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Erie, Pa.,
Tuesday, Aug. 27, 1940.
Some fellow named Laurence called me from Sch'dy. this morning and said in a voice like an embarassed radio announcer that he is pinch hitting for McIntyre who is on vacation and is trying to take care of my wire to "Mac" yesterday urging a decision on going from 20 to 35 howitzers per month - but he couldn't find [[underlined]] any [[/underlined]] papers on the job, didn't even know what material was referred to.  So I tried to educate him but fear I was none too successful because I purposely refrained from telling him we were going to order new tools regardless for fear he would tell Watervliet and upset our campaign.  He promised to talk it over with Thorpe and wire me but he never did.  The only hitch in our trying to get the tools without the Army knowing it is that we must have Gov't. priority exercised to get them in time to do us all the good we need.  Tomorrow I've got to get this settled someway.  I guess Federal & Maine are swamped but this is a helluva a way to handle a million and a half program - however to them these days that probably appears to be chicken feed.

"Whitey" told me today Shapter wont be back until next Tuesday when he will make the move on the Industrial Loco Section change.  Phil Hatch can't come here this week to see the 44 ton job.  Dave Reid wont let Ernie Bloss come to Erie to review the B&M job with us - he'll come when they are completed.  He shot the old chestnut at us (or rather at Donovan) about why he didn't see he should send men to Erie to show us how to build our locomotives - I wish he'd get that idea out of his system;  we don't want Ernie here for that.