The CIA Covenant
Nazis in Washington
Muller's Journal's
by Gregory Douglas
Saturday, 9 December 1950
I have been contacted by Colonel Behn about the Cuban business he discussed with me recently.
He would like me to drop down to Havana and check out several security matters he has had a problem
with. This has to do with some Cuban support for the Puerto Rican separatist fanatics
He too is investing in defense stocks.
I should go down sometime next week for four days. Bunny said she would like to go with me but
feels she would like to stay here because of a horse problem. Because of what Behn said about the nightlife
in Havana, I did not press her to come.
A small affair only increases the devotion of the errant husband!
Sosthenes Behn, whom Müller had met in Berlin before the war, was a towering figure in the
communications field. Born in 1884 in the Virgin Islands, then a Danish possession, Behn took part in
World War I as a U.S. Army Signal Corps officer and rose to the rank of Lt. Colonel, and was decorated
with the Distinguished Service Medal and the French Legion of Honor.
He was a director of, or controlled the following companies:
Chairman, International Telephone & Telegraph Corp.; Chairman International Standard
Electric Co.; Chairman and Board President of the Cuban Telephone Co.; President and Director of Port
of Havana Docks Corp., the Havana Docks Corp., Radio Corporation of Cuba, Standard Products
Distributing Co of Cuba, International Telephone & Telegraph Co. of Spain, Director Puerto Rico
Telephone Co., Radio Corporation of Puerto Rico, Director, Chairman of the Finance Committee of
Federal Electric Co., Director of American Cable & Radio Co., Capehart Farnsworth Co., The Coolerator
Co., Federal Telecommunications Labs, Inc., Federal Telephone and Radio Co., International
Telecommunications Labs, Inc., International Telephone Building Co., Kellogg Credit Co., Kellogg
Switchboard & Supply Co., Cia Standard Electric Argentina, Cia de Telefonos de Chile, Standard Electric
Corporation, Puerto Rico, Standard Elektrizitats-Gesellschaft, A.F., Standard Electrica, S.A.R.L., Lisbon,
Standard Electricia, S.A., Madrid, L.M. Ericsson Telephone Co., Ltd. Sweden and a Director of the
National City Bank of New York.
Behn held a number of high decorations and was a member of many influential clubs such as the
Metropolitan Club of Washington and the Knickerbocker and Links Clubs of New York.
He died on June 6, 1957 and was buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
Behn has aroused the fury of professional German-haters because of his business-as-usual
attitude towards German business after the war. He was, however, a successful man which they obviously
are not.
Thursday, 14 December 1950
A wonderful brief vacation in Havana! Warm weather, good food and an interesting old Spanish
colonial city. I really should have gone to the Virgin Islands instead of Washington. The people in Cuba
are a mixture of Negro and Spanish while the ones in Mexico (where I have not yet gone) are a cross
between Spanish and Indian.
I took one of my people with me and I looked into the business for Behn and spent two days at the
various clubs watching the impressive club dancers, swimming at the beautiful beaches and being nice to
several charming young ladies whom I met while swimming. I knew that would happen because I know
myself so well, but Bunny is happy with her horses and I enjoy my own kind of riding.
The government here is basically in the pockets of the United States and is very corrupt but so are
most of the governments in Central and South America.
The music is interesting and there is gambling at a number of casinos. I won about sixty dollars
that I spent on one of the young ladies. They are so accommodating and a few dollars goes quite a distance
there. I shall certainly have to go back again but Behn told me I ought to go to the Virgins (not the British
ones) where I could do better. Nice blonde Danish stock there, mixed in with the others.
No sooner do I get back than more mournful news from Korea, and of course, plans for a gala
Christmas here.
Still thinking of Havana, I can visualize a very nude Cuban dancer bursting out of a large cake but
obviously this will not happen here. A pity. It might not be dignified but it certainly is enjoyable to
contemplate.
Back to work again and I have the beginnings of a fine tan. Bunny said I must have lost a few
pounds, was romantic and said that she would go the next time! We will see. It could always be secret
work. It always is.
Attlee, the British Prime Minister, was here, frantically trying to keep Truman from dropping the
bomb. Of course he is a rabid pacifist, was one even as a British officer in the 1914 war and is rather
useless.
Ross, the President’s press secretary and an old friend, died suddenly at a press conference and
Truman is still upset about it. This is certainly not a good time for the President but he will pull through
There was a scandal of sorts concerning his daughter. She gave a concert which was very
savagely reviewed by a critic from the (Washington, ed.) Post. He was quite cruel about her voice, or lack
of it, and Truman simply exploded and wrote the man a savage letter. It got printed in another paper and
there has been much criticism. I have heard Miss Truman sing and while she has a light, pleasant voice, it
will never amount to much. There is no real feeling and little real depth but of course one cannot say this to
the proud father. Harry is a good man, without a doubt, but has a terrible temper which, given all the strain
he is now under, I can understand.
The situation in Korea is getting worse but the Chinese military do not have the air power this
country does, and thank God, the Soviets are not about to give them anything. They have fully equipped
the North Korean forces, even with artillery and aircraft, but they will not give these things to China.
There is some hope in this because there will be a deeper rift in the future. The two people are
enemies and have been for some time. The Japanese and the Russians hate each other, the Chinese hate the
Japanese and the Russians, and they all hate Americans.
Monday, 18 December 1950
The news from Korea is still negative but hopefully, the inexorable Chinese advance can be
slowed to a halt soon. More and more troops and equipment are being moved to Japan. Several instances of
sabotage of American ships engaged in sending equipment to the war zone. FBI is investigating.
A very elaborate Christmas being planned. Very large tree to go up in the main hall, (no candles
this year) with a crate of decorations, smaller tree for the servant’s quarters. God knows how much I will
be expected to spend on presents for everyone.
The guest list will include, besides my wife and myself, her aunt, two cousins, Heini, his sister and
brother, Arno (naturally for the sister...the parents are not coming again. I think the last one was too fancy
for their system but I did have a very nice letter from them thanking me for my financial aid last year), and
Irmgard. That makes an even number which is better to seat at the table and no one is crowded. We could
probably seat fifty but ten is quite enough, thank you.
Maxl, who loves it down here, will get a nice small broiled filet of beef and the horses get an
armful of apples to munch on.
I told Bunny that I absolutely would not invite any of the CIA or Army people down here. I
couldn’t avoid this socializing while we were in the District but here I can pick and choose. Besides, if I
invited couples from work, there might be trouble with the wives I have fucked. God save us from
hysterical females at any time, especially at Christmas.
There are several hundred cards, which have to be sent out, and Bunny will take care of that chore
for me.
Although I certainly enjoy the good fortune, I think with some nostalgia on the much simpler days
behind me. Of course we only remember the good times, never the bad but Christmas is a sad time for
many and suicides multiply during the season.
Adults, who were once innocent children remember the theoretical joys of past Christmas
celebrations through wishful eyes, think upon the security of the period, mourn for the dead and gone, and
slash their wrists in the bathtub.
I have always wondered why people shoot themselves at home. They leave such a mess for others
to clean up. A friend of Bunny’s aunt blew his brains out all over his sleeping wife and it took a week to
clean up the walls and all the bedding had to be burned. What a nice thought on his part. A little something
for the wife to remember him by.
He should have gone off and done it in the woods and if he had gone in far enough, he could have
contributed to the feeding of various kinds of wildlife who aren’t too particular about what they eat. Then,
when they eventually found him, there would be that much less left to bury. Of course some parts would
probably be missing but if the casket were closed, who would miss a leg or two?
Bunny tells me that I have a terrible sense of humor and while she does laugh, there are times
when I know I shock her sensibilities.
I never bothered Sophie with these things because she had no sense of humor whatsoever and
there would have been prolonged difficulties over such matters.
I hope they have a good holiday in Germany, in fact I wish the entire country a good holiday.
Things are beginning to look up over there, even if the country is run by a disgusting rabble of American
ass-kissers and moral bankrupts. The people will survive in spite of the politicians.
We have received a number of greeting cards including one from the President and his family
with a nice, handwritten note on it.
Several weeks ago, I happened to be in a printing shop to have more engraved business cards
printed when I saw a very large album containing samples of Christmas cards. This was an outdated book
and the proprietor told me he was going to throw it out. I took it instead because all of the cards had
different names printed on them. These I addressed to my co-workers and put them into the mail the other
day.
Can you imagine these social climbers puzzling over a card from “Bob, Irene and Jimmy?” They
have no idea who these people are and run around frantically looking into their desks for an identifying
name and address. After all, the senders just might be someone important, and in Washington, one always
likes to keep up with society. It will give them something to take their minds off of Korea at any rate.
This reminds me of a little joke I played on Dulles. I had someone who was going to Chicago
send him a scarcely literate letter informing him that the writer, a cousin, who was obviously feeble minded,
and his mother, who weighed four hundred pounds and was crippled, would be arriving in the area in time
for Christmas and would love to see Cousin Allan again! And the dog would be well behaved because after
he attacked the little girl next door, they had sent him to a dog trainer. Then, as if this was not enough to
keep him boiling, I sent him another one from Cleveland announcing the forthcoming arrival but stating
the dog had died. They were bringing the animal’s corpse with him so they could bury it on Allen’s estate.
Another letter from Philadelphia announcing that mother was not well again but they hoped she would live
long enough to die in the bosom of her family.
One of her feet, the idiot cousin wrote, was turning black and starting to smell “just a little bit” but
that Mama was bearing up wonderfully well even if the old car was not. I found out very quickly that he
was not amused at all. In fact, the entire clan was not amused and had given collective orders to various
servants not to admit any relatives during the season. This was a mistake because legitimate cousins
bearing expensive gifts will be turned away.
Like Sophie, they have absolutely no sense of humor whatsoever!
Thursday, 28 December 1950
Christmas has come and gone. The festivities were entirely satisfactory and everyone came away
with something; either in their stomachs or their pockets.
God alone knows what the gifts cost but I got a few things I can actually use. A beautiful Patek
Phillipe gold watch from Bunny, a first-class cigar humidor filled with excellent cigars from my staff, a
beautiful Sevres porcelain service from old auntie and assorted scarves, ties and books from the others.
Maxl got his filet, medium rare and cut up into manageable pieces. He had to eat this in another part of the
house because he has developed into a terrible beggar in the dining room. He would look like a barrel if we
let him come in. Besides, he will get under the table and poke his nose around, looking for food and who
knows? Some lady guest might turn around and smack the man next to her all because Maxl is looking for
meat! Of course, so is she but not the same sort.
Enough Christmas humor. We also got three fruitcakes, which I understand, once belonged to
George Washington! This is an American tradition, the fruitcake. They are lovingly passed on from father
to son and will still be around when the sun explodes next March.
When I was in Cuba (and I have convinced Behn that he ought to send me back again in February.
Why should I pay for an expensive trip when someone else is willing?) I bought hundreds of excellent
cigars and have had a large humidor built into my office.
I have limited myself to one a day now with a little cheating when I am working on an interesting
project.
Oh yes, and another funny matter.
I had to invite Viktor down because Bunny likes him and he is lonely. Although Viktor, like all
good communists, is an atheist, nevertheless, he liked the holiday here. I played four games with him, won
three and lost one. Viktor accused me of letting him win but then it is Christmas and if I don’t let him win a
hard-fought game once in a while, he will lose interest in playing.
I did have some good news for him. We have set up the escape route via the Black Sea and
Turkey if Elena wants to take it. I am certain she will and he was more than happy that I was helping him.
Actually, it will be in my interest in the end.
If the authorities in Russia actually believe there was an accident and she is dead, if she and the
children live in Canada, Viktor can remain safely in place here without a worry about his family. Then he
will be able to assist me in various projects out of gratitude and self-interest. I will make a capitalist out of
him yet and when his usefulness runs out in Russia (as it always does with them), then he can bring his
family down and live in America.
I’m certain he will be a big hit with the CIA but the Pentagon will not be happy unless we
convince them that he was a double agent all along. Besides, mendacity aside, I like him. He is not really a
communist but a professional agent and a very good chess player. There is a community of shared interest
with genuine professionals and the rest of the world does not understand it.
We have our fanatics and they have theirs but aside from them, there are thoroughly decent people
on both sides of any fence who are only doing their jobs as best they can.
Sunday, 31 December 1950
One more holiday and then some peace and quiet. We have been invited to at least five New
Year’s evening parties but we will celebrate quietly here. The news from Korea is still bad; MacArthur is
insisting that we plaster China with atomic bombs and is growing more and more strident as time passes.
Truman had to visit him out in the middle of the Pacific in October and M. thinks that he has the upper
hand; that the President of the United States came all the way to see him. Now M. has contempt for
Truman, which is a terrible error of judgment on his part.
The last year has been a very exciting and important one for me. I have gotten used to my new
home, married, bought two beautiful houses (and I am certainly going on a skiing vacation when I get back
from Cuba. Probably in early March. Bunny can go on that one for sure), have learned to ride horses
(somewhat), met all manner of interesting (and really terrible) people, entertained the most powerful leader
in the world at dinner, bought (or acquired) a house full of beautiful art, acquired a fine dog and a very
good grasp of another language. On the negative side, I have lost a good deal of my hair (which was
departing for years...it finally went) and have to watch my smoking and drinking unless I want my stomach
problems to return.
Everything in God’s good time, I always say.
And I just was told today that Bunny thinks she might be pregnant! Siring children at fifty is a
little strange but I would have no problem with a child around the house. It might give Maxl something to
play with and there is always the wonderful aroma of diapers, the yowling of babies in the middle of the
night (they always sound like mating cats) and other long and blessedly forgotten joys of fatherhood.
Still, it would be pleasant to have another son. We can do without daughters and it’s fortunate that
no one reads these things or I would be in serious trouble!
In the last election, the Democrats got about 49% of the votes and the Republicans another 49%
which makes them about even. This Korean business could either make or break Truman. A quick ending
(after an American victory early next year) could push up his percentages with the public and a protracted
war could push them down.
On the other hand, to be pragmatic, a long (non-atomic of course) campaign will not do my stock
portfolio any harm at all. Besides, I have gotten to the point where I ought to seriously consider some kind
of retirement. I have worked very hard all my life to do the best I could and it would be pleasant to sit on a
beach somewhere drinking rum and coconut water and watch the sea birds screaming and wheeling over
fish.
Behn has several ideas that I might consider because I am growing increasingly annoyed with the
band of pseudo-intellectual murderers who I have to work with and I am seriously beginning to wonder if
the game is worth the candle?
I don’t suppose the game is really over until they close your eyes for you and the servants run off
with the plate so I think the new decade might prove to be as interesting as the last and that is certainly
saying something!
Tuesday, 2. January 1951
I would greatly have preferred a quiet New Year's celebration but it was not as raucous as others
have been. I find that I can entertain my business friends at the club and keep my public and private lives
somewhat apart.
Truman was off on a boat trip over the weekend and has returned here for more depressing news
from the front. At least it was depressing but now we see signs of the sun breaking through the clouds.
The situation in Korea is starting to look up a bit but the front is still fluid. We are sending in
many more troops and MacArthur is demanding that we atom bomb Chinese troops, not only in North
Korea but into China as well! Of course that is going nowhere but M. is leaking this to the press and the
American right wing is grabbing at it. I suppose M. thinks that if Truman is "soft" on this issue, he can be
toppled on a charge of being "soft" on communist China.
I have been told very often that MacArthur is considered to be a very dangerous man, one who
sees himself as a man on a horse to save the country and make him a demi-god. He enjoys tremendous
power and privilege in Japan and would like to come home and try it on here.
Roosevelt was absolutely terrified of him after an abortive putsch attempt in 1933 and bribed him
to stay in Manila and out of the way. I note, by the way, that Eisenhower was his social secretary there and
was noted at the time for his servility to MacArthur. Eisenhower never was a field commander and was,
and is, a political general, just like Keitel. MacArthur, at least, was a combat man and well decorated
during the 1914 war. I don't think anyone questions his bravery. His judgment sometimes but not his
bravery. Eisenhower, on the other hand, is a duplicitous sneak. There has always been a question of why
M. refused to respond to the Japanese attack in 1941 and deliberately allow his airfare, which comprised a
number of the deadly, long-range B-17s, to stay on the ground and flatly refused the entreaties of his
generals to attack the Japanese.
The rumor is that he was bribed by the Philippines not to antagonize the Japanese by bombing
their invasion fleet (!) but also ordered by Roosevelt to do nothing at all so as to increase the damage the
Japanese would do to this country. R. wanted war with Japan and preventive military measures on our part
here might have negated this attack on their part.
M. got a half a million dollars in bribes from the head of the Philippine government and was
rescued, along with his family, from Manila when the Japanese army, which he did so much to aid, closed
in.
Now, M is lusting after the White House and is deliberately undermining Tremens’ position. From
inside information (Truman himself) I think the new Caesar is due for an ugly surprise one of these days.
Now, as T. says, is not the time to remove him but no doubt the time will come. General (Walton, ed.)
Walker, who was killed in Korea, was buried today at Arlington. A State Funeral with a team of white
horses and his command flag behind the coffin. He was buried at Arlington with great pomp but I did not
go, although I was invited
Wednesday, 3. January, 1951
I had lunch today at the White House, privately, with Harry and a friend. We talked about Korea,
MacArthur, McCarthy and other matters. Nothing of great importance other then Truman's anger with his
recent discovery that the British are engaged in furious espionage against us here. Of course everyone in
the CIA and almost everyone in the FBI know about this activity but so far, T. has been more or less in the
dark. I suggested that perhaps we ought to feed these drunken fairies a wagon load of false information and
I said that everything that went to London ended up in Moscow the same night, British intelligence being
so infiltrated with Soviet agents.
The President thought this might be an excellent idea and my first suggestion is that we let the
swine believe we have a hundred atomic bombs now completed. That, I told them, would scare the shit out
of both the English and their dear friends in Moscow. Perhaps Stalin will withdraw his air support of the
Chinese then. Who knows what will happen?
I happened to have a list of known British agents active in this country that I “acquired” from one
of my CIA CO-workers. I have given this to Hoover who responded by giving me a list of what his agents
had discovered. Truman was somewhat shocked and he put his copy into his coat pocket.
When lunch was over, General (George C. ed.) Marshall arrived for an official lunch and I had the
opportunity of talking with him for a few minutes before my car arrived at the door.
Impression: A dry man with a well-concealed bad temper, no doubt a very competent staff officer.
Also, from what I have read in the files, a time-server. M. was involved with the Pearl Harbor business up
to his nose. He knew to the minute when the Japanese attack was going to come and, under strict orders
from Roosevelt, did absolutely nothing to warn his troops and then hid behind a great screen of lies and
such comments as “I can’t recall” and “I am not certain about that.”
Still, Truman values Marshall and who am I to stir things up? In my view, a commander who
would allow his own troops to be massacred without attempting to save them is not much of a man but
Truman is the President and I do not like to fish in such muddy waters.
A great fraud has died in Maryland. His name was Richard Koreas but he wrote an extremely
funny book called "Out of the Night" and wrote under the pen name of Valentin. He claimed to be a
communist spy who later worked for the Gestapo but in fact he was a confidence man who had spent some
years in San Quentin prison in California for assault and other matters. His book was used for propaganda
at one time.
Thursday, 4. January, 1951
The great French singer, (Edith, ed.) Piaf gave a charity concert tonight at the Shoreham that I
attended. The French ambassador was there along with a number of other American dignitaries including
(John, ed.) Steeleman, one of Truman's men with whom I have had several conversations in the past, and
the Lovetts. I have always been fond of her and she had a marvelous, husky voice. Still looks like a little
girl but is getting a bit long in the tooth. Dame Myra Hess is here in the District and is giving a concert but
although Bunny would like to go, I would not so we stay at home. Hoover got an award for being nice to
young boys! (an award from Big Brothers of America, ed.)
Friday, 5. January, 1951
I had an important visitor today down here. (Colonel John Valentine, ed.) Grombach, whom I
have only casually met, wanted to see me and we spent a good deal of time going over various matters. He
is terribly anti-communist and was very important during the war when he was a chief of intelligence at the
Pentagon. In this position, he conducted a savage war against the communists in the O.S.S and I must say,
he is terribly hated in the C.I.A because of his persecutions of their friends.
Grombach is a large, very muscular man with a gruff way about him and one gets the feeling that
he would cheerfully punch an opponent in the face. This is not surprising because Grombach boxed in the
Olympics and still goes to the gymnasium.
He is very sympathetic to Germans, and others, and has been in very close touch with friends of
mine. He hates some of my CIA friends, especially Carmel Offie who is a screaming fairy and a friend of
Wisner's. I cannot abide Offie who is America's answer to the Burgess creature but he seems to be able to
ply his activities with impunity.
Grombach is a valuable man with the right attitude and we managed to get on with each other
famously. He spoke very highly of Skorzeny, by the way, and was upset because he could not get in touch
with him when he was here.
One of the things he told me, and I admit to being shocked, was that the C.I.A is embezzling
millions of dollars from the government! I know about the stolen art business, of course. None of that
money I get in goes to the government and after I have taken out my share, the rest is given over by me in
cash to Angleton and Wisner. I know they do not put this money into the official funds and I also know
from talks with Angleton that they keep it for themselves.
Angleton has started buying up income property in Washington and who knows what Wisner is
doing with it. Sending a donation to the Ku Klux Klan, no doubt, considering how much he hates what he
calls "nigras." His family were New York aristocrats but he seems to have picked up local habits very
quickly.
How does he justify his black boyfriend? I don't suppose he does. Maybe he can call him a Cuban
(they are all partly black down there but not unattractive people).
What would Polly the parrot (Wisner's wife, ed.) do if she ever found out? Probably write a
terrible poem about it. God save us all from women who write bad poetry. They usually can't find a
publisher so they have to be S.P.A's. (Self-publishing authors, ed.) Well, it makes money for the vanity
presses, I suppose.
If this high level thievery had happened in Germany, I would have put them into a nice,
comfortable cell and sent them off to the recreation camp on the next bus.
This is simply stealing and I was surprised that they seem to be doing it on a larger and larger
scale. After all, they are well placed to do it. Everything is very secret and no one accounts to anyone else
for huge sums of money.
Mr. Grombach is French by background and is called "Frenchy" or the "Frog" and when I told
him a branch of my family was from Alsace, he brightened up somewhat. He likes the kitchen here and
other amenities so we agreed to agree and to show him my good intentions, I gave him copies of some
interesting material and he opened his briefcase and shoved stacks of paper onto my side of the desk. Of
course no one kept anything but it made for very interesting reading.
Colonel John Valentine Grombach had been chief of espionage for the U.S. Army's Military
Intelligence Service during the Second World War. Grombach, who was known as "Frenchy", was a
champion athlete. He was a bitter enemy of the OSS and was instrumental in supplying the background
data to break them up after the end of the war. Grombach contended, correctly, that the OSS was heavily
salted with Communists and pro-Communists and their wartime activities were, if not anti-American, at the
least devotedly pro-Russian.
His major battle, while in uniform, was with the OSS's Research and Analysis (R&A) branch.
They claimed Grombach was pro-Fascist and he claimed they were pro-Communist and in this case, both
were correct. Grombach, however, was a ferocious and determined adversary and in the end, he was
successful. He leaked sensitive information to Congress which resulted in the R&A being broken up. Its
director, Colonel Alfred McCormack was forced to resign and Grombach established himself as a power
to reckon with in official Washington and in the American intelligence community.
He supported the drive to remove pro-Soviet personnel from government service and eventually
joined forces with other anti-Communists, leaking very embarrassing material to Senator McCarthy's
committee. Both Grombach and Muller singled out Carmel Offie, Wisner's chief deputy in the CIA, for
special attention. Offie, a well-known homosexual, had been intimately connected with William Bullett
while he was U.S. Ambassador to Russia and was strongly suspected of giving information to Soviet
Intelligence.
Offie was subsequently apprehended in a public lavatory by Washington police and in the ensuing
scandal, forced to quit his high post in the CIA. Offie always claimed that he had been set up for the arrest
and Müller's later journals bear this contention out.
Neither Grombach, who appears with some frequency in Muller's journals, nor Muller had any
liking for the CIA. Both believed that its upper echelons were filled with ex-O.S.S men who were very left
wing in their beliefs although stridently anti-Communist in their public personas. Muller and Grombach
shared detestation towards the burgeoning corruption that was becoming evident to them at the top levels
of the CIA.
Under cover of high-level secrecy, many of the operating funds supplied to the CIA by a trusting
Congress were diverted for personal usage and the objections raised by some in 1948 that the CIA was a
rogue organization with absolutely no oversight whatsoever are equally valid fifty years later.
Unlike Grombach, Müller had long ago ceased being an idealist and while in Washington was a
ruthless realist. One of his real objections to the high level thefts was that, in the beginning at least, he was
not included in their benefits.
Sunday, 7. January 1951
Today Bunny and I drove to Washington in the morning. She wanted to hear the Vienna Boy’s
Choir at Constitution Hall later in the afternoon so I went to the office and then to Mass while Bunny
visited auntie. The Choir sang Rameau, among others, and was very beautiful. Such clear voices, soon to
change. The Italians used to castrate young boys so their voices wouldn’t change but we have grown away
from such practices. Wisner said that the best way to silence an Italian is to tie his hands together and this
is at least one thing I can agree with.
Thursday, 11. January, 1951
The President gave a speech to Congress on Monday in which he asked for more funds for the
war, an increase in the draft requirements, more cash aid to countries we can bribe to support us and other
cosmetic requests such as more medical doctors for poor people, monetary aid to schools and, of course
much more in taxes. Senator (Robert A. ed.) Taft of Ohio, whom we all know wants to run for President in
1952, is making noises about the U.S. getting out of Korea (wars are never popular, especially in election
years) and so on. He wants a meeting with Truman and the Secretary of State but they see through this and
want nothing to do with it. They know about his speech on Friday about how much he dislikes communists
but is afraid Truman might provoke Russia to attack in Europe! Such an idiot after all. Russia is not going
to attack anyone. Grombach showed me a paper in which the Soviets are actually removing railroad
facilities in their Zone and have been doing so for some time. Of course we are not to talk about things like
that because the C.I.A's toad, Gehlen, made his report that this was not the case and as Gehlen is the puppet
of the C.I.A and the military here, no one dares to question him.
Sunday, 14. January, 1951.
I had planned to drive up to Washington with Sam Cummings today. We had business at the
office and I wanted to attend Mass but the weather was quite nasty. Cold and we had a very unpleasant,
wet snow so decided to remain at home in front of the fireplace.
Cummings has been very helpful to Bunny and myself about the house here so in spite of the fact
that he is English, we are very decent to him
Wednesday, 17. January, 1951.
General (Matthew, ed.) Ridgeway has notified all and sundry that his Eighth Army is making
progress and is now going over to the offensive in Korea. This has buoyed up the President who was
feeling the political effects of the constant retreats.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff have been bombarding Truman to permit MacArthur to drop "hundreds
of atom bombs" on mainland China, to blow up their hydroelectric systems and so on. Truman has said, in
my presence, that he has no intention of doing this. First of all, I know that we do not have "hundreds" of
atomic bombs. Second of all, I have personally advised the President that in my experience, such an atomic
attack would force Stalin to action and no one wanted that. I do not personally believe that he has the bomb
or that if he did, he could deliver it to this country. At least not at this point.
The debate raging at the Pentagon now is that we should obliterate Russia and China at this very
moment before they get more weapons to attack us with. This is exactly the reason why soldiers should
never be allowed to conduct foreign policy.
I remember what happened when the Kaiser turned the running of things over to Hindenburg and
Ludendorff in the 1914 war. Soldiers are trained only to think along strictly military lines and von Tirpitz
and his unrestricted submarine warfare were addressing an international situation in purely military terms.
Simply because a thing makes military sense does not mean that it will not have disastrous political and
diplomatic repercussions.
Truman fully understands this and is determined not to let the military get control of the situation.
They and the CIA do not like him and want to get rid of him.
My stocks are doing very well because it looks like a long war. Truman is calling for more
housing for defense workers and this always is good for some stocks.
How long the war will last anyone can guess but I would give it a year or so longer. Then, I
suppose, another limited war somewhere else to keep up the economic momentum that is now doing so
well.
Marx makes some sense when he talks about the economic basis for national ill- will.
next
Friday, 19 January, 1951
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