July 11, '46

My Sweethearts:

Arrived here at 4:15 AM after a trip entirely devoid of excitement. No trouble about a plane in L.A.

Called "Crossroads" this morning and was told that I have a room at the Hotel Durant in Berkeley for tonight. Capt Bed-etc. said we'd be there most of tomorrow and leave tomorrow night. He said I am to go out with a group from Chicago, including Fermi, who is probably the top physicist in the project. Has been all along. So you may rest easily. The army isn't going to lose Fermi if there is any possible way of avoiding it.

The airport limousine came in to this Hotel last nite (this morning) so I took a room here just to get some sleep as quickly as possible. They kindly offered the room for the rest of the night at $8.00. I told them I'd hunt a nice soft park bench so they came down to $6.00. Gip joint!

I'm leaving here now for Berkeley and the other hotel.

Be good to our baby + give her a love for me. Take lots for yourself. It's awful lonely being here alone

Love
Carl

*Younger folk may not remember the days when airlines routinely served meals -- let alone provided a menu. I remember (from the 60's) actual meals, but not menus.

letter written July 11, in pencil, on St. Francis Hotel stationary

Thursday Evening

My Sweethearts:

This is to supplement the note I sent earlier today. You see my pen has already gone dry -- but the pencil won't blot.

I still can't believe I spent yesterday with you and today in San Francisco. It is fantastic. I slept until about 8:30 this morning. Then had a bath, shave and breakfast. After calling Crossroads, I wandered thru China Town remembering the day we wandered up and down the street together. It seemed much quieter, very few suckers today.

After lunch I slept until 3 PM. Had to check out by 4 PM and did. Took a street car to the bus terminal, a bus across the bay to Berkeley and two streetcars to the hotel.

Dr. Tanner and I share a room -- haven't seen him yet -- he left a note saying he'd be in late. I'm going to bed as soon as I finish this. He's an M.D.

Had dinner at the Black Sheep -- remember? How many times we ate there? It was good -- had roast prime rib cooked perfectly and unusually good. It was still crowded and I was put at a table with a younger man with an A-Bomb button. [I left mine at home -- please look on my suit lapels and see if you can find it. Don't send it but see whether it is on one of the lapels -- It is just possible it was left on the lapel of the gabardine suit -- I'd hate to lose it.]

We had a pleasant conversation about the project in general -- he is an engineer working in the radiation lab here.

This hotel is just 2 blocks from the Black Sheep.

As soon as I know just when we are taking off I'll wire you unless it is forbidden. Capt. Bed--- said tomorrow night. Seems strange to take off at night, yet we flew all night last night.

I love you both dear and will be so glad to come home.

Be good to our little girl.
Carl

Written along the margin:

I found Winifred a map* and will send it tomorrow watch for it. She'll love it in a year or so.

* Given that I was 15 months old at the time, he may have been slightly optimistic. While it is true that I love maps, I have no idea which this one was.

The letter is written in pencil on St. Francis Hotel stationary with St. Francis crossed out, and "Durant" written after the word Hotel. San Francisco is crossed out, and Berkeley is written in.

Later July 12

My Dears:

Have just had a call from Capt. Bed-etc. saying that a car would call for me shortly to take me to Fairfield * , the army field from which we depart. We may be off at 4: PM, perhaps later -- whenever the Army gets all its wheels moving in the same direction at the same time.

Here is the official address:

Radiological Safety Section
U.S.S. Haven (A.H. 12)
c/o FPO San Francisco

The F.P.O is important since it saves air mail postage. That makes it 6 cents per half ounce. Otherwise it might be 50 cents or more.

Capt. B. says I may be in Pearl Harbor only about 1 1/2 hours so I won't have much time to spend money. Isn't that a relief.

That's all I know now. The next letter will probably be from Hawaii.

Lots of love to my two sweethearts.
Carl

* "Fairfield" is now Travis AFB.

The letter is written in pencil on St. Francis Hotel stationary with St. Francis and San Francisco crossed out.

Mid Pacific
July 13, 1946

My Dear Sweethearts:

We are now halfway between San Francisco and Hawaii. We took off at 6 AM sharp and have been flying for 6 hours now. It took about 15 minutes to leave the coast behind. Since then we have seen nothing but a pale blue dome above and a layer of fleecy white clouds below. Only occasionally is there a beautiful irregular break in the clouds through which we can catch a glimpse of the lovely deep blue ocean below. Our world is for the moment a hollow shell of aluminum very near the interface of a limitless space half filled with water + half with air.

There are 4 men from Chicago and 8 from Rochester, several others whom I don't know yet and the crew -- in all about 25 men aboard. There are no seats in the plane, but there are stretchers very much like Army cots along the walls with another row suspended above these like upper berths. We may sit or stretch out for a nap as we like. It is pretty cool in the plane. I have my army duds on with my sweater over them. We have plenty of blankets and are right comfortable. Flying at 8500 feet.

We have water + hot coffee aboard and each of us has a box of lunch most of which has already been consumed now. Before leaving we were given a lecture and shown a movie of the "ditching" process. That is the procedure followed in case the plane has to crash land on the water. We each have a parachute and a "Mae West." There are rubber life rafts aboard and we were shown how to use them. So far the 4 motors are purring contentedly. One wouldn't know know he was even moving. There is a poker game in progress in the middle of the floor, some of the fellows are reading, some just talking, some sleeping, some writing letters. A good time is being had by all.

Later. Since writing the above I went forward and sat for an hour beside the pilot. The beauty of the cloud formations is indescribable. All shades of blue from the palest to deepest. With gleaming white hills and peaks so that the whole looks like a Maxfield Parrish landscape. After I came back I had a nap. We are now about an hour from Hickam Field. I understand we are to have about 8 hours here so I may be able to see Berry * for a while.

I'm finishing this to mail it when we arrive. It may be fun to save the envelopes and letters for Winifred's book. I'll try to mail one at every opportunity. Our next stop is Johnson Island -- 800 miles, then Kwajalein 1600 miles. It was 2400 SF to Honolulu.

All my love to my sweethearts
Your Carl

written along the margin
Tell Mom Hello for me if she is there or when you talk with her.

*"Berry" was a friend Carl had made during the war years. He was a physician, one of many my father worked with throughout his career, but I have no memory of ever meeting him.

The letter was written, as far as I can sort out the time zones, only a few hours after the preceding one from Carl. Since it seems to have taken several days for letters to travel from one to the other, I doubt that she had received any from him, yet.

Saturday 10:00 P.M.
(C.S.T.)

Dearest,

Your wire came shortly after noon today and we know you were many miles out over the Pacific. All afternoon my thoughts have been traveling with you. I'm guessing that you must be very near Pearl Harbor by now. I hope you'll find a good dinner and see Dr. Berry. We have a beautiful moon here.

I'll give the "Man" a message and hope you understand it when he shines on you a few hours from now.

Thursday I mailed a note to you hoping it would arrive before you left Calif. Now perhaps Captain Bednarczyk will forward it -- You see I'm taking chances again.

Mom didn't get here Thursday, but she and Bernice * arrived last night at 8:30. Today we canned 24 lbs. of apricots. Have twelve tightly packed quarts and a bowl full for tomorrows dinner. Mom will go home tomorrow.

Aunt Pearl and Uncle Ed will bring Alice over Tuesday. They are bringing part of a picnic lunch. I'll make a syrup cake.

Raymond has cut the front and side yard ** Now I'll try to keep that mowed and will probably let the rest go to seed.

The chickens are eating at such a rate I'm sure they'll need more food. I'll get it as soon as the barrel will hold it.

Periodically Winifred says "Da-da?" She struggles to say Bikini -- but needs a little more practice to be understandable.

Today we sat at the dining room table for mid-afternoon watermelon Winifred went to the kitchen and made her "hurt" protest. She was pushing her chair out of its corner -- with much effort helped get it to the dining-room -- then sat back with full contentment + satisfaction she had a "B-annie***."

We love you, Dear
Grace

* Bernice was the oldest daughter of my father's youngest brother, somewhere in her teens at this time.

** The yards around the house probably added up to about an acre, and rambled. By "front and side" I expect she meant the areas visible from the street, not including the part behind the house, which was probably about half an acre.

*** As I recall B-annie (pronounced bee-annie) was a banana.

Somewhere in here, Carl crossed the International Dateline, and skipped ahead a day. So from here on, his July 15 was mostly still her July 14. The next letter was written on his July 15 in pen on St. Francis Hotel stationary with St. Francis and San Francisco crossed out.

KWAJELEIN
July 15, 1946

My Dears:

Just a note to let you know everything is on schedule. We left Honolulu yesterday, Saturday, July 13 and arrived today at 5 A.M. July 15. You note that we lost Sunday the 14th entirely. I've quit looking at my watch because its always wrong.

We are just ready to take a boat to Ebye a small island nearby from where we take a seaplane to Bikini.

In Haste
Love
Carl

The letter was written on her July 15.

Monday 8:00 P.M.

Hope Capt. Bed-etc. forwards the 2 letters I sent by way of him --

Sweetheart,

This has been a good day. Three letters from you telling me so much of what I wanted to know. Too late for the fact the Fermi flew with you to do me any good -- 'spect you're well settled on the boat by now. Hope you had a chance to chat with Fermi and that you have found interesting companions on board boat.

Found your A-Bomb button on the desk and have put it away for safe keeping.

It's good to picture you in familiar scenes. I remember the Hotel Durant -- ate there one night when you left me alone. * Glad the Black Sheep can produce roast prime ribs! Mr. Beal had ground shoulder last Friday -- I'll see what can be had tomorrow. Winifred had salmon** today and loved it.

Hope you didn't have to spend all of Friday night pacing the Fairfield grounds. 4: P.M. Friday to 6: A.M. Saturday is quite a "spell." At least you'd have good company. Glad you did wait til daylight to take off. It must have been a real thrill to see the coast line fade But I hope it will be a greater one when you see it take shape out of the mist.

Mom and Bernice left after dinner yesterday noon -- Winifred and I spent the afternoon raking the yard. We look right civilized again! Today I made another sugarless cake with a honey frosting -- looks right good -- for the picnic lunch tomorrow. Aunt Pearl is bringing potato salad and sandwiches.

Many times a day Winifred chants "No Dada -- no Dada" She is beginning to get "B-kiki" with evident display of great pride. She is the sunshine of every day -- But we do miss our Daddy. From 7:00 to 7:00 is quiet and lonely.

All our love
Grace

* They spent time in the San Francisco Bay area while he was working for the U.S. Public Health Service during the war. If he "left her alone" it was on account of his work.

** "Salmon" in Kansas in those days definitely meant canned salmon. It was the only fish I ever knew my father to eat willingly.

Carl's next two letters are confusingly dated... the one dated July 16 was clearly written before the one dated July 15 -- a confusion I can only attribute to the crossng of the Dateline.

This is the one that must have been written first, from the content. The letter is written in pen on American Red Cross paper

July 16, 1946

Dearest,

Here I am waiting for the boat to take us to Ebey where we take a plane for Bikini. I'll mail this from Bikini or at some point on the way. It'll be fun having different post marks.*

This (Kwajalein) is a beautiful place only 2 or 3 feet above sea level. No trees left. You remember there was quite a battle here.

More love to all.
Carl

* Unbeknownst to him at the time, once he left U.S. shores, all the postmarks were the same -- "U.S. Navy" followed by the date.

Carl's next letter was written aboard the U.S.S. Haven, anchored near Bikini Atoll, which was his "home" for the rest of the adventure.

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