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THE
SCREEN
WRITER
— and bastards they are to them — and they care nothing for the finished job. They care only for themselves — to “make” First Lieutenant, or Captain, to lick the boots of the superior officers.
Now, clearly, this is not important in itself — but terribly important as a symptom. To be shocked by ignorance is foolish; to be sentimental and make all the pat phrases about going off to fight the very things which exist in the forces that fight them, is also foolish. To try to find some method of education and enlightenment, to prove that self-interest lies in curbing these fantastically destructive jealousies is the only possibility — and I don’t know what that is. I must say I’m upset tonight — even though I had
V and P in here, talking, and the conversation came
around to labor and economics, and, as simply as I could, I explained
certain facts, which apparently startled them. V . is a small
theatre owner, unable to see that he fits into a pattern, determined to maintain his right to individual ownership. Still he drank up facts.
P , a keenly sensitive, deeply religious man, with a logical mind,
is now a convert to liberalism, I think . . .
It’s ten o’clock and we’re six days out somewhere in the Pacific, the ship blackened, so that only the masts are visible against the sky. The loudspeaker is warning the watch to change, and that it is now Condition Two — which might mean almost anything. Rumors are flying that there is a Japanese task force approaching us, but I doubt it. It seems too pat. Of course, we have an escort of only one destroyer, which, well-equipped with radar though it may be, seems hardly enough for two Generals and an Admiral.
Major D , who apparently is a good guy, eager to get into
the picture-business after the war, took us up to his cabin for a slug of Scotch two nights ago, and the General came in. We chatted, and I told him something of my film-as-a-weapon routine. It seemed to go well — even agreed that we might have a plane to take the film back after Kiska is taken. From what I can gather, they expect a hell of a fight for the island.
It will be up to me to decide what men are to go where, which with what wave, which to risk more and which to risk less. This is a responsibility I cannot share, and one which cannot be made on
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