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246

Washington, D.C.
Monday, Nov. 30, '42.

Never really got going today and somehow my heart didn't seem to be in the job. Didn't get to the office until 10 AM, the train being late again. Spent the rest of the morning in session with Charlie, Ed and [[underline]] Major McLeod [[/underline]] on the Army program, revised edition which threatens to upset our whole plan for [[underline]] 1943 [[/underline]] for the small builders by slashing out so many [[underline]] 0-6-0s. [[/underline]]  In the afternoon, between many interruptions, the best I could do was go over my accumulated correspondence and plan my campaign for tomorrow. I told Charlie that definitely I am getting out [[underline]] 100% on Jan lst. [[/underline]] - they might as well get resigned to it now. I also told him about [[underline]] Al Butler [[/underline]] (who phoned me at home yesterday for particulars). Also they are [[underline]] getting a Westinghouse [[/underline]] man so I believe we can rig up an arrangement for carrying on the job OK. I must see Stevenson shortly about the matter.

[[underline]] Mat [[/underline]] took me to the Willard after work to meet [[underline]] Lillard,[[/underline]] Lima's Memphis man, who has arrived to take a Dollar-a-Year job in the Excavating Machinery Section of WPB. We had a couple of balls there, came up to the Wardman, where we had two more, and then went in to dinner, Mrs. Tate accompanying us. Then Mat swung into his specialty of arranging some fancy drinking - Manhattan, burgundy wine, brandy and cointreau, southern comfort and creme de menthe frappé to wind up. I flatly refused to go into the Metronome Room for a "night cap" and everyone broke up about 11 PM to go to bed. One more drink and I would have been in bad shape - as it was I got by OK. But it was a bit silly.