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Henry that he (Whitey) had to see Swope on Friday to go over on GGI cost figures and justify our price. Apparently, our price is regarded by the Pennsy as "outrageous", although they have placed the order. Henry had misgivings about telling Swope too much. But Whitey was calm and confident - he'd tell Swope the truth but he wanted the truth to be properly adjusted. "Whitey", able as he undoubtedly is, certainly has stepped into this job at the psychological moment. Business promises to boom as it hasn't since 1929. It's not a healthy boom but while it lasts, its going to be a wow.

Erie, Pa.,
Wednesday, Sept. 27, '39.
Maurice and Brandy are off to New York tonight on the new New Haven proposition. I gave them all the dope I could and told Maurice to tell Ed Kelly if he saw him that I'd get drunk with him sometime here even if I didn't handle the job. Maurice said, "I wish you were going." I told Rudy about it and he said, "That's too bad you have to lose that work. But Whitey has done the same thing to everyone. Very nice to think about taking work away but he goes ahead and does it just the same. I wanted to have all the diesels in here but he turned me down and gave the industrial to Shap." Then Rudy told me he thought the S. P. would move to be an interesting job and that someone would have to go to the coast on it. I thought right then - if I do the work, I want to be the one to go to the coast. And I suspect Whitey has in that in mind too. I dropped Rudy the hint