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Erie, Pa,
Friday, July 5, 1940.

Got my desk pretty well cleaned up today. Whitey got back and immediately got into the 5"/38 job himself. It seems Chester Lang, Chairman of the Defense Coordinating Committee of the Company, had given Whitey hell the other day for the way this job has been handled ie the unorthodox method presumably. We had a big session this afternoon on it and Whitey criticized the costs, putting Whittier through the inquisition, which Whit finally was able to handle after some preliminary floundering around. I give Whitey credit for always having an original viewpoint on a subject be it right or wrong - and more often it is right. He's a keen little duke all right. Now Emmet wants to go to Schdy. Tuesday with us and I shouldn't be surprised if Whitey went himself. Another development is that Goss may have a man there too. Whitey recited a tale to Emmet and me this morning of a feud between Dave Niven and Bill Thorpe, something I never knew of. - I am going to be interested in the way this 5"/38 is handled from here on, particularly how much Whitey participates and how much he leaves to me. I am sure Emmet as yet has his doubts about my ability and is working on Whitey to follow it himself. We shall see how far Whitey goes to appease him. Of course it is a big job - perhaps the biggest job the Erie Works has undertaken in years so I cant blame Emmet for feeling as he does, knowing me so little. I feel fully capable of handling it but when Whitey mixes in, I lose considerable incentive to do my best thinking on it. However, it may be a golden opportunity like the 75 mm howitzer job, to demonstrate more keeness than the boss if I'm lucky.