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115 (yours thru 128) Tuesday 23 Jan 8 pm I like the dress and shoes Darling, I'm just delighted with the pictures of Wendy I received today. You must congratulate the photographer for me -and also Her Majesty herself (with a hug and a bounce!) May I keep them, or must I return certain ones to you? I notice that you've had 4x5's made of all (except the somewhat unflattering one sent the other day, in which she's looking up - I liked it, tho) but believe you mean to send some away to Muz, M and F. Honey, these are just too precious for us not to keep at least one small copy of each, not counting mine (which may eventually fade) Poor Bob! Wendy monopolizes the triptych now - on the left she more or less faces the camera with feet spread out, in the center she looks pensively to the observer's right, with a faint smile, and on the right she leans forward to the right, feet spread out, head a little cocked and an attentive, expectant look on her face. Oh darling, these pictures do make me want to see her so! And yet I feel, having them and your running comments, that when I get back I will have known her throughout her little career as though I had missed very little of it, because by being absent I'm [pg 2] the more eager to hear, visualize, and remember. No, it isn't the same, really, is it? But we'll catch up together as we talk things over and read over our letters. I would have had a hard time choosing amongst at least 3 of the pictures to determine which one to enlarge. As you've made it, Wendy on the left of the big folder will be smiling across at you (holding a tinier Wendy whom it's hard to believe is the same person) on the right. Gosh, she looks alive and intelligent - those are really wonderful pictures. Sweetie-maybe I'll never be satisfied until I've got you, but do you suppose you could have just one more picture taken of yourself alone sometime (5x7)? I do like the one I have - honestly - and it's a good picture of you. But it's a little severe, or sad, and I want to think of you smiling at me, especially with your eyes. Just quietly - relax, think of me, love me and smile inside a moment as you think of me. I should like this one of you, without Wendy, because I simply must have the four best pictures of Wendy out (3 proofs and 1 5x7), yet I want you too, not merely as Wendy's mother. Not just the mother of Little Sweetie (which is a big order) - but the Sweetie! [pg 3] I haven't failed to appreciate the snapshots you took. I laughed and laughed at the one in the chair with a little tuft of hair sticking up and fist sticking not only out in front but up in the air. The teddy bear one is good and gives me a glimpse at the Christmas tree. The teething process in the baby carriage (how do you feel now about having the carriage?) is interesting. And I was very glad to see a picture of Marge and Pat. She looks like a lively, somewhat high strung, intelligent person. Yesterday I had another snapshot taken - in the company of Johnny Reifsnider and Bob Russell, in front of the office - and this time I've been promised a copy. On the radio in a nearby enlisted man's tent just now - “Russian troops driving west from Warsaw are now within 150 miles of Berlin”!! I had to laugh too at Walter's having to take Chinese now after 6 months of Japanese. But I wouldn't be surprised if he had a chance to use his smattering of both. The stories from Washington and about the Army had somehow already got here - forget where I read it, [pg 4] Nevertheless it was most interesting to get, and received by others in the tent and elsewhere with relish. If true it may possibly affect us here sooner than we have expected, and there's been another story about here which I can't repeat which would bear that out. However, it's all in limbo. Wanting to look that word up, I'm reminded that (I think) you said the little Oxford dictionaries had finally got in stock and that you’d mailed one. Am I mistaken, or has it just not had time to reach me yet? Have just had word that my seabag is on the island and that I'll get it tomorrow. So very soon I'll be celebrating Christmas again! What Walter B. referred to as the officer in charge of Commerce and Trade is Charlie Frankel, whose job here is called Private Enterprise and is (to me) the second most interesting of our whole setup. I should not write too much about organizational detail, but in general Private Enterprise, Agriculture, Labor, etc., each under an officer, are all subdivisions of an Economics Dept. headed by a superior office. For the first two months or so after invasion it's impossible, of course, to set up people in business; the first [pg 5] tasks are to feed, house, clothe, and give medical treatments to the people as well as getting sanitary conditions under control. Immediately after those in importance, tho concurrently in time, is the organizing and putting to work of labor paid by the military government. Handicaps are started and a general store supplied by the M.G. are opened by the latter, gradually transferred to private ownership and control. As busy as I've been lately I hesitate to get off on another tangent right now volunteering more detailed information, but if Walter still wants to know more I'll try to furnish it. Tell him he won't learn a damned thing at Pearl and except for putting in what time he can on language would do well to treat it as a vacation and not pay too much attention to the phony activities and “planning” of the boys there unless they've been out they don't know what's up, imagine all sorts of complications to essentially simple routine things that just have to be worked out in the field with sweat and common sense. So glad Wendy's over her cold. You’re not [pg 6] such a rank beginner, you know! It delights me, darling (just as it does both of us to watch Wendy's growth), to see or feel you growing more and more capable and lovable at the same time. I'll write the Univ. of Cal. Myself, honey, and a number of other places incl. the Sch. of Soc. Work (just to satisfy my curiosity). I would like to take more time later to discuss the question of school teaching - or the whole question of the future generally - with you; have some ideas gradually shaping up, and no concern about what course I should take, as I once had. In fact the many possibilities rather intrigue me and I feel as though the one fortunate feature of an existence like that is that with respect to the future I'm gaining rather than losing time. I think I approach the question now more hopefully but less over-exuberantly, more keenly but calmly aware of what constitute permanent satisfactions for me than ever before. You must not suppose from this gentleman's descriptions of myself that I go about calm, unruffled and dignified all day long (I don't even think about it) - you should have seen me this morning sweating out a 2-hour interpreting job in which, together with a non-language officer, I was also weighing judgments and making decisions as to the relative merits of arguments [pg 7] of several Korean parties to a dispute about whether or not suiji (food kitchen) workers were misappropriating food. As handicapped as I may still be in the J. language, I'm no longer self-conscious using it and can keep it going pretty steadily. But two hours straight is hard work. I'll try again to get a line on Cmdr Hurtzburg. Thirty days is time for an awful lot, darling. But don’t think about it - or maybe you should a little til you get used to the idea because, honey, if it does come to 30 days I want them to be days full of the joy of being together again and not the haunting shadow of impending separation. It could be either and it's up to you. But we can't know now, darling; we'll see in time. Thank you lots and lots of [ad?ing] the New Yorker. I do enjoy it and it keeps me feeling more civilized and human than any other one thing besides your letters. The overseas edition is quite OK. I haven't planted the poppy seeds because I intended to wait until the new Quonsets were [Also received a copy of Amerasia and another long env. of clippings. ] [pg 8] Built and pick a spot outside the one I live in. Now that you’re sending another package I shall plant these around the office somewhere, if possible next time it rains. And when they come up perhaps I'll cheat a little and send you evidence after carefully examining for bugs and secret writing. Orange calendulas in our garden! I should enjoy being in California with you. This climate is ideal for flowers but I do miss some less bland ingredient than there is here - California fog would do nicely, and even more so a little of that crisp air you have mornings and evening. Johnny Kneubuhl (or however the hell he spells his name) may be at Ord, but his wife's in Hawaii - if that helps you any - Incidentally, he knows Riley Ewing (tentmate), the latter having spent several years teaching agriculture in Samoa. Do try to have Johnny over sometime. Next time I get ahold of Riley in an odd moment I'll tell you more about J.K. Darling, it's past bed time. Even so I hate to stop writing. I love you Warren
