| NO. |
Date Written |
LOCATION |
CONTENT |
| 1 |
2/26/42 |
San Juan, PR |
The trip begins, navigation,
food |
| 2 |
2/27/42 |
San Juan, PR |
Pay, refueling, next leg |
| 3 |
4/10/42 |
New York, GPO |
The trip, food, surly crew,
Neptune initiation, port |
| 4 |
3/10/42 |
Pernambuco |
Arrival at Pernambuco,
Brazil |
| 5 |
3/17-3/20/42 |
unknown |
Voyage from Pernambuco
to Africa; |
| 6 |
3/21/42 |
unknown |
On to Cairo by plane |
| 7 |
3/22/42 |
unknown |
Fascinating detailed description
of the trip; a spy |
| 8 |
3/23/42 |
unknown |
Description of the desert;
arrival in Cairo |
| 9 |
3/24-3/26/42 |
Washington, DC |
In Cairo; pay; meeting
General Maxwell |
| 10 |
3/29/42 |
unknown |
Travel plans; visiting
the Pyramids |
| 11 |
4/2/42 |
unknown |
Arrival in Asmara; Massawa;
houseboy; salvage man's paradise |
| 12 |
4/16/42 |
Massawa |
Salt tablets; temperature;
Star sloops |
| 13 |
4/19/42 |
Massawa |
Hurricane; temperature;
workmen - various nationalities |
| 14 |
4/30/42 |
Massawa |
The arrival of air conditioning! |
| 15 |
5/4/42 |
Massawa |
Request clothes; navy yard
being put into shape; new air conditioner |
| 16 |
5/12/42 |
Massawa |
His new book; drydock operational;
divers arrive |
| 17 |
5/20/42 |
Massawa |
Miracle of Massawa; Gen.
Maxwell's visit; book award |
| 18 |
5/30/42 |
Massawa |
Long detailed letter of
what is happening; promotion requested |
| 19 |
6/2/42 |
Massawa |
Like #18 above; feelings
of personal achievement |
| 20 |
6/2/42 |
Massawa |
Brief update |
| 21 |
6/8/42 |
Massawa |
Rest camp; drinking water;
163 degree heat; Navy no help w/base |
| 22 |
6/13/42 |
Massawa |
Heat; new quarters; rift
w/managers; importance of his health |
| 23 |
6/24/42 |
Massawa |
Promotion; blood pressure;
tug Intent; his room; taxes |
| 24 |
6/27/42 |
Massawa |
Pay; heat; new insignia;
lost glasses; bomb; raising Liebenfels |
| 25 |
7/9/42 |
Massawa |
Prickly heat; great salvage
description; frustration w/Washington & London |
| 26 |
7/15/42 |
Massawa |
Mail problems; pay; photos |
| 27 |
7/16/42 |
Massawa |
Money; view of Merchant
Marine; goats; no fruit; problems with workers; weight |
| 28 |
7/17/42 |
Massawa |
Gets shortwave radio; view
of British salvage capabilities; smoking; frustration |
| 29 |
7/18/42 |
Massawa |
Prickly heat; finances; local
paper |
| 30 |
|
Massawa |
|
| 31 |
|
Massawa |
|
| 32 |
|
Massawa |
|
| 33 |
|
Massawa |
|
| 34 |
8/2/42 |
Asmara |
Letters arrived; finances;
supply ship sunk |
| 35 |
8/3/42 |
En route to Cairo |
Reason why no house for
EE; gift of dishes; heat in Khartoum; love |
| 36 |
8/4/42 |
Khartoum to Cairo |
Frustration: no more men
to repair ships; repair delays; love |
| 37 |
8/10/42 |
Cairo |
Looking for help; success!
the British will help; smoking; Massawa base unknown |
| 38 |
8/10/42 |
Cairo |
Leaving tomorrow; interview
in paper |
| 39 |
8/11/42 |
Cairo to Asmara |
Great description of scenery;
taxes, pay, finances; reputation; Commodore Harwood; helping
British with cruiser repairs |
| 40 |
8/13/42 |
Massawa |
Salvage ship arrives; trouble
with the civilian contractor |
| 41 |
8/13/42 |
Massawa |
Contractor tries to oust
Ellsberg; inefficiency; disillusioned |
| 42 |
8/14/42 |
Massawa |
Longing for home; weather |
| 43 |
8/15/42 |
Massawa |
EE received his first V-mail;
making curtains |
| 44 |
8/16/42 |
Massawa |
Shortwave radio program from
US; EE needs a razor part |
| 44A |
8/16/42 |
Massawa |
Letter to pres. of Dodd, Mead about what he had
done to date; interesting letter |
| 45 |
8/23/42 |
Massawa |
!st ship repaired in floating
drydock; it was too large, but EE got it done; temperature |
| 46 |
8/25/42 |
Massawa |
BBC broadcast; inner satisfaction;
reasons for success; frustration; Cunningham beats a steel
plate; British work ethic |
| 47 |
8/26/42 |
Massawa |
Mail delivery; censorship;
publicity about drydock salvage |
| 48 |
8/31/42 |
Massawa |
Letters arrive; no package
yet; Mary's birthday |
| 49 |
9/2/42 |
Massawa |
Letters & pacakge arrive;
EE gets percolator & thermometer |
| 50 |
9/4/42 |
Massawa |
Salvage crew arrives; loss
of divers; diver quits for more pay in the US which frustrates
EE |
| 51 |
9/7/42 |
Massawa |
Comparing mail services;
EE gets press; 4 salvage jobs; frustration |
| 52 |
9/15/42 |
Massawa |
2nd dock up; EE hero in
tragedy |
| 53 |
9/20/42 |
In the air |
Tragedy story again; watch
is waterproof; on to Cairo for a conference; workmen coming |
| 54 |
9/23/42 |
Cairo & in the air |
Conference successful;
pay; description of the Red Sea; converting oil furnace to coal |
| 55 |
9/27/42 |
Massawa |
BBC tells world about EE's
accomplishments; EE takes over failed British salvage
job; Paradise propaganda |
| 56 |
9/28/42 |
Massawa |
Keel blocks crushed; another
minor miracle; great description of the moonlit harbor;
storm |
| 57 |
9/30/42 |
Massawa |
Chit-chat; Times Herald
photo; loss of Yorktown and a classmate; survived
the heat |
| 58 |
10/4/42 |
Massawa |
Frauenfels salvaged;
successful two weeks; feelings about JDP |
| 59 |
10/6/42 |
Massawa |
Another impossible task
using pontoons; feelings about workmen |
| 60 |
10/8/42 |
Massawa |
Christmas cards & photo |
| 61 |
10/12/42 |
Massawa |
Feelings of pride for work
at base; congratulatory letter from C-in-C |
| 62 |
10/16/42 |
Massawa |
Frustration: no promised
men yet, American workmen & JDP; JDP appoints Brown to EE's
job! |
| 63 |
10/18/42 |
Massawa |
Very long letter! family
chat; things he needs; value of a slide rule; gas vs. oil heat;
problems with JDP & frustration; food & water quality; evaporators |
| 64 |
10/19/42 |
Massawa |
Rehash; no sick days; photos
sent; one more salvage ship coming |
| 65 |
10/23/42 |
Massawa |
Comparison to Steinbeck's
"The Moon is Down;" most Italians there not fascist; Lucy's
father not reelected; picture of EE used in a United Campaign
ad |
| 66 |
10/24/42 |
Massawa |
Frustration over ship delay;
worthless workers; loneliness & love |
| 67 |
10/27/42 |
Massawa |
Royalty reports; Army may
be ready to whack JDP; job is like sitting on a volcano |
| 68 |
10/30/42 |
Massawa |
Made pontoons from gas
tanks to raise a derrick; 1st salvaged ship ready to go! Lucy's
health |
| 69 |
11/3/42 |
Massawa |
Reasons for unhappiness;
happy only with Lucy; completely undefeated by any obstacles;grim
determination not to be licked |
| 70 |
11/3/42 |
Massawa |
Trouble with the pontoons;
raising the derrick; wants to be relieved |
| 71 |
11/4/42 |
Massawa |
Progress with derrick;
lost slide rule |
| 72 |
11/5/42 |
Massawa |
Rommel defeated;importance
of drydock in war effort; sinking pontoon; elections & voting |
| 73 |
11/6/42 |
Massawa |
Another ship floated; pontoon
sunk on derrick |
| 74 |
11/8/42 |
Massawa |
Rout of Rommel; US lands
in N. Africa; change in Italians; 1st set of pontoons down;
benefit of low blood pressure |
| 75 |
11/9/42 |
Massawa |
Royalties & taxes; Westfield
War Chest poster; wartime car tires |
| 76 |
11/10/42 |
Massawa |
Household chit-chat; workmen
are coming; problems with JDP |
| 77 |
11/11/42 |
Massawa |
Armistice Day; Germany
& Japan should be smashed; weather; Rommel retreating; salvage
progress; needs a flag! |
| 78 |
11/13/42 |
Massawa |
British mechanics arrive;
Tobruk falls; importance of Tobruk; mines removed from Brenta |
| 79 |
11/15/42 |
Massawa |
4th pontoon sunk on derrick;
will they be able to lift the derrick?; bells ringing in England
for the victory in Egypt |
| 80 |
11/17/42 |
Massawa |
Arrival of letters; derrick
ready to be raised |
| 81 |
11/20/42 |
Massawa |
Raising of the derrick |
| 82 |
11/21/42 |
Massawa |
Birthday; "I've had enough;"
wants to go somewhere else to help war effort; feels he's completed
his mission; talks about achievements; heating oil at home |
| 83 |
11/23/42 |
Massawa |
Supplies from home arrive;
needs watch strap pins |
| 84 |
11/24/42 |
Massawa |
Orders to North Africa;
glad to leave! Last letter. |
