Dear Bob:

//Boredom won. I've been sitting on my duff writing for the BuPers paper known to all our torpid readers as ALL HANDS. I did about one piece a month - just like TIME. I did me a wooden little item on officer promotions. It was approved by Forrestal, Ads. Jacobs and Fechteler, six captains, one comdr. one lt. comdr. six lieuts. and a girl j. g. They made 62 changes - none of them changes of fact. The Navy always wins.

I have got me a billet in San Francisco where the plan is to process some kind of news report for the new Pacific papers. I hear it's pleasant.

Under the new point system I get out in six months: Good?

I get my first fogie next pay check.

I've been in BuPers four months. I'm really not surprised about Pearl Harbor.

I wrote Ellie and asked her did you want a billet here. I was chastely ingmmm ignored. May be this expansion in the news-and-or-information-magazine-clip-sheet stuff will continue. Will your local C. O. spring you? If so and you feel mmmmm what I believe is called the "stateside" urge, shoot off a rocket. I'm a man of influence, you know.

On your return visit in San Fran. We'll put you up and get you drunk.

Let me know. I think a letter marked "hold until arrival" addressed to C om12, San Fran. would get me. I hope to be on my way before too long.

Navy Informational Service Section,
83 McAllister St.,
San Francisco, Cal.

Dear Bob,

Have a deal I'd like to work out with you; possibly
to the advantage of both of us. Under the new system I
have 47 1/2 points. This means a delay. If you are going
to be delayed possibly even further than I, we might make
an arrangement to have you relieve me here in Frisco. This
would have the merit of getting me to hell out of the
Navy and of getting you to within earshot of Ellie, who
could scram out here and spend the final few months of
your hitch with you. If, of course, you can find any
quicker or better arrangements I wont make any move.
Actually, I wont anyway until I hear from you. But
roll the problem over. I think I may get the chance to
put your name in the hopper, specifically, if you
like. At least that's what the C. O. thought today.
This job is merely filing a wire to Guam for that
new paper there. Like this town enormously and wont
mind too much if we stay another couple of months.
Shoot me a letter of some sort anyway, regardless of
the Out Deal. In fact, I think we're all going to
get cut free a hell of a while earlier than has
been officially announced. Hope so.

Please address reply as follows:
"Commandant Third Naval District"
In reply refer to No.

Telephone REctor 2-9100

Headquarters of the
Commandant Third Naval District
Federal Office Building, 90 Church Street
New York, N. Y.

Dear Bob,

Please do forgive the considerable delay in answering
your note. I have called your office a number of times and
gotten no results, although my pigeon seems to have had
word of your occasional appearance.

Your piece in TIME was a good one and had none of the
deficits which I found so harassing in the earlier one. I f
you've forgotten you might like to be reminded that Bryce
wrote at least one damned good chapter on the problem of
the press and the people and the world which dug into some
of the problems you tussled with.

I like to feel that I serve a harsh mistress - the truth -
and so will take the liberty of tossing a few more seeds your
way.

The more I live the more I find myself unable to escape the
fact that the only valid revolution is the revolt of self
away from all the alluring falsehoods of which both you and
I are - I think - so conscious. The good thing is that it
is possible to revolt and at the same time to do that *manain*
work which the world needs. In other words, it seems possible
to lean, as *maritain* does, and to work at the same time.

Incidentally, while I'm being so consummately generous
with the wisdom, I'd like to pick up two loose ends, mm both
of which you have awareness of. One harks back to the FORTUNE
piece in which you mentioned one good book of Adlers, but m
neglected the mention of his most important - "WHAT MAN HAS MADE
OF MAN." Point two: of Peguy, you said, I believe, he is
good because he seeks to please no one. To this I ask: No one?

To get back to your series on the post-war world, I'd
like to fling in my final not-too-original comment that the
world needs only *mm* to have man recapture charity and the
knowledge of his ultimate end.

Hope you're mended. Give Eleanor our love and tell her we're
waiting for that damned bread-baking session she promised.

66 Crabtree Road,
Squantum, Massachusetts

Dear Bob,

Do forgive the long delay in answering. Actually your note
was the cause for much rejoicing here. Just as your apostasy was
the reason for much malaise on our part, so has your return prouded
some real happiness. Meanwhile we send congratulations on the good
news of your marriage. Notwithstanding the tardy reply I must say
your note provided us with one of the few bright spots we've had in
a long while.

The past couple of years have been about two of the grimmest
I've ever had, mainly because of some really foul health. Had a grusome
operation in London a year ago - gall bladder out and a not too
good convalescence. Presently I'm crawling out of the aftermath
of some pneumonia which I managed to pick up despite a summer in the
open.

The London venture was not an unqualified success workwise.
I seem to have made the mistake of showing some competence on the
editing side and as a result got stuck for a couple of too long spells
on the desk. Actually it was pretty gratifying in lots of ways
although it was hellish hard.

I did manage to more of less stick to my old trade of economics,
money, etc. and got sent out on some damned good assignments to do
series on industry - including a really wonderful trip up to Scotland.
The girls came up later and met me in Edinburgh and we had a pleasant
run around those parts.

The first year I got there was sent down to Rome for a month
to help cover the consistory. This, I must say, was about the high
point of my life. I must tell you sometime how I was hidden in a
small upboard off the Sistine Chapel where I spied on Pius through
a crack in the door ( and nearly got myself stabbed by a Swiss Guard
for my pains).

The present schedule calls for about another month's
convalescence - after which I hope to mush Newyorkwards. At that
time am going to make a hell of an effort to get out of the AP.
It's a sewer of mediocrity, even though it did provide a huge amount
of travel expenses which I could never otherwise have dredged up.
Don't yet know where I'll strike out but want to break away as soon
as possible. (Incidentally, this is supposed to be a secret as I
don't want the management to know).

Be a good lad and give your bride our love. Will try to
dig you up when I get down.