The sun is shining beautifully and it is a wonderful day. The news has been all over the headquarters today about the peace negotiations that are supposed to be underway in Germany. As yet there isn't anything definite about it but we are all hoping that it is the end of the German war. The Allied armies were held on the Rhine until about the 28th of March when a mass breakthrough in force by all seven allied armies was affected. Almost simultaneously the Rhine was crossed in such force that the Germans were taken by surprise and haven't been able to stop us yet. The furthest advances are 160 miles past the Rhine at present. The latest cities to fall are Osnabruck, Fulda, Hamm, Paterborn with columns way out past that. Patton's 3rd army is really going to town and advancing rapidly. The Russians are within 5 miles of Vienna and within 33 miles of Berlin. They are poised on the Oder waiting for the word. When they launch their offense they will probably sweep clear into Germany and effect a junction with our forces if the Germans force it very much longer. I mad a bet with Joe that the war wouldn't be over my June 1st and I seriously hope I lose it.
Over here things are also going wonderfully well. The battle of Iwo Jima is over, the total casualties well over 19,000 with over 4,000 killed. Today's news carries a discussion of the reason for the Tokyo cabinet resigning yesterday. That is the 3rd time a cabinet has resigned and I don't really gain the significance of it except that things aren't going too well. We have completely cleared Manila and the mopping up of the rest of the Philippines is underway. Landings have been made on other islands without too much opposition. It is beginning to look as though MacArthur is a pretty smart man after all.
On the 15th of this month I'll have my 18th month completed and will be eligible for furlough. I'm not sure yet what I'll do. Right now things are looking so well that it would probably be a good idea to sweat it out but if I am going to have to sweat 36 months out anyway maybe I ought to take a furlough.
This movie "Wilson" was shown in our area last night. It was a wonderful movie except that it was made for the prime purpose of swinging votes over to Roosevelt last election. It is all tied in with our present situation and designed to fit the Democratic party's foreign policy last November. In other words, it made the average American feel that if he didn't elect Roosevelt again that the world would fall apart and there would be another war within about 10 or 15 years. I'm not in favor of ballyhoo and propaganda. It's awfully hard to decide what's correct and what is wrong in these days of war.
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