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june 21 to 2'5 Dearest: .Haven’t heard from you in a blooming week and miss your letters no end. Do something about it please. Got a let- ter from Phil which I am sending on to you. All the dirty work you did for years, cranking leaflets, passing them out in snow and sun, visiting contacts, etc., was not in vain. Everything we worked for for years is coming true in ‘steel. Things are shaping up well with our battalion. Each day I go out on maneuvers with a different company. This way I have the best chance to learn what’s what among the boys, to pick up the most military knowledge, and to see how the companies are shaping up. Have had a couple of damned interesting lectures the last few days-Merriman on the training period and first days in the life of the Lincoln Battalion, and last night Hourihan, Commander of the Lincoln Battalion since Merriman was hit, on the last few months of the Lincoln. The in-between periods will be covered later by Merriman. The guys were very attentive and much impressed. Singing, marching and general work are picking up daily and the way they work at the maneu- vers is a pleasure to see. ‘Most of the companies havegotten out their first wall- papers, and some are real good, especially for first attempts. We are holding a conference of wall-paper editors within a fewydays to discuss the first issue. Spirit is especially high in relation to the socialist competition -that has been launched between companies and sections for the winning of the battalion banner and the company banners. The scoring system is based on work along fifteen different fields and that company or section which scores highest for the

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