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Ben and Tony in tonight for bridge. The Ford Hour and phonograph music.

Erie, Pa.,
Monday, April 15, 1940.

This was one of those occasional red letter days in my young life as follows:

1.) Went in to talk to Whitey first thing about B&M and recommended we pop his long range program at the B&M [[underlined]] after [[/underlined]] we get the order for 5 locomotives. He heartily agreed.

Then he began talking to me about my future. He says Henry Guy and Ed Waller will soon be retired and he feels the time is now ripe for me to start a course of [[spronts?]] under Henry and Cash and later to familiarize myself with Art Packer's work, which eventually will be performed by a clerk under my supervision. He wants me to start this [[underlined]] soon [[/underlined]] and to see that I [[underlined]] make [[/underlined]] time to start it. He says Henry and Cash know what he has in mind and to start with them first and again, [[underlined]] soon [[/underlined]]. From this, it appears to me that the way is paved and all is well. Whitey referred several times to my duties as "assistant manager". So this was rather thrilling news.

Whitey said also he wanted me to give some thought to getting a suitable man to head up the Industrial Locomotive Section - that Shapter is impossible. (Brandy, Earl Kearns and Rudy have just been made heads of their respective sections - but not Shap) Whitey says it is a tough problem - has had him stumped for six months.