The Coronado Hotel St. Louis, Mo. September 24, 1943
Dear Bess:
Well again it was nice to talk to you and Margie - and again I didn't say hello to your mother. But as Margie was finishing up they were knocking on the door to take me down to the reception and dinner for the Cardinals. Nearly every prominent man in St. Louis was here. Mr. Deal is president this year of the "Cauliflower Ear" outfit. They call themselves the "Knights of the Cauliflower Ear."
This party was for Sam Breadon, President of the Cardinal Club and Billy Southworth the manager of the team. It was a good thing that I went to the Sunday session in Washington, where the Giants were licked in two games of the double header. None of them like New York.
I forgot to set the watch back yesterday and when I awoke this morning and saw it was 7:15. I thought it was very late for an early start. But when I arrived at the coffee shop at 7:15, an hour later, it occurred to me that I hadn't set the watch back. Had the radio on when I left the Claypool and it was 7:55 when I left.
Got here at about 3 o'clock. Stopped in Vandalia for lunch and found the Evans Hotel Coffee Shop closed so I had to go next door and eat - but I had a good lunch of roast beef, beans, potatoes and milk for the whole sum of 30 cents.
When I arrived here the clerk was kind enough to put off my official registration for two hours, so I had a bath and a nap before the calls started. I've talked to a large number since including Vivian who said mamma had had another sick spell and it was necessary to have Dr. Greene out. Said she was all right now. Mary is much better he said. Tomorrow I go to breakfast with some people who are friends of Mr. Deal and at one o'clock go out to the Log Cabin Club for lunch with the President of the 1st Nat'l Bank (John Snyder's new boss), and some more prominent St. Louisans. It almost gives me hysterics the way they act here now. The Post Dispatch and the Star Times had an article this P.M. about my recommending Hannegan for Helvering's place. How they got it I don't know, because I signed the letter, and sent it the last thing I did before I left the office. The letter was to Mr. Roosevelt and unless he gave it out, it wouldn't have been public property. You'd have thought that Bob and I were about to sprout wings after reading the P-D article. You know how mean they've been to both of us. Bob said his wife and mother both had happy crying spells when they saw the piece in the paper. Well that's a reward for a lot of things. We, who live in a constant glare of newspaper lies never appreciate what we do to our families I'm afraid.
When I was introduced tonight they almost tore off the roof - I was embassed [sic]. It sure is hard to keep the feet on the ground and not say mean and sarcastic things. For some reason I stuck to the subject and didn't.
But I've sure got a job on my hands to head things off and it may take longer than I thought. My good friends are against me one and all. But it must be done somehow.
My best to your mother. Kiss Margie. Love to you Harry