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Washington, D.C.
Thursday. Oct.8.'42.

[[checkmark, bullet point]] I have been busy this week with a lot of mail, minutes, releases, etc. This afternoon I spent from 2:30 to 5:00 with Messrs. Kirchbaum, Mattingly and Ryan at the Office of Survey Standards of the Census Bureau talking about our forms for obtaining information from the builders regarding their schedules and material flow. The forms we use are illegal, never having been approved for use and we are trying [[underlined]] to clean our skirts. [[/underlined]] They put me through a young inquisition which I survived in fair style. The forms are okay as to information requested except Kirchbaum, a gaunt, sallow man who reminded me of Ots Tracy, felt we could do them in a better way. However, the forms are the wrong shape, etc. etc. - he wants them designed to Govt. standards, assigned a PD member tied in with the limitations order, etc. So we have to start over again to get them really legalized and printed right. He did suggest a card system for the scheduling that has possibilities, eliminating the monthly report and substituting cards for the builders to mail to us whenever anything changes. I'll look into that.

[[checkmark, bullet point]]  Joe Rowbottom, Marshall and I went up town for dinner and I decided to get off the wagon as long as it has done me no good after about a week. We had a couple of "balls" in the Mayflower and another at L'Escargot before dinner. It was like old times and by Jove I felt better all evening - maybe alcohol does me good. We had a very hilarious dinner with Joe in top form. As Marshall says, "When they cast him, they must have thrown the pattern away; there's no one else even remotely approaching him." Joe says he's in solid with Stevenson now because he offered their taxi to Mr. & Mrs. S. who were en route to the station yesterday. Andrew said, "No thanks, Joe. Here's another one coming." Andrew addresses practically all of us outsiders as "Mister".

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