June 4, 1933
Canton

Here it is Sunday again and another week has passed. The time simply flies out in this country. It seems that I make two or three moves and the day is gone. I am extremely busy and I suppose that accounts for the rapid passage of time. I never seem to have time enough to accomplish the things that I wish to do and hurry from one thing to another. At that I would rather be busy than sitting around trying to pass the time.

I know that you will be pleased to hear that I now have fifty photos all ready to send to you. They do not begin to cover the multitude of pictures that I see about me every day just waiting to be taken. I am doing my best and hope to have a splendid collection by the time I return to the States. These will be a beginning and will, I hope, to be of interest to you all. I will wait until some friend is going to Hong Kong and have him send them over to you.

As regards my work over here I know that I have been a bit reticent but with reason. You may be sure that I will tell you all that I feel I can. My answers to Jays questionnaire should give you a good idea of everything. It is impossible to explain all the diplomacy and undercurrents that are present at the field. You may be sure that I am profiting by the experiences that I am going through. It is a wonderful experience for a young man and I will never forget it if I live to be a hundred. I can't explain with words and writing but after I come back home and we have a few long evenings with beer, I will try to tell you all about it.

This week Aerial Gunnery commences and you know what the gunnery course is. I will have only two ships to use for gunnery so it won't go as fast as it does at home with twenty ships. However I am expecting some good results from my first class of six. They are the same six that I have been giving Basic training to for the past month. After they have finished the course I will take Terrills six, then Deeds. After that I will dip into the big class of 136 and take them all through the course.

In addition to the aerial gunnery I am running two classes a day at the machine gun butts. One class on gun stoppages and correction, the other on a rocking fuselage. I have developed a capable assistant who is taking this work for me. All I do is supervise and see that the class progresses as I wish it to. Of course I still have afternoon lectures to the two groups of pilot classes. And then I must see that the Armament section is instructed and carries out its work. Also the range detail. I am kept as busy as the devil.

You are right about the exchange, it is taking a decided flop. Well everyone is taking it on the chin these days so I guess I shouldn't take it too bitterly. I don't like it but so far I haven't been able to do anything about it. And you may be sure that I have tried. If it goes so low that we can't live on my salary I will have to find something else to do. I am not sure but think I can land another job out here if this one peters out.

The Terrills moved out to their own home yesterday and you can bet that it is much pleasanter all around. They were very nice but I am darned glad to see them go. Crip is a slow Southerner and although his is as nice as anyone could wish, he and I do bit think alike and I hate to argue with a bird that takes forever to get out a sentence. You know how it is, both families heave a sign of relief when it is all over. They have about twenty dollars between them and starvation which isn't good. You will be pleased to hear that we have 450 gold in the savings over here and expect to put 100 gold more in the fifteenth of this month. With it all we are picking up some nice silver and linen. If the exchange continues to go down this will not last. However we will make hay while the sun is shining, even though it is a small amount of hay.

I have been working all afternoon up to now on a schedule of gunnery and machine gun work for the next two months. It has taken quite some time as I cannot afford to make provisions for any contingency that may arise, and there are many I assure you. I have it complete to my satisfaction now and will submit it to the General tomorrow so that it can be included in the new general program that is being made for the whole field.

It is surely interesting to get your reports on the situation at home. I am not surprised that the people are getting ugly. Things must be unbelievably tough. You tell me all the details but it is impossible for me to realize the thing as it actually is. I can picture it from your descriptions but the picture does not seem real. It is just like this place, you must be here to understand it. If I were there it would be brought home to me and not very pleasantly at that. I am surely glad to know that you all are weathering the storm so well. You letters of a few weeks ago had me in a terrible stew. I have your promise to let me know when things break Jay and I am resting easy with that assurance.

The heat is slowly but surely creeping up on us. I am sitting here in my short sleeves and the perspiration is running in rivulets down my chest. At that we are very fortunate. The real heat hasn't started yet and here it is June. Last year it started in February. Cholera is starting and Jeannette and I have both had our first shots. We are only eating cooked vegetables and tinned fruits now. This will continue until next October or November. Better to be safe than sorry, although I surely do miss fresh fruits and vegetables. Salads, oh my! The mold is still with us and leather and woolens are hidden by fungus unless they are watched constantly. It is quite a surprise to look at my new brown suit and see it hoary with age. It makes me wonder if I have been over here for twenty or thirty years.

It is now 6 P.M. and I must take a bath and don fresh linen before dinner. Heaven knows I need them both. How I wish that you all were coming in at seven to have dinner with us. I can imagine how much eating we would be able to accomplish with all that we would have to say. Some day we will all gather around the same table again and won't the words fly. I am waiting for that day.

Well I will sign off with the wish that you all are enjoying all the happiness in the world. Jeannette sends her love.

Love,

Stu.