01 Jun June 1, 1945

Compaigne France
1 June 1945, Friday 7 p.m.,

Dearest Alice and Ronnie,

Back again <? from> Paris, and here I sit holding a hot pack to the back of
my neck while trying to write you. Guess you know from that that I am still
having head trouble, very much so. In fact, I have felt so miserable that
for the first time I haven’t enjoyed a trip to Paris. I can’t figure out
what’s wrong, but I’m going to give the doctor a chance to tell me in the
morning. There’s a slight swelling just behind my left ear, and it feels
like someone had driven a spike in there and left it. The pain goes clear
through my head constantly. I have been living on APC pills all week, and
that isn’t good.

Now for my Paris trip. Yesterday afternoon I took the Red Cross excursion
trip to Versailles. We left at 1 p.m. and returned at 5 p.m. Versailles
is about 20 miles southwest of Paris. Most of the afternoon was spent in
going through the palace of King Louis XIV and two smaller palaces built
for a couple of his mistresses. Guess one of them was for Louis XV’s at
that. Anyhow, the palace is a huge thing and took 30,000 men, some 40
years to build, costing $300 million dollars plus cost of furnishing. A
tremendous cost of money and labor and just another point to prove how
<? surnn> some of these damn French are.

How 40 million people can be so dumb as to let one man tax them to
death so he can build such a white elephant is beyond me. Really the palace,
<? tons> very impressive and <? has> this is one here in Compaigne of
Napoleon looking very sick. Most of the paintings, statues, and tapestries,
its had been removed but there were plenty left and some they are restoring
already. If I could appreciate art, guess I would have been entranced as
it was I only marveled at the construction and the building, over 300
years old, only occupied part of that time, yet practically everything
still in perfect condition.  I realized granite and marble does not
weather fast, but it will settle and crack, and I looked hard for both
without success.  Guide thought pretty much the same, too <? pem> some
of his remarks. He looks no different from the rest, though, because
he looks up to the <? boy> like the rest of these people who can’t
seem to think of anything but kings and dictators.  I took a few
pictures of the place and bought one taken of the group before
Louis XIVth statue.  I’ll send these along some of these days.

Last night I saw a fair movie Bing Crosby and something about <? waves>,
and then retired early.  Had a very nice room in the Grand Central Hotel
with a very nice soft bed.  I didn’t sleep much, but it was a real luxury,
just being there, and I did just that until 10.30 this morning.  From
then until 3 p.m.  when we had to return, I walked and sat around watching
Pair go by.  Paris seems to have come awake. It seeths with activity and
the people seem to already have forgotten the war. In fact the only thing
that reminds me of the war now are the thousands of soldiers of all
nationalities walking the streets and the black market. Of course the
French women who can be picked up at any time day or nite. I think they
are a permanent fixture of Paris though.

I bought another camera today. A German make captured by some G.I. from
a <? Hunii>. There are thousands of them in Paris now brought back by the
combat trops on pass. This one is about like one I have at home and still
takes #120 film. I paid two thousand Frances for it, $40.00. Was able to
sell my cheap box camera for ten dollars so made a little profit there.
Now I have something I can take some good pictures with, all I need is
the film.

Got one V-mail from you while I was gone and a birthday card from Dad plus
one very old package you must have mailed last August from the looks of it.

it had the black flashlight, (cheap one> plus two pound boxes of candy,
and some cookies.  The cookies were crumbs.  Much of the candy was melted
together, but believe it or not, the flashlight still works.  I now have
three in hand, and since it doesn’t get dark until 11 p.m., don’t use any
and neither does anyone else. Well winter will come again, and I may still
be here, so I’m not worrying about that.

By the way, this is a continued affair.  It’s after 10 p.m. now, and I
have just returned from hearing a violin concert by Jasko Haiftez. He is
very good.  He is on a U.S.O. tour to France at the present time.
I had never heard of him before, but guess he is really well known back
in the States by the people in the know.

I’m glad you bought Ronnie a wagon.
Seems to me he should be big enough for the tricycle by this time.
Why don’t you try and have it fixed for him?  As for your breakfast
dishes, sounds extravagant  to me, go ahead though.  You’ve only been going
to get them for two years now that I know of.  Glad to hear you are
putting on a little weight.  Are you sure it is in the right places?

There is absolutely nothing new in my status here, and am almost convinced
I am good right in this spot for some time to come.  I know CB is worse,
but damn it, I would like to go home for a change.

Well, see you about next Christmas if I’m in my very lucky.
And for now, all my love to you both, and rush those films.
I am enclosing some pictures of Versailles.


All my love to you both, again, daddy.