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214

ing he was going to have dinner with me, only to find he was going out to dinner with Congressman Jones.  I was disappointed but hadn't been in my room two [[checkmark]] minutes when John Grace phoned me and invited me to dinner at their house - so my apparent misfortune turned into very good fortune.  The Graces had Mrs. Mary Skayce, J. S. Knowlson's daughter and wife of a navy flyer, in too and we had a very jolly time and a magnificent steak with the usual Grace accompaniment of cocktails, wine and after dinner coffee and liquers.  Mrs. Skayce was tall, rather gaunt but not unattractive and said she thought Henry Guy is one of her godfathers, her father being an old G.E. Schenectady man and "one of the gang" at that time.  Now of course he is one of the WPB Vice Chairmen and President of Stewart-Warner.  Mrs. S. has, as John says, "the fresh atmosphere of the barnyard" about her.  Her language was certainly a caution but the prize remark was that something was "cold as a well digger's --well--" and I said, "--in Norway."  Sometimes she was a bit blasé and again very natural and John razzed her to death - it was a very nice, cozy, congenial evening.  Mrs. S. and I came down off the hill in a taxi together, I getting off first at the Wardman.

[[checkmark 212 checkmark]]  Campaigns in Africa going well - Algiers, Oran, Casablanca having surrendered or about to and the Allies making a dash toward Tunisia to squeeze Rommel in a nutcracker.  The French are about to revolt and go over to the Allies according to reports and Hitler and Mussolini are really on a spot.  It really looks as though at last the tide is turning.  It is all very thrilling, of course, and everyone is hoping and praying there will be no slip-up. [[)]]

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