February 8th, 1954

The four power conference appears to be over and done for. They said you could not do business with Hitler, and the same thing appears to be true of the Russians. I presume these conferences are for the purpose of convincing the voters in the democracies of this fact, for certainly no sane state would give credence to an agreement made with statesmen who have repudiated every ethical concept which has made international relationships possible. I can accept the theory that it is better to undergo a thousand conferences if they will prevent one war, but I have grave doubts about them doing so, and I fear the relaxation engendered by such affairs. You simply cannot treat with a rattlesnake, and I do no credit either Russia or China with higher moral standards than those of a sidewinder.

I wish England and the U.S. were in closer agreement on the China question. I cannot help but believe our best weapon would be a complete economic blockade of the entire communist area.

July 24th, 1952

During this period of activity, the Republicans have nominated General Eisenhower, and the Democrats are now in Convention. A third of the people of the country have been priviledged to sit in these Conventions through the medium of TV. Most of those watching are better informed on the activities of the Convention than are the delegates themselves. If one but had the ability to read lips, even the innermost secrets of the party, and all of the backstage maneuvering would become known, because numerous TV cameras roam the hall like hounds, putting their telescopic lenses on important people whispering in corners.

Last night a committee, in session to write a resolution, had two rough drafts of their resolution read by news commentators before the resolution was committed to paper. The committee chairman was obviously astonished when questioned about these preliminary attempts.

The whole spectacle is a sorry one, but one or two such conventions could bring about presidential primaries, and the abolition of the electoral college. If we could gain a popular vote election, where every vote counted, people in this country would regain some of their interest in politics and in voting.

I am worried about your attitude to Russia and your belief in an inevitable war, also your belief that Russia will get strong faster than the free world. I think it is the other way about and so do most Englishmen. If armaments are an affair of machines and inventiveness, as we both believe, I will back the free world against any dictatorship with its inevitable yes-men and its over-centralisation. All dictatorships contain the seeds of their own eventual ruin; they rot inwardly although the crust looks sound. Their over-centralisation of power leads to bad mistakes because no-one dare tell the boss he is wrong and therefore tend to tell
him what he like to hear. Hitler made many mistakes from which the Allies profited and there was no one able to tell him he was wrong. The same thing will inevitably happen to the Russians.

It is all very well for you to say "Start a war in our own time and don't wait for the Russians". Do you imagine that any British government or European government for that matter is going to agree to such an action for one moment? They would not for two reason. The first is that you cannot make a democracy commit an act of aggression; they may declare war (as we did) when they see war is inevitable and that if they give in any more they are done for. But the people have got to have that conviction; no democracy can start a war in cold blood. The second reason is that the British know full well that No. 1 atom bomb target is London and what government is going to declare a war deliberately, knowing that within days the centre of their national life will be wiped out and probably themselves with it?

I have had a wonderful day. A mill-man tried to substitute applied stops for rabbited stops, a roofer put on several squares of flawed tile with galvanized instead of copper nails, and a lumber man sent brown ash instead of northern white ash to one of my jobs. I have roared most spectacularly, damned this and by-godded that and thrown my weight and authority in all directions. Everyone has apologized most humbly, corrected the errors of both omission and commission and by now are comfortably gathered in clusters around their beer in a fellowship of full agreement that I am the hardest-headed, most contrary old gray-headed whatchamacallit in existence. Its men like me who make unions necessary.

September 15th 1954

To-day is Battle of Britain Day when the Queen stands on the balcony of Buckingham Palace and representative squadrons of the Royal Air Force fly past and all London watches. It was this day, September 15th, when the R.A.F. shot down more than 100 enemy aircraft and it became clear to the Germans that an invasion of Britain was impossible because they could not get command of the air; we had less than half the aircraft than the Germans had, but they were eight gunfighters and the enemy were detected by radar. This fly-past is the high spot of a week during which the Battle of Britain is commemorated. For the last year or two squadrons of American and Canadian aircraft stationed in Britain have joined in as guests. It starts with a Spitfire and Hurricane fighter, both lovingly maintained by the R.A.F. after which today all the aircraft are jets, ending with a group of sound-barrier fighters. I watched it all from the roof of the R.I.B.A. as I have done in previous years. I well remember September 15th 1940. I had spent the day harvesting and arrived about 8 p.m. at the Three Crowns with a monumental thirst. Just after 9 pm and my fourth pint, someone who had been listening to the news bulletin came in with the grand news, so I had a fifth to celebrate. I seems like yesterday, but to-day my 20 year old secretary was asking questions of my sub-editor about the battle and the air raids; she was six years old at the time. Well, well, we get older very quickly.

May 7th, 1954

As for Mr. McCarthy - he is gradually accomplishing what neither your government nor ours could achieve - his own downfall. The Army inquest was a very bad political move - a very high percentage of American voters have served in the Army and regardless of what they may think of it, they don't like it kicked around. Any one but a Marine would know this.

The very stupidity of the investigation - its quibbling and its repetition - spread on TV so all the world can see, is becoming more disgusting and ridiculous daily. Mr. McCarthy is shrinking faster than a cheap collar in a wet wash. He had the support of the Press - he was good headline material - but they are beginning to ridicule him. TV comedians get laughs by interrupting their stooges with, "A point of order, Mr. Chairman," and many of his staunchest supporters are falling away because of these stupid ceremonies.

Mr. Eisenhower has been wise enough to sit tight and let him wear himself out. Tell your brother Britons to have patience - it won't be long now.

June 2nd, 1955

Belated congratulations on your 62nd birthday. My 61st is next Saturday - the day I return from Harrogate. Like you I think a man is as old as he feels. A woman is as old as she looks, a man is old when he stops looking. I still look and no doubt you do. When I can no longer appreciate a shapely pair of legs or the contents of a sweater, a good carriage and a soft speaking voice, I shall consider that my time has come. My daughter said recently "I believe you are a nasty old man". To which I replied "I am, and I like it." I find, also, that I don't worry about things so much as I did, except perhaps not having enough money to buy the things for myself and others that I should wish. Also, I feel I owe death a debt. Most of my generation were killed in battle, including my boyhood friends and my brother. With three years as a machine gunner in France,
it was but the merest luck that I was not one of them. I feel that death said "This one we will give a ticket-of-leave". I am still on leave and have no right to be alive. Like you, I feel that if he says "Your leave is up" I should not mind too much. All good times come to an end and I have had a good time.

A young man from London visited our Rotary Meeting, and impressed us very much by his skill and diplomacy in answering some blunt, and to my mind, rather rude questions on England's China position. In an attempt to turn the conversation, I asked him about the desirability of certain foods. Much to my surprise, he recommended, among other things, "cake mixes", a boxed powder which, when a cup or two of water is added, makes a delightful cake. We had never tried any of them, so I asked Meade to try out a box. She got an "angel food" box, and we had it last night for dinner. As far as we could tell, it was quite as good as a home mixed cake...I expect to find ready-mixed babies in boxes almost any minute on the grocer's shelf, but I don't think there will ever be a really good market for them.