Description
2632 Woodley Place Wednesday 9:30 p.m. I miss hearing from you very much. But I'll be patient. My darlings, Just one communique broadcast on the loudspeaker system today, so I guess the invasion is settling down tom some routine plugging. I haven't really read about it in detail and am counting on the Review of the Week to keep my posted. Hugh and I went to the Pentagon Building across the river in Arlington late this afternoon to see a Japanese movie (one much like those in Boulder, but better than most - filmed mostly in Peiping and north China, with a lot of Chinese spoken in it; best picture I've seen for propaganda purposes, but still pretty icky from the standpoint of our own serious reactions. (Save or return the enclosed synopsis.) 10:20 Dammit, Aunt Kate just came in with a visitor on her return from a weekend of graduation exercises at Annapolis; she’d forgotten her key, and on letting them in I let myself in for quite a spell of gabbing on the stairs. Now it's about bedtime. She asked me to tell you that - having feet sort of like the prospective father's [mother-protem?] the night you called - she was very glad to hear how well everything turned out. Among the gems of wisdom which decorated the evening conversation was the observation by the other lady, a Mississippian whose son has just finished his [?] year at Annapolis, that mothers nearly always think their baby looks [?] while fathers never do. The enclosed diagram of the Pentagon Building (please return it in your next letter as I'll probably go over there again and it's a decided navigational aid) gives you an idea of [pg 2] its architecture, but none of its size. It's really prodigious. I don't know any statistics on it ([?] had a picture article the other day, but I've forgotten); however, it must cover several acres of ground; the open space in the center is about the length of South Field across. [- There are those funny noises again! They were quite inexplicable to me at first, being just far enough away and indistinct, as well as a confused medley…well, the Washington Zoo is quite near here, and every once in awhile all its inmates start screaming, howling, bellowing, chirping or chattering in chorus. A fire siren is sure to start them off; sometimes they just begin for no audible reason, and as suddenly cease. I must go down there soon.] A city bus terminal is built right into the ground floor, as well as a sort of arcade with drugstore, a [B?] [?uch], etc. The interior of the whole building is simply and tastefully decorated and the walls hung with paintings of Secretaries of War, etc., battle scenes and campaign posters from away back, or other paintings, drawings and photographs. There was an exhibition of paintings and etchings on easels in one corridor. - I don't know how many cafeterias there are in the place, but we passed one numbered 23. Dept. of Leftover memoranda: a) I didn't return books to library, but noticed that they weren't due til about the 23rd b) was there any laundry to pick up at 117th St. or did you get it when you got my white shirt? Don't answer unless some is still there, in which case I might write Mrs. Couture. Or Mother could get it when she's over. c) It's past bedtime. Looking very forward to hearing from you all soon - Daddy If you can still smell a cigar, it's the last one. I bought 25, gave away 22, and had one given me by Mr. B[?], who insisted. I liked ours better.
