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10/8/1946 - Flight from New York to New Delhi; Plane Companions by Richard Morse

FOR PUBLICATIOH American Mission Bahawalpur House New Delhi India October Mr Walter S Rogerm Institute Current World Affairs Fifth Ave New York N Y Dear Mr Rogers Eight New York New Delhi The Dutch KLM three eight enough At plane direct destination without stopovers series quick impresslons 8eographlcal limpses durin travel personal relationships built during while plane refuels suddenly broken acquaintances deplane capitals world enroute Our TWA Douglas Skymaster New York after thlrty hours weather delay afternoon From altitude general terrain New England familiar different cities almost unldentlflable In hours USA At Gander wartime Air Transport terminal New foundland motor repaired while lounged offlcer8 rvice walked around field starry night Then hours Ireland leslng daylight moved eastwards We awoke broken sleep shlnin6 Atlantic through light fluffy clouds catching little whitecaps 61earns Soon gently rolling fields western Ireland dotted cocks Then landed River Shannon spend lunch brief walks terminal small bumpy carts The scurrying people seemed small trifle gnarled invigorated breezy freshenln6 Paris lights evening scettered vlduated those Nww York Chlcago But airfield electricity failed altogether Tired delay darkness waiting passengers fussed ourselves tried unsuccessfully discover reason light failure A strike mmediately suggested gustedly The shortage another No Frenchman could except morose individual elucidated fully Poor France Poor France nothing remedy matters His countrymen however actively mechanics attendants officials guards security police gendarmes handlers clerks working looking under improvised floodlight Finally night twinkling lights French villages shining until reached Geneva where colorful green sodium vapor lights brightly reflected waters A short Lyonson Rhone valley tried sleep Just approached western Italian shore To East Apennines silhouetted raEged humps aainst reddenin Below mudflats Tiber delta coastal fields apparently cultivated lookinE barren mudflats Rome waanother mudflat paler layer adobe sprawled across earth ancient unattractive sight morning light A brief across rouEh mountains peninsula broken coastline Adriatic islands mountains Greece Athens The airfield there comes directly water smothered almost mountains urthr And EEypt 6lance outside bemause becoming tired bright water treeless Dark glasses unaccustomed passenger looking brings stomach uneasiness Most passengers A varied roughly classifiable groups Americans European origin turning Europe their first visits after Americans newly aware world because wartime experiences At supper Gander I Joined representatives former LoUis Lusano friendly CaIfornla restaurant owner spirit group Travel educational You interesting people Louis Spanish origin rejoining fmily Brussels after absence nearly thirty years Next nodding agreement German Swiss sloppy dress manner ideas theories willingness forth This successful bakery owner makinE twelfth return Europe Time illusion learninE I India describing working knowledge Hindu philo sophy Einstein theory which about various places Two Italians completed table makin6 small business around Italy other market ardener New Jersey headin month Sici prents This Eroup petty bourgeoisie typical conSide rable proportion world travellers They agreed Louis statement If people could around other peoples there would Two sophisticated classy European origln European group completed Greeks spoke practically English charming gentle Swiss returnin visit father In today travels village frult store owner neighbor carpenter Earage proprietor The world thways confined called educated I exchange among countrle knowledgeable promote understanding helpfully lecture tours intellectuals A cheerful world Aside Sate Department courier overn offlcils going Cairo attend technical confer Provisional International Civil Aviation 0ranl zatlon group younger American travellers contained romance adventure A young Canadian months supply bottles journeyed Athens Join husband consular official Provln6 America spreading California Irl coming married Slnal Corps Major stationed Asmara Erltrea world telecommunications But human interest story plane Chief Investigator Internal Revenue Bureau mlddle flyin Athens marry flnanc Major United States Public Health Service Greece His travelling companion captain Publlc Health Service returning Greece after Stateside leave This captain travelled extensively throughout country Greece doing tuberculosis About political situation could offer encouragement The archist 8overnment labelling Communist group village royallst Government military vities driven G liberals Communist months making bitter strained thecrltlcal deteriorating situation Greece But Hugh Allen Day myself India bound couldn devote attention Greece Day twenty seven Paramount International Films years their Bombay office The approach India theater manager movie seller slIEhtly different I imagine instructive compare notes months hence In Cairo I crawled through cnnsulate processes visas travel priorities The telegram India authorizing entry Just arrived mornlng reatly surprlsln6 overworked official section British Consulate General The Iraqi Legation almost proved stubborn transit would necessary Baghdad I politely assured Four delay perhaps And occupation rescue amazement I student I couldo ahead Had I businessman military refermnce Baghdad would essential My mission Judged harmless I departed legation passport visaed leaving Polish Army officers simmering delay facing making their return India Iraq Their business India I couldn state In British Overseas Airway flying Sunderland class Nile early Its green cross desert Suez skirt Meal iterranean smooth curin coastline Gas scablike mountains eastern Palestine Dead Sea below level I0 degrees Fahren Two Catholic priests there spend years Jerusalem monastery Next RAF icers Lake Habbanlyeh Iraq flfty miles southwest Bagdad Here inboard engine refused start durin repairs spent RAF airfield miles This field constructed I under terms Anlo Iraql treaty It served fuelln6 bombers transports durin8 RAF Iraqi pilots trained there RAF instructors A attractive permanent built desert charmlr oasis shady roads 6ardens hedses trellised archways presumably accomplished diverted waters nearby Euphrates labors Iraqi coolies Next mornin8 plain between Tigris Euphrates where palms abound alalfa donkeys Ir along Persian Gulf A Basra landed Shatt Arab confluence historic reams Lon6 quays river reminded recent heavy activity Across river brldge posted speed limit English Persian Russian Not kilometers Two years Russian truck drivers present American British though terminal point across Gulf Iran Now occupyln6 soldiers British Indian troops around Basra camps containln6 hundred soldiers That cause owers interest Middle East imagine All activity region seems connected Seven Americans stages flight Cairo Bahrein Island Sore physicists surveyln deserts Arabia Iraq spotting deposits which claim await exploitation others construction engineers building refineries product plants fields pipelines The Egyptian passengers Bahrein brought there They schoolteachers whether loyed company British Protectorate I obviously produced laborers market education A transit through served emphasize predominance young Americans makin6 qulck comfortable fortune But India objective Karachl passed I New Delhi Indian National Airways Met airport Phil Talbot established I since But await letter Sincerely yours