WWII US Pentagon Staff Officer Personal Diaries (3)

WWII US Pentagon Staff Officer Personal Diaries (3)
WWII US Pentagon Staff Lieutenant Colonel Officer Personal Diaries Lot of 3. Named to Arthur C. Matteson, Lieutenant Colonel, Office Chief of Ordnance Department. Only Book Diary #3, #7 and #8 exist. We are unaware of where the other books are located. Diary #3 dates from Dec. 10, 1940-May 20, 1941. Diary #7 dates from June 8, 1942-Nov. 2, 1943. Diary #8 dates from Nov. 5, 1942-April 30, 1943. These diaries are a whos who of WWII and the events that occurred on a daily basis from the perspective of an officer who worked directly in the Pentagon in the Ordnance Department. Some of the names written and discussed in the #7 diary alone include some of the following: Judge Patterson, Mr. Forrestal, Hitler, General Rommel, General Campbell, President Roosevelt, George C. Marshall, Winston Churchill, Molotov, General Dwight Eisenhower, King Peter of Yugoslavia, General Montgomery, Douglas MacArthur plus many more name dropping in diary #7 alone. Some of the entries in #7 include. -Production problems to obtain ordnance., -Labor issues with unions to produce products for the Army & Navy war effort., -Commissioner Molotov #2 man to Stalin visiting President Roosevelt., -US, England and Russia signed a 20 year treaty to fight together, to force Hitler to complete defeat and not to make a separate peace., -Believe plans were also made for a Second Front on how American Forces will be used to involve Europe. Russia is very anxious for England and US to attack Germany from the west to engage enough of Hitlers Divisions to relieve the pressure on Russia, now practically fighting Germanys land army alone., -I thought of General Wainwright and those troops of his rotting in Japanese prison camps!, -This new war Dept Building in Arlington in which our offices are now located is being officially designated as the Pentagon Building. A most appropriate name because of its 5 sides or five separate sections., -Six German spys entered the US by submarine to blow up or sabotage war plants, bridges, etc., -Received promotion to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel today., -Winston Churchill is again in Washington visiting President Roosevelt. Everyone feels now that after General George C. Marshalls visit to England, Mr. Molotovs recent visit to Washington and now Mr. Churchills visit that the Second Front has been planned and the decision reached as to when and how we will strike at Hitlers armies., -June 20, 1942 A general agreement and general plan of allied strategy which is reported. 1. Concentrate on Germany as our NO. 1 enemy. 2. Give all possible aid to China and above all prevent the defeat of China by Japan. 3. Give all possible aid to Russia. Above all prevent the defeat of Russia by Germany., -General Dwight Eisenhower has arrived in England to set up his headquarters for US Forces in Europe and prepare for the Second Front offensive. It appears he will be in command., -US Marine Corps ? ? landed on Guadalcanal Island and are taking the Japs partly constructed Henderson Field Airfield away from them. Again, this is only in diary #7. Along with the personal entries, there are magazine a newspaper clippings in the diaries. This is a wonderful history of one persons account of what was happening in WWII and specifically with the production of ordnance.