who were posted at outlying stations were given time off from theip duties to make the trip and 10 attend our concerts, so that wherever We went, our perform ances were ''sell-outs".
 Here Defender of I.enin-
 grad an II0nOred Guest
 One of the Big Events in our tour was the concert We gave at Kazyin. General Connolly honored us by coming down with several of his aides and We were signally honored by General Yarmakeyitch, the de- fender of Leningrad, and several other Russian officers. After the concert the Russian general came to the platform and expressed his appreciation of the program. Later all cur distinguished guests came baekstage. Were the GIs thrilledl
 Incidentally. my wife and I gave short talk in Russian at the concert