U S S PRAIRIE
10 OCTOBER 1945
DEAR DAD,
THIS IS JUST A HASTY NOTE. I'M SORRY I HAVEN'T MUCH TIME FOR A LETTER BUT IT'S LATE AND I HAVE QUITE A NUMBER OF THINGS TO DO.
ENCLOSED YOU'LL FIND A MONEY ORDER FOR 150 DOLLARS. I WOULD HAVE SENT A BIT MORE: BUT NOW THAT I'M IN JAPAN I PLAN ON BUYING SOME SOUVENIERS. I'M GOING TO TRY AND GET A LITTLE TRINKET OR SOMETHING FOR DORAS BIRTHDAY. I HOPE I HAVE SOME SUCCESS, ALTHOUGH? MOST EVERYTHING IS SUPPOSED TO BE QUITE EXPENSIVE DUE TO THE INFLATION/
I WAS IN JAPAN FOR ABOUT FOUR HOURS LAST MONDAY TO SEE DANNY KAYE AND LEO DUROCHER (MANAGER OF THE DODGERS).
IT WAS INTERESTING, BUT THERE WASN'T MUCH TO SEE WHERE I WAS. AS I HAD HEARD, THE JAPANESE ARE LIKE PAPER DOLLS COMPARED TO THE HUSKY AMERICANS. IN FACT, THEY LOOK STARVED. NONE OF THEM ACTS INDIVIDUALLY,BUT ALL TOGETHER, LIKE A SCHOOL OF FISH. THE AREA WHERE I WAS HAD NOT BEEN TOO HEAVILY DAMAGED, BUT THE BUILDINGS WERE BURNED- BUT IT WOULDN'T TAKE MUCH TO GET THEM BURNING ANYWAY BECAUSE THEY WERE AMAZINGLY FLIMSY. THIS MONDAY COMING, I HAVE A GENUINE LIBERTY INTO TOKYO OR YOKOHAMA AND IT IS THEN THAT I PLAN TO DO MOST OF MY SOUVENIER HUNTING AND SIGHT-SEEING. I HAVE A LOT OF STORIES TO VERIFY.
I RECEIVED A NOTE FROM COLONEL DAUB THANKING ME FOR INFORMING HIM OF THE FORMER KISKI GRADUATE I RAN ACROSS SOME TIME AGO. YESTERDAY I ALSO RECEIVED A VERY FINE LETTER FROM MR. HUND WHO0 GAME ME ALL THE INFO ON THE FAMILY, SCHOOL AND SOME OF THE FELLOWS I KNEW IN 1942 WHO WERE STILL AT SCHOOL. I'LL CERTAINLY HAVE TO VISIT THE ODD CAMPING GROUNDS WHEN I GET HOME- HASTEN THE DAY.
PARDON THE RUSH, BUT I GUARANTEE'I'LL HAVE PLENTY TO TALK ABOUT NEXT WEEK:
LOVE TO?ALL,
[Signature: "Bud" in handwriting]