Viewing page 471 of 547

This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.

Erie, Pa., Friday, Oct. 18, 1940.
Had a talk with Walt Harris this morning about the target car and at the conclusion he said, "I thought you'd be interested. It isn't generally known yet but Charlie Reed is coming back into the engineering department on his old job December 1." So my talk with Walter en route back to Erie in July bore fruit!

Find all Cummins engine equipped locos at Erie are held up pending decision on the oil throwing trouble which has shown up on the New York Central! So this situation now will be settled once and for all, I hope. I put the thought of Caterpillar in Bill's mind Wednesday but he seems still loyal to Cummins in spite of difficulties - favors Cooper-Bessemer most of all but they have no suitable engine for this job.

Cain and I are scheduled to be in Washington Monday on the target car proposition. Cash Davis said he couldn't go so he guessed I was elected - said Whitey, who was in the Alco meeting all day and I couldn't reach him conveniently, was trying to "relieve me" by  sending Cash but he had to be in Schdy. I was a little puzzled as to what Whitey meant by wanting to "relieve" me but it sounded good anyhow. He has made no move on the Shapter deal and Rudy tells me Shap has been going around recently saying he has been getting 70% of the locomotive business at Erie and all he gets for it is a "kick in the pants." It may well be that Whitey is afraid Shap may raise so much hell on just this very point, that he better think several times now before he moves - perhaps must have some fresh evidence against Shap before demoting him. Personally I should think he would want to.