Cpl Roman F. Klick 36620923
Co "A", 353rd Engr Regt
A.P.O. #502, c/o Postmaster
San Francisco, California
July 29, 1943
Dear Aunty Clara,
I have just now gotten back from a movie being shown down the road a bit. Boy o boy, it was twice as sinister as "Night Must Fall". The title of it was "Shadow of Doubt" with Joseph Cotton and Teresa Wright. Whew, I still can't get over the mood that the picture creates. The plot is this: and uncle (Joe Cotton) visits his niece (Teresa Wright). Both are named Charley and are close to each other in mental telepathy. The seed of suspicion is planted in the girl's mind when two detectives trail her uncle from the East coast to the West coast. Finally she knows for a truth that he is the murderer of three people but circumstances so occur that although guilty of the murder, he is no longer sought for them. He then tries to murder his niece with whom he had gotten along so well with. He tries three times and the last time he succeeds in killing himself instead. The music, photography and histrionics all play up the sinister and morbid.
To back track a bit now. You probably are wondering what happened to the other picture I told you that I was going to see, "Commandos Strike at Dawn" with Paul Muni. Well, that is going to remain one of those untold stories for just at a the time when Paul Muni is making his escape from Nazi-ridden Norway, the projector's bulb burned out and when Lt Yantis put a new one in, it blew out also. The result was no more picture for the evening and since we are not allowed to hold over the film, there will be no reshowing of it.
Tomorrow night the picture is to be "American Empire". I've never heard of that one before. From what we hear tell, Ginger Rogers plays the lead.
I am having a hectic time trying to write this letter this evening. A fellow by the name of Welling is also writing a letter but he isn't keeping it to himself. As a result, I have spelled out a half a dozen words for him already besides telling him how to phrase a certain answer to his boyfriend.
Our work in Personnel Headquarters has picked up something terrific as of this afternoon. Our records were inspected by an administrative inspector of the island and he pointed out to us quite a few details which we have been neglecting and which the regulations here state that we should do. As a result we are going to be as busy as we were when we first left the United States getting the records in such order as was required at that time. In addition to that we must make a file of every man in our company and that too will take quite some time. And then you know that old saying of ours that "It never rains but it pours" well the work will really be swamping us when along about next week we are going to get caught with another payroll.
I received your letter of the 17th. Gee whiz, Aunty Clara, I'm sorry to hear that you wasted the money on the cablegram. Didn't I explain to you how long it took for cablegrams to arrive? The fastest service obtainable is thru the Red Cross and that itself usually takes just as long as V-mail. I haven't received the birthday greetings as yet although I have long since received the birthday cards. Thanks a lot though for trying to get that through to me before my birthday. As it is everything turned out for the best with the cards arriving before time.
All the fellows in the tent have been kidding me about my cabinet. They call it a monstrosity and all that but everyone of them would be glad to have it because it keeps everything in a nice orderly fashion and looks rather neat and tidy. It doesn't take anything but the tools and material to become a good handy man. I also might add that necessity plays a part in that too.
There's more to this letter but I don't guarantee a full page to the second sheet.
So-long,
/s/ Roman
Roman