[enclosure is a clipping of newspaper which says] "Nor can I admire the remark of the grave and stately carver who solemnly asked the pretty lady at his left, ‘Miss, do you care for the organs?'"

[on lined paper]

Tuesday, 9⁵⁰ PM

Dearest sweetheart of mine:

I have just had a most interesting experience. After dinner Holmes came to my room to help make some calculations on a new weapon, and at about 9 he left. I continued with the calculations, somewhat annoyed by the quarreling voices of two salesmen in the hall outside my door, which rose above the roar of streetcars and the general clamor of the city. And then there came the variable-pitched whine of sirens, the tooting of factory whistles, ringing of church bells- indicating a blackout (Pgh has no special blackout sirens). I turned out my lights and sat by the window, and watched the hundreds of lights go out- the streetcars and automobiles stopped and vanished in the streets below, as their own and the streetlights were extinguished; the scores of lighted windows in the bog apartments disappeared, the pattern of lights on the distant hillside was gone; and in a few minutes the city was black and still, the blackness marred only by one regularly flashing orange warning signal on a safety island in the street and by a faint glow from the direction of the distant river- perhaps from a Bessemer converter, blowing, which could not be extinguished- and then, later, by the green and red wing lights of a big transport plane flying overhead. In a few minutes the sirens and whistles stopped, and I heard only a few footsteps, the voice of an air-raid warden angrily yelling at someone to put out his light- and the mutual imprecations of the two salesmen, who had resumed their argument in the dark hallway.

Then after half an hour, the sirens blew again, uniformly, and in half a minute the streets, were brightly lighted, were full of moving vehicles, the apartment windows flashed into view, and the distant city pattern appeared again.

I slept till 9 this morning (or perhaps 8³⁰), had breakfast and fetched my laundry from the Chinese, and read in my room until 1, when I left with the errand boy of the lab. for Bruceton. There I worked until 5, and then spoke to the younger group of workers (about 50) until 6, on antibodies. We got home at 7, and dined.

I have my reservations for going to Washington to see Conant tomorrow night and to return Thursday night. If necessary I'll stay over longer, but I'll be back in Pgh by Sunday night- or I'll telegraph you to come directly to Washington. I'm pretty sure to come back Thursday night, but also we are " " "[pretty sure to] go to Washington next week.

Your letter on the Flemming-Jewett invitation came today. I like getting your letters , and I love you. Give my love to Mother and to the children.

Your own Paddy