Eleanor Roosevelt -- My Day (1943)

221

September 7, 1943

Canberra, Australia – (delayed)
Saturday morning, we left Government House at 9:45 a.m. and I had the pleasure of driving first with our Minister, Mr. Nelson Johnson, to see the new legation which we are building here. It is made of the same kind of brick used in Williamsburg, Virginia, in duplicating the old buildings which were restored there.

I like the plan of the house and I have only one criticism, namely, that the fireplace in the room which is to be the library may be architecturally perfect, but it looks too small ever to give one the sense of space and hospitality that an open fire should convey. The house stands on a hill and has a lovely view. I planted a little oak, which starts the landscaping.

On leaving here, Mrs. Evatt, wife of the Attorney General and Minister for External Affairs, and I drove together for the rest of the morning, which was a pleasant arrangement as it gave us a chance for a little conversation between stops. Our first visit was to the radio school for United States naval personnel. Some 80 sailors are being trained for work at sea or at shore stations.

At the YWCA we saw a hut operated for service girls. They can get a bed and bath for two shillings. Meals are very inexpensive and they may have their friends visit them there. I found that some of our men were enjoying their hospitality.

Next, we visited the war memorial built after the last war. This is a dignified and beautiful building and one could spend several days looking at the paintings, sculpture and exhibits. I had so little time that I could only see how much there was of interest and hope for an opportunity at some future date to see it more satisfactorily. A short stop was then made at a service club where there were Australians and Americans and where I signed many autographs, and could have signed many more if I had not had an appointment with the Prime Minister at his home. I had an opportunity to talk to Mrs. Curtin, and then Mr. Curtin and I had a quiet talk. It was both interesting and restful after a rather active morning.

At 1:00, we arrived at Parliament House, where the Prime Minister had arranged a luncheon at which he welcomed me very cordially to Australia. His remarks were seconded by Mr. William Hughes of the opposition party, and then I was given a precious gift to bring back to my country. It is a photographic copy – the only one ever made – of Capt. Cook’s own diary, kept in his own hand, of his first voyage when he discovered Australia. For fifty years after his death, it remained in his wife’s possession and now it is a most treasured possession of the public library here. It is a gift from the people of Australia to the people of America and is so inscribed.

During the afternoon I spent a little while with the staff of the American Legation and was glad to see my cousin, Mrs. Kidder, and her husband.

Our Minister and his wife gave a reception in the afternoon, and after dinner at Government House another reception was held there in the evening. I had an opportunity to talk with the heads of the various women’s services. Heads of the Army and Navy nursing services are called “Matron,” but they are given military rank just as ours are.

The Australian nurses served in Greece and Crete, so these women know at first hand all the dangers of war.

I was given some very good photographs of American boys taken here and I am taking them home and will send them to the hometowns of the boys. I have also been promised some movies of women’s war activities, which have been made.

222

September 8, 1943

Melbourne, Australia – (delayed)
Our arrival here was prompt as usual and, after greeting Governor Sir Winston Dugan and Lady Dugan, with other officials at the airport, we left immediately to visit some more of the men in our armed forces.

During the day I visited camps, hospitals, YMCA huts and the Salvation Army building which had the only open fireplaces and which will, I’m sure, be very popular for that reason. Far be it from me to suggest, however, that the men seek creature comforts in preference to spiritual leadership, for the current saying, “There are no atheists in foxholes,” takes on new meaning here.

Some of the smaller hospitals are caring largely for malaria cases and are staffed by Australian doctors, nurses and volunteers. They are kindness itself to our men, who receive exactly as much attention from Australian Red Cross workers as they give to their own soldiers. Near one of the camps, which is some distance from Melbourne, there is an American Red Cross Club. It was set up at one time as a rest home for recuperation after time spent in a hospital, or for furlough periods. It has been turned into the usual type of club, where meals are served, games are available and places are provided to write or read, or just sit and talk. Some craft work is carried on and a few beds are kept in readiness for boys who want to spend their night off in a real bed with a spring mattress, white sheets and blankets.

Of course, there are areas which I am visiting which are rest areas, where units are in training or being given rest periods after long months spent in the actual battle area.

In the evening we dined at a big Red Cross Club in Melbourne, where 4,000 meals are served daily. In Australia, Sundays are days of rest and no places of amusement are open, so these are the evenings when the men and their friends like to be entertained at a club. We spent a short period at a show where much soldier talent as well as professional talent was in evidence on the stage. It was a crowded place and I am sure there are few idle moments for Miss Florence Hizk or any of the other workers.

At dinner, an officer who had been up to New Guinea last Christmas, gave me a description of their celebration. On Thanksgiving Day, he said, he and his men had tea and spinach as their only food, but by Christmas Day they were able to have a really good dinner. They placed a star on the top of the tallest palm tree, worked all day, but had unloaded and brought in by night the little Red Cross parcels sent up for each man by the Red Cross. They cut up all candles in camp so each man had a little piece of light.

The familiar Christmas songs were sung, a Protestant service was held and just at midnight, a Catholic mass celebrated. Then the lights went out and Jap planes came over, but not until every man had scattered so no casualties occurred.

That is a Christmas few of those men will ever forget. Mr. Gamble, of the Red Cross, told me that as the wounded came back the following days, they might have no clothes, but what was on their backs, but many of them clutched the precious little Christmas package.

During the afternoon we stopped at the Crippled Children’s hospital, where cases of infantile paralysis, rheumatic fever and tubercular bone diseases of every kind are being treated and many of them being cured. These cases take great patience and many of them spend from four to six years in the hospital, but it’s encouraging to know that they have a high percentage of cures. The hospital looks out over the sea and the children are exposed to all the air and sunshine possible in very beautiful surroundings.

223

September 9, 1943

Melbourne, Australia – (delayed)
Our first stop on our morning rounds on Monday was at the ten-story general hospital, the first American one to be set up on foreign soil. Our men arrived here on February 28, 1942, and were fortunate to be able to take over the finished hospital building from the Australians, who had not yet moved in.

On March 5, 1942, they started to work and since then they have admitted a large number of patients. Today they have battle casualties, some malaria cases, and the usual variety of illnesses that will appear when you gather a large group of men together.

I saw a good sample of the work being done by the women of Australia during the rest of the day, and I am sure what I have seen here has been duplicated throughout the country. We went all over the Red Cross headquarters, where the usual activities were being carried on. Lady Dugan, wife of the governor of Victoria, has turned the ballroom of Government House into a workroom, where all the surgical dressings are made and any emergency calls are met. As many as seventy women work there at a time, sometimes staying the whole day. We must never forget how generous these women of the Australian Red Cross have been to us.

We then saw the work of the Women’s Australian Auxiliary Air Force. Their work is similar to that done in Great Britain. I am not sure whether, in the United States, we train women to act as forecasters, but here they are doing this work very satisfactorily. This group gave us a delightful luncheon. After lunch, we went to see the work of the Women’s Royal Australian Navy Service. From there, in quick succession, we saw women at work in the Australian Base Postal Unit, which is part of the service given by the Army Auxiliary.

Then we saw an ambulance car company, with women drivers, who do all their own maintenance work and lift stretchers in and out. These girls frequently meet our hospital ships and transport our boys. So, you see in how many varied ways the women of Australia cooperate in war work with us.

Finally, we saw the research laboratory and munitions factory where women are very largely employed. Then I went to meet the heads of many women’s organizations. After an introduction by the Lord Mayor, I spoke to some 4,000 women and showed them the film of my trip in Great Britain.

This is a land of opals, and I was asked to see some beautiful ones, which would have interested me, since they are my birthstones. However, my schedules have not made such little side trips possible, but I am grateful to those who have tried to give me this pleasure.

224

September 10, 1943

Sydney, Australia – (delayed)
It took us only two hours and ten minutes to fly from the field at Melbourne to the field here, but we were above the clouds most way, so I was glad we had seen the country on our previous flight.

This has been an easy day because we didn’t begin our rounds till we had fortified ourselves with a very good lunch at the hotel. At 2:00, the press came and though I thought all the questions that could be asked had been asked, they thought up some more and still seemed full of them. Then I was told that we had to go to our first engagement.

We visited the Red Cross Officers’ Club, which was crowded with young fliers down on leave from New Guinea for a few days’ rest. Then we went on to a club run by the Americans in Sydney, with the help of their Australian friends. General Eichelberger found two young officers in whom he is interested here, and introduced them. I noticed that both wore decorations.

We spent a half hour at the club run by the Red Cross for Army and Navy Nurses, and they gave us a cup of tea. The General sat surrounded by his Army girls, while Admiral Jones had the Navy girls draped around his chair.

There are times when I think the world is a very small place and, at other times, it seems very large. This afternoon was one of the occasions when it seemed small, for one nurse looked up and said, “Say hello to Poughkeepsie for me, Mrs. Roosevelt.” I found she had been at St. Francis Hospital there, and knew my sister-in-law, who is on the board of the hospital.

Later, another girl said, “If you see Leo Casey, say hello for me. I knew him at the hospital in Syracuse, New York.” These girls revel in having comfortable beds without nets over them, real hot baths in tubs, and a chance to get hairdos. I tried to make some of them tell me of their experiences and they were slow to speak of them. But gradually, one after another contributed something to the picture of day-to-day heroism.

One of them found a rat in her bed on waking. Another woke to find a rock python on the floor beside her bed. Rats steal your socks if you leave them out, and the crickets eat your clothes. One group was without hot water for days and had very little water to spare for their own use after making the patients comfortable. In fact, they went nine months without a hot bath.

When these nurses first went to New Guinea, I know they slept on Army cots. Their evening uniform there is a one-piece slack suit with socks into which the trousers are carefully tucked. Clumsy G.I. shoes are a final protection against the mosquito, that may lay a nurse low with malaria as easily as it attacks a soldier.

One nurse told me that she had pinned a Silver Star on her brother twice. He is a Marine sergeant, James Kaufman, and was decorated for conspicuous gallantry in repairing the lines of communication between headquarters and the forward area during the bitter fighting on Guadalcanal. She is Lt. Mary Kaufman and is spending her leave here.

At 4:30, I attended a gathering of women at Town Hall, where the mayor introduced me and I spoke. At 6:00, several people came to see me and at 7:00, I made a 15-minute broadcast after which we dined and then went to the Red Cross club for enlisted men, where a dance was in full swing. There I met a young man who had been chosen by Helen Hall for his job and felt a great responsibility to carry it out well. It is a tribute to Miss Hall when people tell of her achievements out here, where, to get things done, was nothing short of miraculous. She has left many warm friends and admirers in every place that I have been so far.

225

September 11, 1943

Sydney, Australia – (Sept. 10)
Nine-fifteen yesterday morning saw us depart for the Victoria Barracks, which is a building of much charm. It shows the influence of the French prisoners who built it in its architecture. I reviewed a group composed almost entirely of men returned from the Middle East and congratulated the band on its playing of the “Star Spangled Banner” as well as it could have been played at home. Then I met some groups of women belonging to all the Auxiliary Military Services.

We had tea afterwards, which is one of the pleasant customs here. One may have mid-morning tea as well as mid-afternoon tea. Then we proceeded to a very big American hospital. It was a long drive and I talked to three boys opposite me. They had all been wounded in New Guinea and had been among General Eichelberger’s troops there, so the boys asked him for information about their friends and he seemed much pleased to talk with them. I took the names and home addresses of those within reach and hope to write to their families on my return.

It will be nice to be able to say that all are doing well and some are coming home. I talked to some boys in the recreation hall and later in the wards. One man had a collection of souvenirs he was sending home to his mother and I had to hand over a pin. The general was asked for one of his stars which, unfortunately, he could not part with.

From there we drove to an Australian hospital, which had taken in our first wounded when they arrived here from Bataan. The matron in charge and nurses had been very kind to our boys and I was glad of this opportunity to thank them.

They have a very nice library in connection with their military hospitals, which is better arranged for reading than ours usually are. Their Red Cross craft shop and program is much better developed than any which I have yet seen in our hospitals, but I gathered that the doctors were more interested in it than some of our military doctors seem to be. Of course, one has to remember that Australian hospitals are permanent, whereas ours are built for the duration only.

In the course of the afternoon, we visited the zoo, so that I might not leave here without seeing some of their prize animals, such as the kangaroo, who hopped about obligingly for us; the little bear, who is quite a pet they tell me, but whose claws seemed to me a menace to my uniform; and some beautiful birds.

Our last stop was at the Red Cross blood bank center, where they keep a list of donors on whom they call every three months. They told me that the women were among their most reliable donors, coming in whenever sent for. Some people have given as much as twelve times. So much is being sent north now, that even though they have 40,000 people registered, they now are looking for more.

Dinner was had at Government House and it was a pleasant evening for me, since I found both His Excellency and the Premier of New South Wales were interested in soil erosion and conservation, which have been among my husband’s chief interests for a long time. It may be that, in Australia, they are aware of the danger of wasting their land before it is too late. Like all pioneer countries, I think they have been inclined to take out more than they put in, which is never a practice you can pursue for long.

Incidentally, one of the amusing sights here is the cars which carry enormous bags of gas that cover the whole top of the auto. It seems to work, however. I had a little sidelight on transportation difficulties when I was told that the flying doctors were now often used as emergency shopping service as well. A woman in a lonely spot may call a flying doctor for a sick child, but she may add:

Would you do me a favor and bring along a pound of sausage.

226

September 13, 1943

Brisbane, Australia – (Sept. 11)
Mountains, woodland, valleys and streams all passed below us as we flew north today. I looked down with interest at the homesteads that reminded me of some of our western ranches. Much of the land is unoccupied here, because as the Governor for New South Wales told me last night, in some places it takes forty acres to support one sheep, since the land is poor and the rainfall is not very heavy.

We landed at about 11:00 to visit some of our Armed Forces who went through the early fighting in New Guinea. They were not trained then for jungle warfare. Though they fought with magnificent courage and won, the price they paid was heavy. Gen. Eichelberger’s Chief of Staff, Gen. Byers, commanded them in that first fighting until he was wounded, and I think he must have been proud to see them today.

I lunched in one of the messes with the men and talked with some sergeants who had been through the hardest fighting. They were men from Michigan, Wisconsin and Illinois. Then we saw a group in their jungle outfits with full packs. Forty-five pounds is what a man ordinarily carries, but some carry up to 70 pounds and told me they did not find it impossible. They looked fit and when I asked one man if he felt the Japs were better fighters than he had at first supposed, or whether he now had less respect for them, he answered:

They are not good fighters, but are wily and trickly and never to be trusted.

No one out here has any pity for the Japanese. They have seen them do too many things which we consider beyond the pale of civilized practice. Human life to a Japanese seems to have no value.

By 5:00, we reached our destination, where there is a city of some 30,000 inhabitants. My first impression was one of the most beautiful and elaborate gardens I ever saw. There were flowers everywhere, and opposite the General’s home, a gorgeous hedge in full bloom.

First we saw the headquarters company. Photography must be a great source of relaxation here, for a battery of amateurs faced us instead of the usual press, who seemed to disappear completely from view. These troops, after seeing hard fighting, have had a retraining period with replacements and, therefore, they have had time to make their camp look very nice.

Flowering shrubs were planted along the road and some of the tents have flowers around them. There was a little vegetable garden. The medical first aid tent had the stones carefully whitewashed to mark the walk and a red cross in bits of stone which were painted red. The chapel in another tent, did duty for all denominations. Flowers stood on the altar and a crude altar rail had been made out of fencing.

All these camps have dogs and cats and, sometimes, I imagine, other pets. This company had a little black pup who was almost ready to go home with me. Some dogs are born diplomats and the little thing knew it was ingratiating itself, but would have been most unhappy I am sure, if its advances had been taken seriously.

I have finished Mr. Willkie’s book One World while I have been here. It is an interesting account of his trip and I enjoyed it and was glad to find that in many things I agreed so heartily with him and he agreed with the Administration. Two books by Australian writers were given me today. One is an animal story of a cow on the range, who loved liberty and fought for it. It is called Man-Shy and is delightful. Another is a book of verse by a poet who recites his own poems for agricultural groups, and is called Nine Miles From Gundagai, by Jack Moses. They seem part of the country and I can well understand their popularity.

227

September 14, 1943

Cairns, Australia – (Sept. 12)
Yesterday was devoted to seeing the men of our Armed Forces in camp. Some of the men who have been to New Guinea were now back for training, replacements and rest. Many of these boys have been out here 18 months and more, and, unless they are wounded so they cannot go back to duty or have had the kind of malaria which makes it necessary to go home, they return to duty because they are so much more valuable then they were originally.

The veterans are the ones who can explain the need for certain kinds of training to new men who may not always understand the purpose of some of the things they are made to do. They demonstrated for me today various types of training for jungle fighting. A group had come out with their jungle outfits in tatters and had not yet received replacements, so they were attacking in ordinary uniform. But, as they moved forward, I found them hard to see for they took such good advantage of the terrain and what camouflage they could improvise.

I am sure newcomers would never be as successful and might even think some precautions silly. Boys who have spent their lives in the open, who know animals, the woods, and how to live in the open in good or bad weather, have a little advantage, I would imagine, over the city boys in this training. All are getting it here under very realistic conditions.

I saw the training in hand-to-hand fighting, in shooting, in reconnaissance work and I felt that these men had confidence in themselves to meet the enemy and to win. They were studying Japanese weapons in one group and the man who demonstrated the gun to me knew quite well why his own gun was a superior weapon, since he or his comrades had actually taken these Japanese weapons in combat. They had great pride in their trophies and went to considerable trouble to put them back in working order so they could be used for demonstration purposes.

As you get nearer to the front you find that fewer and fewer things you had thought essential to decent living really are necessities. Things are wonderfully clean even in a camp where all the water is brought in by tank. A tent, if it has a floor, can be quite comfortable, and with an extra fence outside it can be tied more securely. Mosquito nets are held up by four posts at the four corners of Army cots. Though some boys had filled their mattress covers with straw or grass, the majority found blankets without a mattress or pillow a perfectly satisfactory bed.

One thing will interest you at home, namely the boys who have just come out from camps in the United States speak of their food as being better out here. That is partly because of Lease Lend arrangements. Meat, some fresh vegetables and butter are obtained from Australia. In some areas, they got a bit too much Australian mutton, but up in the north they are in the beef country and it is good, and you know at home how your boys like steak.

There is all sorts of talent in this army. As I was going through a Red Cross Club here last night, I came to a little room where a young man was busy turning out a poster. When I asked him if he had done similar work in civilian life, I learned that he was Sgt. Moore and had been Ripley’s assistant. There was another man playing the piano and when I asked if someone led the singing around there, they produced the soldier at once, and the whole group sang “Home On The Range.”

In a hospital the other day a man said, “I was with your cousin up North.” I thought he meant one of the very young members of my family, but I soon found that he meant Archie, whom I had seen just before he came out here, but had not heard from since. He fought all through the last war, but is back in the thick of it like his brother, Gen. Theodore Roosevelt, who was in Africa and is probably now in Italy.

228

September 15, 1943

Cairns, Australia – (Sept. 13)
We reached Cairns after our usual smooth run and landed again so smoothly that all the men exclaimed in admiration of our pilot. He should receive commendations from high-ranking officers if he continues his present record for smooth landings. I am sure that one and all are going to clamor to travel in air transport command planes.

This little town is picturesque, right on the water and pleasantly warm, though I imagine the breeze from the sea keeps one from ever being too warm at night. We lunched at the Red Cross Club for servicemen. It is in an old hotel right on the main street and seemed to me quite adequate for present needs. I met the mayor, who later introduced me to the heads of various patriotic organizations, and the heads of the Women’s Military Auxiliary Services in this area.

He presented me with a very nice letter to take back to my husband and, in addition, he gave me a tray made of inlaid woods all grown in this neighborhood. I talked with various boys in there and in another canteen not far away and then went to see the barracks, where the Australian girls serving in the Army Auxiliary live. These certainly would try the hardiest girls, for their beds are no more comfortable than those of the average soldier.

For a little time, we were taken over by the Navy and shown what they could accomplish in faraway places. I shall be glad to report to Dr. McIntyre the very good health of this unit, but, at the same time, preparation and equipment to do much more is necessary.

At the Red Cross Club, I sat down to lunch with the club director and he said:

If you see my mother-in-law, Mrs. Wilmerding, will you please tell her you saw me.

I cannot help feeling sometimes that there are boys whom I know in the groups that I see, but they do not get a chance to make themselves known, because they may be in military formation. I wish that it were possible to see soldiers informally everywhere, so one would miss no one that had some tie or acquaintanceship.

I discovered a new reason for writing a column tonight. The Red Cross girls, who run the officers rest home where we spent the night, said that in discussing plans for our reception tonight they found themselves feeling sure that they knew my likes and dislikes, because they had read my column and felt they knew me.

This is the first place where we have met with any mosquitoes, but here I was introduced to a bomb used to drive them away. My net was carefully let down around my bed, so I would be sure not to take any mosquitoes in with me.

The full moon, the soft air and the sound of the waves breaking on the beach take me back to similar scenes in less tropical surroundings. How little I ever thought when I wandered on the moonlight beaches on the coast of Maine, that I would one day see one in Australia and sit all evening listening to the waves while we talked of America with American men, who wanted to know what was going on at home while they fought a war thousands of miles away.

Out here there is great interest in the speed of production at home, for the men who have been here twenty months remember facing the enemy with scarcely any plane protection. They went hungry sometimes for 24 hours, because there were not enough planes to fly them food, as well as ammunition and reinforcements. Now the picture is a very different one, but since they want to end the war, they want no lag in the flow of supplies.

229

September 16, 1943

Brisbane, Australia – (Sept. 14)
We breakfasted at the Red Cross officers’ rest club in Mackay, then a couple of hours by plane brought us here to Brisbane. We had time before lunch to unpack and I arranged to get some washing and pressing done. We have been on some dusty trips and they play havoc with white shirts. I even had time to change from a thin uniform to a heavier one, for I have no desire to find myself catching cold. Coming south here, means coming to cooler weather.

We lunched at Government House with Sir Leslie and Lady Wilson. One is conscious of the great sacrifice which the British people have made in the war whenever one talks to any of their public servants. They have had to spend so many more years than usual without going home for a visit. They have been separated from their children and nearly all of them have lost close relatives in the war. There is never a complaint, but, nevertheless, the sacrifices and sorrows leave their mark.

Immediately before lunch, we visited an Army hospital where I met Miss Willa Hook, who served in Bataan and on Corregidor. She has been twice cited by Gen. MacArthur and once by the President but she asked not to go home from here when the other nurses went, for she wished to be near enough to be among the first to go back to Manila. I am sure all these nurses who left friends in hospitals, where they have since become prisoners of the Japanese, are constantly haunted by fears for them and hope against hope that they will receive better treatment than has been meted out to other prisoners.

In this hospital I found a young officer, Capt. John Van Benschoten, who said he was a neighbor from Poughkeepsie. He is fortunately recovering, and seemed to be in very good spirits. In quick succession we visited a navy group, including a visit to their sick bay. There I was told of appendix operations done at sea by pharmacist’s mates, who used kitchen knives and spoons for instruments, and still not one of the operations had caused death.

Then we went to a Red Cross center, which was really very attractive. It seemed to be in adequate quarters, though they were looking for more space. At 4:00, we arrived at the town hall, where I had an opportunity to meet the heads of the relief and patriotic organizations, as I have done in other cities.

Their welcome, like that of the people in the streets, was very cordial and reflected what good ambassadors our men have been over here.

Lastly, we went to the Dr. Carver Club, a Red Cross Club for colored soldiers in this area, and for those coming down on furlough or returning to New Guinea. It is well run and very attractive. The men seemed to be having a good time, but here, too, they are looking for more space. This city is much too overcrowded and hotel accommodations and food are difficult to find for all our men.

There was a fine exhibition hung here of drawings and paintings made by soldiers in New Guinea. They are going to be shipped home and I am sure the Red Cross will arrange to show them for they paint life in the battle area and show what ingenuity has been developed under the drive of necessity. They are painted on bits of board, sacking or wrapping paper. Some of them are by artists of some experience, others have never painted before. The work is alive and very colorful, though the paints were just what could be found around camp, or mixed from curious ingredients probably not usually bought as artist materials.

Everywhere in Australia people tell you of their gratitude for what Gen. MacArthur’s leadership has done. One woman said to me, “When he landed, I felt as though we had 50,000 men to defend us.” They are proud to have their men in service under him and they feel happy in their cooperation. Incidentally, I have never told you that, some time ago, Mrs. MacArthur came to welcome me and it was a pleasure to see her. I wondered how she could have lived through so much danger and still be so serene.

230

September 17, 1943

On a plane over Australia – (Sept. 15)
Have I told you about the houses in Rockhampton? They are built on stilts high up, off the ground. In many cases, people keep their cars under their houses and often the washing is done there and hung up to dry. Things are stored in the space below the house since it is cooler. Flowers and vines are planted as screens and nowhere did I see an unattractive approach to a house.

They are all detached, with ground about them, and the people are good gardeners, for hedges of bougainvillea in every color grow in profusion. Frequently a vine will cover an entire tree and, while the tree dies, the vine is very beautiful. Many other flowers grow that are semitropical, but it is not too warm for fruits and vegetables of the temperate zones to flourish also.

In every camp we visit, there are numbers of dogs as pets, but in one camp the soldiers caught and tamed a possum. The commanding officer said it visited his tent frequently, but was not always welcome, so when we saw the possum, he was tied to a fence by a long string. They had built a gateway to their camp and perched on top of the highest point was a koala bear, solemnly looking from his point of vantage at the world and ignoring all pleas to descend and be petted.

The soldiers had to acknowledge that he could cling so well with his claws that they would find it a hard job to dislodge him against his will. Far and away the most appealing pet was a little three-month-old wallaby, sitting up in a wire enclosure with a tall soldier leaning down feeding her milk from a small bottle with a nipple taken from some baby’s bottle. Nipples are scarce but this baby had to have the best that could be obtained.

In this country they seem to me very wasteful of their trees. Everywhere in the wooded section you see them completely ringed about, so they will die. The reason given me is that they must clear the land so that grass will grow better for grazing purposes. Of course, there are still vast areas of densely wooded sections, but as I look down from the plane, I recognized the familiar look of eroded land which we now have to try to stop in our own country.

I have been looking at some picture story books for children by a young Australian, Elisabeth MacIntyre, who has, I believe, had some of them published in the United States, where I am sure they will be popular with children.

Many letters have come to me on this trip but I am going to give you an extract from one, because I think many mothers of youngsters at home will appreciate its appeal.

I hope you will like Australia and have a happy visit here. Australia would have been a different place now, if all the American soldiers had not come and saved our country for us. We cannot thank them enough. My daddy went with the AIF to Malaya to fight there, but he has been missing since Singapore fell.

The little girl is only 13, but she reflects the feelings which made so many people here offer their homes to our boys in this faraway land. Australia was near enough to be bombed and shelled on several occasions so there was a realization that the invasion was a real danger. The trenches dug in the cities and the dugouts provided for air raid protection are witness to the danger which was once near and has now passed with the success of the Allies in this theater of war.

231

September 18, 1943

Somewhere in Australia – (Sept. 15)
One of the beauties of Australia at this time of the year is the wattle, a graceful yellow flower which grows on a bush or small tree and makes the countryside very colorful. Violets are everywhere, too, for this is spring, though in the United States you may not realize it.

The native tree here is the gum tree. There are many varieties, I was told, and it is a good hard wood. Some varieties of pine are also in evidence, and one old very fine one could be seen from my window at Government House in Canberra. There are other species of trees, largely imported. This is the largest island in the world and has much undeveloped land. I gather that they are desirous of increasing their population after the war, if they can choose desirable immigrants.

At present 86% of the people living in the Commonwealth are Australian-born, and 97% of the total population of over 6,750,000 are of British stock. Our boys seem to have made a good impression for I have been asked twice whether I thought that after the war many would come back to settle here.

This may, of course, be due to the fact that a number of Australian girls have married our soldiers, and Australia may want to keep its girls at home. I was reading a book last night about Certain Worthy Women, by Marie Irvine. It tells the story of some pioneer women, who, in every country, play a great role. It amused me to find that the first is a Mrs. McArthur, who later changed the spelling of her name to MacArthur.

Now, that name is again intimately connected with Australian history, so it should never be forgotten. Lady Gowrie also gave me a very delightful book, written for children, The Way of The Whirlwind, by Mary and Elizabeth Durack. The illustrations are in color and the drawings are beautifully done. The stories are interesting to grownups as well as to children.

I found, in New Zealand, that laws have already been passed covering certain plans for returning soldiers. For instance, they are to be paid by the Government while they finish their education along lines started before the war, or they may obtain other training at government expense, if they so desire. They may obtain loans at a low interest rate to start a business of their own, or to build a home, or to buy and stock a farm.

In Australia I was told that the laws passed after the last war would take care of most of the points covered in New Zealand’s plans, though certain amendments and expansions of the former plans might be necessary. On the whole, it seems to me they are further along in concrete planning than we are, probably because, in the last war, more of their men were affected in proportion to the total population, than was the case with us.

We have flown over snow capped mountains with green valleys below us and I have seen one big dam, forests, streams and cultivated fields. However, this is still a country of wide open spaces. There is plenty of room for the cattle and sheep which are raised here in such great quantities.

Rationing of certain commodities is in force, some price ceilings have been set, but their greatest hardship must be the restrictions on the use of gas. The average person gets four gallons per month, and, in view of the scattered population, that must mean a real hardship in many cases. There are also restrictions on household service, no one may employ more than one person in the capacity of a house worker.

232

September 20, 1943

Somewhere in Australia –
I have not been able to tell you about all the gifts that have been given to me by the mayors and by private citizens, but I want to express here my appreciation. A card came to me, saying:

Very best wishes for a pleasant tour and a safe return home. From an interested Townsville citizen.

With the cards have come gifts which I shall take home to remind me in the future of Australia’s welcome and hospitality. In addition, there have been notes and messages to the President, which I know he would want me to thank the people of Australia for. I know they will give him great pleasure as a sign of our warm cooperation in the war effort.

A letter has come to me which has touched me deeply, and which I am anxious to share with my readers.

Dear Madam,

I hope I am not too presumptuous in writing to you. In your reply to Mr. Curtin at Canberra, you referred to "those youths who will not return.: I should like to thank you for those brief words of remembrance. They were deeply appreciated by one whose only son did not return from the Middle East. I wish you good fortune and bon voyage.

A Mother

I want to say here to other mothers who may think that their losses are forgotten or ignored, that never for one moment, as I look at all these young men in uniform, is my mind free from the thought of the losses brought about by the war. The loss of young lives is a world loss as well as a personal loss, and the hearts of all women bear the burden. I only pray that suffering will bind them together the world over in an effort to create a world in which sorrow need not be endured.

I saw three different types of naval ships and went aboard all of them and spoke a word to the crews. I had visited one some time ago with one of our secretaries, who always takes a special interest in the Navy. I was glad to find a few of the same men who were aboard at the time of my previous visit and to have a word with them.

This town is a rest area for troops and the Red Cross is fortunate in having a good dance hall done over from what was once a large automobile salesroom. In the daytime there is ample space for writing, games or ping pong, and every night they have a dance. This town has only some 12,000 inhabitants, and yet 500 girls are enrolled in the Airforce Victorettes. They come night after night to dance and they have a good time, I am sure. Without them there would be no dance.

In addition, they help the Red Cross personnel with all daytime and evening activities, which make this a good place to enjoy yourself and to forget the work you have been doing, and will soon be doing again. The president is a young woman whose fiancé is a prisoner of war in Japan, but she is happy tonight, because, after 19 months, without news, she has just heard from him.

One of the most interesting types of training which I have seen was an exhibition by a group of engineers on landing operations. It was very realistically done. I saw the laying of a road on a beach, with the bringing ashore of all necessary material and simulation of real occupation against enemy resistance. It seemed to me to require not only skill and courage, but a great deal of training and physical hardening, for the tasks performed were the toughest kind of work.

233

September 21, 1943

Somewhere in the Southwest Pacific –
Some of the islands I am seeing now are those where watch must be kept, but where there is little chance of attack. Under those circumstances it is hard to feel you are making a vital contribution to the war and it makes all your personal sacrifices harder to bear. I breakfasted this morning in one of the men’s messes. One boy told me his wife was expecting a baby in November and you could see the longing in his eyes. Another one said:

I was just going to get married, and I write my girl I want her dressed in frills and chiffon when I get home.

After supper we went to the movies. The screen is set up outside, logs are the seats, and there is usually a pause while films are changed, when all the men get up and stretch and have a cigarette. Two movies were shown and I was introduced and said a few words, so it was 11:00 before I got back to my quarters and bed. Breakfast was at 7:45 and afterwards we started on our rounds.

The hospital came first, and they are well equipped for emergency as well as the routine work. They do much dental work, and it is needed. In the wards I found boys who had been out in this part of the world well over two years. I am glad we are now trying to rotate them more often. I hope they will be given a chance to go home for the climate is trying, even though in some places it is not unhealthy.

In addition, it is bad to be away too long when it can be avoided. Pvt. Pete Mauer of Everett, Washington, who drove me part of the time, was just about to go on leave. His mother had died since he had been gone, and a short time ago his sister died, leaving his brother-in-law with three small children. He had sent the kids $75 and he could hardly wait to get home and see them.

The Red Cross hospital day room is well stocked with books and magazines. Mr. Cunningham, who comes from Texas, seems to be popular and to do a good job. He has stimulated interest in deep sea fishing, shell carving, and in mother of pearl work. The boys have learned some of the natives’ skill in these arts, and they seem to get on well with the few natives on the island.

I visited various headquarters in the course of the morning, driven in a jeep by Cpl. Gerry Coates, of Washington, DC. With us went Cpl. Charles Goodman, of Brooklyn, New York, who edits the camp paper and it is one of the best I’ve seen. We returned just in time for me to lunch with Col. R. H. Ristine, the task force commander. After lunch he took us on a long and beautiful drive which showed us most of the island.

It finally brought us to the rest camp which he established, so men who have been out more than three months can go there on a day’s outing or stay a few days to get away from the daily routine. On the way we stopped at various outposts where boys are stationed on watch. They seemed lonely little camps and in one place they were struggling with their outdoor fire and the quite evidently new and difficult task of making gravy for their pork chops. I’m certain now every boy should learn to cook and live out in the open.

We were back at our quarters before six and had supper with Lt. Col. Douglas M. Cairns, AC, and then went to another outdoor theatre, where the natives presented me with shell and mother of pearl gifts. Later, they went up on the stage and played, sang and danced for us. I was introduced again and we saw a good movie. The movie industry is certainly doing well in supplying the troops with films. I did a little typing after I returned to quarters, then packed, chased away some disagreeable and very large red bugs that came up through the floor boards, and went to bed. Breakfast was at 6:45, I signed a few more “short snorters” and we were on the plane and off before 8:00 a.m.

234

September 22, 1943

A South Pacific base – (Sept. 15, delayed)
On our arrival yesterday afternoon, we saw a little Red Cross canteen which serves the men at the airport. It is supposed to open at 6:00 a.m., but I know from many fliers this hour is flexible and often the girls of the staff get up to give the men coffee and to see them off on a mission at 3:00 or 4:00 in the morning.

We drove over the whole field and I was interested in the way the boys decorate and name their planes and mark them for each achievement. Some planes have wonderful records and when they are retired their crews have a very personal sense of loss.

At 8:30 this morning, we went off to drive to a big convalescent camp. The island scenery is beautiful with mountains and fertile valleys, but it is already beginning to be hot. Everyone speaks of the mud, which appears with the rainy seasons, as though it were something rather astonishing and disagreeable. We have already contributed something towards the control of the mosquito by draining several swamps, but there is still much to be done. Fortunately, the malarial mosquito is as yet unknown here.

We visited two hospitals during the day and a receiving camp. Here the Navy assembles boys just arrived from home, prior to their being allocated, as well as transfers them from one ship or station to another. They showed me the system by which they try to keep mail flowing steadily to the boys. It is easy to appreciate their difficulties, when I tell you one boy helping in the office found his own name with the terse information, “Missing.” He merely asked, “What shall I do? I’m here now.” Mail is one thing that every man wants. They even have a song about it, so don’t forget to write.

I was also interested in a big salvage depot. Most important, I suppose, are the tires which are completely made over in a shop here. They work so fast in this shop that they are always clamoring for more work. We saw shoes repaired here and one special man filling orders which had to be done by hand. One colored man from the South had the biggest foot I have ever seen and held a record for the Army. I think the actual size was nineteen-and-a-half.

In another tent, machines were whirring and tailors in uniform were salvaging discarded clothes. Others were struggling with a tent that needed repairs. Reciprocity between all the branches of the service is well carried out, but I thought sailors might have found mending canvas easier than did the men I saw working on it. All this salvage is work done on the spot and saves valuable shipping space, and is a very important job.

By 5:00 p.m. we were at Adm. Halsey’s quarters, and three people came in to see me. Later the Admiral had the new French Governor and several other officers in to dine. It was a very pleasant evening. One more caller, a young lieutenant who came for a few minutes in the evening, rounded out the day.

I must tell you again how charmingly the Filipino boys arrange flowers. They had some in a saucer for me this morning, which I have beside me now and which fill the room with fragrance.

I visited the cemetery here today. The little white crosses climb up the hill, on the summit of which stands a high flagpole from which floats our flag. Some trees and shrubs soon will be planted, but just as it now stands, it is a dignified resting place for any soldier who gladly gave his life in the service of his country. I thought of the women at home whose hearts are partly buried here, too, with the men they loved. I think they would feel not only peace on this spot, but pride in the cause for which so many made the greatest possible sacrifice.

235

September 23, 1943

Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands – (Sept. 16, delayed)
There is an island in the Pacific which symbolizes for many people the type of living and working and, above all, the fighting our boys have done in this field of war. It is first associated with the Marines and their feats and the achievements of the Army units which followed and supported them. When history is written, it will rank with the greatest and proudest battles and victories from the past. That island is Guadalcanal.

On the island there is a cemetery and, as you look at the crosses row on row, you think of the women’s hearts buried here as well and are grateful for signs everywhere that show the boys are surrounded by affection. On their mess kits their buddies engrave inscriptions, such as “A swell pal, a good guy, rest in peace.” Then they have made drawings which, with the rough tools at hand, represent hours of work done so that the particular boy should lie there with all the love and respect one could give him.

I have seen many a boy hospitalized because he went back for a buddy who was wounded. When you try to tell them of your admiration for their courage, they seem embarrassed. One boy said, “Shucks, you would do the same, wouldn’t you?” All you can say is, “I hope so.”

On Guadalcanal many boys are not yet buried in that cemetery and perhaps never will be, since the fighting was in swamps and jungles such as few of us at home know anything about. They were buried when the fighting was on and where they fell. The grave was marked, but then the fight had to go forward. Though they still search constantly, they are not sure all the temporary graves can be found. Wherever they lie, however, is consecrated ground since they gave their lives so others might live in peace and freedom.

The natives of Guadalcanal completed a week ago the chapel which stands near the graves and it is a labor of love. The design of the matting on the sides and roof is intricate and beautiful. They have made candlesticks for the altar from young bamboo stalks, the cross carved of wood inlaid with mother of pearl is reversible, in order to be useable for Protestants or Catholics, since all faiths use this chapel. Many Jewish boys lie side by side with those of other faiths. As you read what their buddies have written, it brings home forcibly that the important thing is neither your nationality nor the religion you professed, but how your faith translated itself in your life.

A flag waves over the cemetery. Someday grass will grow, palms will wave in the breeze and cast their shade over the white crosses and it will be peaceful here. I think, however, the real memorial to show the love we bore for those who lie here, must be built where we live by the way in which we make our lives count. We must build up the kind of world for which these men died. They may never have put it into words, but I think they wanted a world where no one is hungry or in want for the necessities of life as they saw them.

I am sure they wanted freedom and opportunity, but I question whether for many of them the results of opportunity would have been measured only by the success in acquiring this world’s goods. Too many soldiers have discovered that the things which bring them happiness cannot always be bought with money. Long ago a man told me the big thing men got out of a war was the sense of shared comradeship and loyalty to each other. Perhaps that is what we must develop at home to build the world for which our men are dying.

236

September 24, 1943

Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands – (Sept. 18, delayed)
We had an interesting experience the other night, the first and only one of its kind I’ve had on this trip. We were spending the night in a hospital, not like Ernie Pyle who lay in a tent where the wounded are brought in and lie on stretchers and wait for the busy doctors to get to them, but very comfortably and safely, if somewhat primitively. The hospitals on Guadalcanal have had time now to establish themselves and, since it is the first stop for many of the seriously wounded it is important that their installations and equipment be as good as possible and provide as much comfort as is compatible with the conditions near the front under which they still must live.

An alert sounded as we were driving into the hospital area after supper. A motorcycle military policeman dashed by calling out “air raid!” We were driven immediately to a shelter. They made us go in, though many people, including the patients, still were standing outside. I think the officers felt it would prove to be a false alarm, for it was early, just barely dark, and the moon was not yet up. Tōjō likes a full moon, the boys told me, and later in the night it is almost as clear as day.

We sat with some patients and hospital corpsmen in the dark and two more men on crutches hurried in and seats were found for them. Murmurs of conversation began and one man whistled, but none seemed even to sense tension. I wondered if they all felt as I did, that this was just a kind of routine and had very little to do with my real life, which was going on very calmly in my mind.

Very soon the all clear sounded and I proceeded to make the rounds of the eleven wards which I had been unable to cover before supper. Here I looked for some effect of the air raid alert on the men, but found only two patients disturbed. In both cases, I think, it was because they had been under a long strain and any noise in anticipation of a disturbance was too much for them. I noticed earlier in the day, when I was talking outside with a group of ambulatory patients, and a blast went off where they were putting through a road, some men just faded out of the crowd and went inside, unable to take the noise and the unexpected flash, even though they knew its source. Some of these boys go through great hardships after being wounded and before help can reach them. I have seen some who had crawled to safety in spite of broken legs and other wounds.

I would like to say a word of appreciation here for the wonderful work the regular Navy and Army doctors and the great number of reserves are doing. Their work is magnificent and accounts for the small percentage of the loss in men, once they have reached a hospital. The administrative work, which has been done at home, and which has sent these units out so well equipped that it has been possible to set up hospitals and to receive patients in record time, also deserves our gratitude. This great business is not just initial planning, which in itself is a great job on an unprecedented scale, but in keeping the flow of necessary replacements arriving on time. All equipment deteriorates quickly in the tropics, but the home administration soon found that out and now a shortage of anything is very rare.

Wherever there are nurses, they do a wonderfully good job and mean a great deal to the men. But even where there are no nurses, the hospital corpsmen or orderlies are remarkable. They are as gentle and as patient as a woman with the wounded and the sick. The Red Cross is another vitally important agency for the wounded, who arrive with nothing but the clothes they wear and identification tags. A toothbrush, comb or any little comfort looms large, and a smile and a word of cheer from a Red Cross man or woman is even more important.

237

September 25, 1943

On plane – (Sept. 22)
You can see miles of soft white clouds in every direction this morning, and here and there you get a glimpse of the calm blue ocean below. The sun is shining and I hope this is a happy augury, for today I reach the “mainland” as the people in Hawaii call it. It is a nice feeling to be back in the U.S., even though I still have some miles to fly before I reach my own particular country.

Yesterday was a busy day in Hawaii. I had three visitors at 8:00, four at 8:30, and from 8:45 to 9:00 I looked over all the entertainments offered the boys from the subs and the fliers, when they come there to rest. The guests of the Royal Hawaiian in the old days, might recognize it now, but I am sure they never enjoyed the swimming more than do the present guests. However, they probably did not punch a punching bag quite so vigorously before and after, or play games of every kind.

Dotted over the grounds are courts for badminton, paddle tennis, volleyball, basketball fields, horseshoe pitching rings, archery and even one set of croquet. I actually saw two boys playing a scientific game. Inside, there is a covered over, but practically open deck, for lounging and dancing in the evenings. There is a stage for shows and, so far as I could see, this was a good place to forget the strain of a “patrol.”

At 9:15 the Army called for me and Gen. Richardson took me first to see some “Ranger” training up in the hills. Then we went to the Army hospital, where we lunched and where I had the pleasure of seeing the actress, Miss Judith Anderson. She is travelling for Camp Shows and making a great hit with the boys in Macbeth. Many of them have never seen a real theatrical performance before, nor heard of Shakespeare she told me. They come and beg her to give another show, as they didn’t get it all the first time.

The Navy took me over in the afternoon. I went through one of the Navy hospitals, saw the work being done in the harbor, stepped on the deck of a ship which I never expected to see again, visited two different types of ships and talked with some of the men. Finally, I saw the dock from which Jimmy left for the Makin Island raid and the camp he and his men occupied, as well as his name on the door of a room which another nice young officer occupies. Three of the men who used to be in Col. Carlson’s regiment and under Jimmy came to speak to me and said they would like to be with him again, which is always good to hear.

I had dinner with Adm. Nimitz and some of the naval officers who bear the responsibility for our future success in this area. Then we were off again.

After I get home, it will take me some time to sort out my impressions, to gather up all the information I have been sending back from each place and to decide what are the important things which I have seen and heard, and what are merely individual reactions which have no real bearing on a general picture. I hope, however, if any of you have special questions about the things I have seen, that you will write to me. When I can, I shall try to answer them in this column, or in other ways, if the opportunity presents itself.

Today, I hope to see my granddaughter, and telephone to my daughter and then continue my homeward journey.

238

September 27, 1943

Washington – (Sunday)
Coming back from Australia and my visit to Guadalcanal, where I spent a night and a day, I want to review our doings.

Guadalcanal looks very different from when the Marines landed. By holding on through the desperate first months, till we could get supplies and the Army came in and relieved them, they assured us of ultimate domination in the Pacific. Today there are miles of roads and the men have floors in their tents in expectation of the rainy season.

The hospitals are well equipped and fairly comfortable, especially where they are in buildings. Everywhere you see screens for movies, which are shown after dark. The Red Cross is functioning well and I hope they soon will be allowed to add some women to the staff. Miss Ryan and I were the first women, except the nurses, who fly back and forth in ambulance planes, and who have been on the island since it was taken from the Japanese. It shortly will be considered safely behind the front line.

In Espiritu Santo, where we stopped for half a night and day, we admired the recreation area, where there were almost as many attractions as in Coney Island, but, in spite of the great crowd of men, it was less crowded.

I was shown the campsite our boy, James, and his Marine raiders once occupied, as well as the spot on the old pier where he stood in the rain on a dark night and, by the the light from a jeep, Admiral Nimitz read his citation and pinned on a decoration. It is exciting to me even now, and how I wish I could have been been there.

There were more hospitals to visit here and I came to wonder where these boys drew their courage. Here and there you saw an older man, but his spirits always were the spirits of eternal youth, which cannot be downed.

On this trip I ate in a great variety of places, perhaps more often in officers’ messes, though I ate with the men and with hospital patients, too. One evening, in a certain Admiral’s mess, I shall long remember.

Before we went in to dinner, he asked permission to follow the regular custom. In a room filled with some twenty men, ranging from admirals and generals to lieutenants, he called on one man for a recitation and an another for a song, in which Miss Ryan joined. Finally, “The Lord’s Prayer” was sung, and then everyone joined in “Auld Lang Syne” and “For He’s A Jolly Good Fellow.”

Then the Admiral shook hands warmly and thanked those on his staff who were leaving for other duty the next day. Then we went in to dinner, but the warmth of the evening’s atmosphere stayed with us.

239

September 28, 1943

Washington – (Sept. 27)
On our return trip from Australia, it was almost like coming home to see familiar faces when we landed from the plane at Honolulu. Our time was short, so after supper we attended a movie which was a combination of love and murder. The plot was not very original but it had plenty of suspense and the break when the reels were changed always occurred at the most exciting spot.

I was up at 6:00 a.m., since there was a boy hospitalized there who had had a bad time and they thought if I saw him it might buck him up. I think my promise to see his mother on my return brought a smile to his face. By the way, if you have been a blood donor, I would like to tell you from personal observation that you are saving many a life. Keep up the good work.

We started our flight at 8:00 a.m. and were, as usual, right on schedule, so I had time to get clean and to send all belongings to have the dust from several islands removed before the press conference of some size appeared.

After the press left, I sat with one or two submarine sailors for whom the place was a rest area. They told me how it was run. The crew of every submarine after a tour of duty comes here to rest. The officers and men both come and are granted the same privileges. They eat the same food and have the same difficulty their first night sleeping on soft beds. You may have seen the photograph of two sailors with all their belongings neatly folded on beds, and themselves sleeping peacefully on the floor. I would not have believed it had a boy not told me he could not sleep at first, because the bed was too soft and there was too much space around him.

The ocean is at hand to swim in and there are lounges and games. Everyone seems to get on with everyone else. They think most highly of their branch of the service and rate the men for their efficiency in doing their jobs. They know they do dangerous work and they must be able to trust each other. I planned the next day to have a chance to talk with some of these boys, who have some outstanding exploits of the war to their credit.

In the evening I dined with Governor Ingram Stainback and his charming wife in the Governor’s House, which is known as Washington Place. It was so named, I was told, before the legislature designated it as Governor’s House. It is lovely, spacious, cool and dignified and made even more delightful by a garden. We went there after dinner and were entertained by a native family group, who told us about their songs and dances and sang and danced for us. Their voices are soft and melodious and the girls are very graceful. This grace stays with them into maturity and even into old age. A grandmother, who will soon be eighty, was as poised and moved as well as a young girl.

They welcomed me and hung leis around my neck. The tall bamboos made a wonderful background and for a time I wondered if I was dreaming this nightmare of war, and life was as simple and lovely as “aloha” made it sound. Then it was over and we drove back to the place where the boys rest after engaging in activities which mean that you either kill or get killed.

Yes, war is only too real and we must not forget it, for its speedy ending largely depends on our never letting up our efforts till the last gun is fired. And yet, just as the boys forget, so as to fight harder, so must we all relax now and then or the strain will become too great.

240

September 29, 1943

Washington – (Tuesday)
When I was in Honolulu, I began my second morning as planned by breakfasting cafeteria style in a big dining room with three service boys. One came from West Virginia near Charleston, and the other two from Ohio. One, in fact, had been down in a mine when I visited it some years ago. At 8:00 a.m., Governor Ingram Stainback and his wife called for me and we visited first the headquarters of the OCD. The need for protective measures on Honolulu was rather tragically brought home to everyone on a certain December 7, so it is not surprising to find them well organized. The OCD here does a number of things which it doesn’t do elsewhere. For instance, the defense organization runs a blood bank where they do laboratory work as well. This is because it was functioning before the war as a civic group and it intends to go on after the war. They also run the most active canteen for the schoolchildren of workers. Otherwise the work seemed much the same as elsewhere, but the volunteers are plentiful and faithful for they know from experience you are useless unless trained and know what you are expected to do in an emergency.

At 9:30 a.m. we turned to the Red Cross activities. The local headquarters are in the Honolulu Academy of Arts and it seemed well organized in every branch. I am glad I was allowed a few minutes to look at some of the museum’s treasures, and learned the schoolchildren use the Museum very extensively every day. I wonder if ever we shall feel justified in doing things just for pleasure again? I certainly hope so, for I would like to return to this museum and spend a long time looking at various things which I only had time to glance at. I think I have learned through force of circumstance to take in a good deal at a glance but, it is never as enjoyable to see things that way.

I also visited the National Red Cross headquarters blood bank and surgical dressing unit in the historic home, which belonged to the Hawaiian Queen Emma. The house has many interesting things in it and again, with a little more leisure, I would have welcomed the luxury to stop. We did spend a really leisurely time at a charming place on the water, where the Red Cross runs picnics for convalescent patients from the various military hospitals. One group of healthy men also were entertained. Everyone had an excellent hot lunch and I talked with some boys collectively and in small groups and signed my autograph the usual number of times.

In addition, we were photographed together in a variety of groups. I hope the boys enjoyed themselves, for I certainly did. We took the most beautiful drive after lunch and ended up at a canteen for the Army and Navy run by the USO. Then for a brief moment, I stopped at the YWCA to see the girls who go out to dance and play and sing soft Hawaiian songs for the boys in the late afternoons and evenings after their own day’s work is done. Then I visited a canteen run, I think, by a Catholic group, and finally went to the Governor’s house for a meeting with the heads of the various war work agencies for a pleasant and informal tea.

At 6:00 p.m. I was back at the hotel and saw a young couple I knew for a few minutes and found to my regret, that a soldier whom I had hoped to see here, because a friend of mine knew his father well, unfortunately was off to other duty. At 7:00 p.m. Gen. Richardson called for me and I spent a pleasant evening with some generals who will carry many heavy responsibilities in the next few months. We all enjoyed some music which I have as a pleasant memory of those beautiful islands.