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#124 Thursday 1 February 12:30 pm “Today is Thursday,” says Riley Ewing in a bemused voice as he sorts his laundry with his thoughts far away, “and tomorrow is Groundhog Day; then we'll know if it's to be fish or fowl. Personally, I suspect foul…” While outside I hear Charlie saying to a doubting Kirby, “At least this is the best Civil Affairs Operation yet, in Europe or the Pacific…you don't think so? Well, I admit it's a case of, If this is the best -” Charlie comes in. “That was a disgusting meeting. Are you a south'n genlem'n, suh? X- isn't from the south, but he thinks we could learn a lesson from the way they get the [n-] to work down there.” Charlie is in good humor, nevertheless, having long since learned not to make frontal attacks on such phenomena but just to work every little subterfuge, foil what he calls stubborn illiteracy (“Damn it, I have nothing against illiteracy, but stubborn illiteracy…”) by giving his project or policy of the moment another name. You can imagine the delicacy of his interaction with respect, say, to the fostering of trade unions or even cooperatives. There are not, on this operation (as there have been said to be on certain others) any two individuals not on speaking terms with each other, but generally speaking the camp is divided into a conservative and (I think) unimaginative element, and on the other hand a forward-looking one. There are also 3 or 4 men more or less neutral by virtue of having little to contribute either way or of being in a position such that they are unable to. [pg 2] We are a small enough group (everybody being in more or less frequent contact with everybody else) and living conditions are sufficiently amenable so that there is little sustained hostility, but in general the conservation group, whatever pride they may take in “doing a job,” use the word “Gook” with contempt and are concerned less with human decencies and possibilities for developing the people they are working with than with personal vanity and power; they are inclined to regard all those who do not use “Gook” contemptuously as “Jap-lovers” 8 pm Hello, darling! I'm on duty tonight, but it doesn't look as tho I'll get a typed letter off tonight because two of the typewriters in the office are locked and the third is in use. So, with a piece of fruitcake in my left hand and pen in my right I settle down to resuming this letter. (The fruit cake is the last of the Robbins’ - I brought it over along with a couple of back copies of Times and the New Yorker, principally because my duty yeoman was sitting and staring into space, looking bored as hell.) Oh-oh - I've just been shown a communication of peculiar interest to me, one that came in today and answers a question pending for the past couple of months. It concerns the Koreans in camp here and is a matter that I handled. You’re very likely to read about it [pg 3] in the newspapers (maybe soon, maybe a month from now). Ask M and F to look for it in the Times. Lots of interruptions this evening - just people dropping in after the movies, etc. Honey, will you go the library and see if you can find any books on Korean history? Check to see who wrote it (if you do see one) and read a little of the preface and of the style generally. It's about time I found out something about it. Someone has just been telling me of a book which covered the period from 1880-1900 when Japan and Russia were contesting the Chinese sphere of influence in Korea and England and the United States were doing a little pushing or pulling from the sidelines. I've felt so much better today. I had a simply luscious dream of you last night, and I guess besides that I had just about reached the point of being fed up with being fed up, at least for a little while. [?], that was a real dream. It does help to keep you close and me going. Just about time to make the rounds of the civilian camp. Goodnight, sweetie. I love you with all that's in me. Warren
