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123

Washington, D.C.
Monday, Sept. 14, 1942.

Had a very pleasant conference this morning with Charlie Helsper, Rodney Long and Mishel George of BEW over the foreign locomotive program and made considerable progress getting the matter cleared up. I actually had that satisfied feeling one so seldom has down here of having accomplished a little something. I promptly sent release wire to Chadwick authorizing his Brazilian jobs for production which I know will be a huge relief to him.

Mishel George, a swarthy young man with a cultured voice, went to Allegheny College at Meadville and he, Charlie Helsper and I had lunch together about 2:30, so long and engrossing had our conference been. Helsper is a crinkly eyed, big framed, heavy lipped, pleasant, quizzical looking bird that I am getting to like rather well. I haven't discovered yet [[underline]] exactly [[/underline]] what his job is in the section but understand it is mainly program work.

Did some pushing and advising on Kaiser today and see trouble ahead. Am going to authorize GE to use the material for the Volta Redonda quencher to make the Kaiser quencher and try to bull it through on the present AA3 priority - we can't get anything any better. And even working at 100% speed GE can't get the quencher there before about Christmas and its needed there Nov. 1st!

Ed Harley and Vic invited me out to the Wardman Park for dinner and we cooked up a Branch party tomorrow night for Carroll Hanly, who is expecting to leave this weekend ultimately for the Transportation Specialists Corps of the Army but more immediately for a WPB job in Philadelphia. Met Mat & Marshall entertaining the Lima Congressman!