Diaries: 1943 January 14-1943 May 26; 1943 May 27-1943 October 13; Loose material from diaries

19 they expecting raids there about the middle of febr [February]? Even here in Budapest very little German uniform or civilian can be seen, a contrast with even the last summer.

Jan. [January]26. Tuesday. Coffee with Clara on the hill, I was all tact and did not mention current politics. From there I went to college – teachers club where, for English teaching members Elko gave a lecture, once [strikethrough] time [/strikethrough] again about his American Tour, it was all right though. Prof. Yolland was there too, [strikethrough] without his [/strikethrough] teethless, [toothless] therefore very difficult to understand, what he said. After we went with Elko to the theatre (Vígszínház) Utód by Bákay = The successor, good in details but nothing fancy taken all together. This finished we had a whish to eat something somewhere, not very far from my flat but we had at least 20 minutes to wait for a streetcar in icy cold, about -12-14° C. We warmed up with nice food at Gundel, Krisztina tér but from there again I had an hour wait for the next street car. This was after

20 11p.m. buses and taxis stopped a long time before. Pitious this way of traffic in a big city. The first very cold night, I have to remember our poor soldiers got into captivity a few days ago, without food, warm clothing and shelter. I would die out of shear desperation. How can you explain that I do not see things to come so pessimistic as a year before? Somehow the danger of Russian occupation seems to be removed out of my fears now, that the allies are relatively so near to us. One step more, into Italy and they are in the neighbourhood.

It is months since I have not been at theatre and out after 10 p. m. It was depressing the darkness on the streets. To the pictures I do not go as we have only propaganda films, mostly German, which I do not want to hear and see. The only exception I do with Italian pictures, they are artistic. American pictures were stopped on the beginning of January, 943 [1943], because Germany threatened not to give a yard of new

21 film in case we don’t stop them.

Jan [January] 27. Wednesday. Once again about Elkó’s lecture. You realize the fact, that, when our country is in war with England and the States, these people present at the lecture, who, with exception of Yolland, were all Hungarian born, spoke solemnly (rather badly too) just English nothing else.

The bursting of Casablanca news is again a proof that something big is imminent, and it will be due from Africa.

The Stalingrad German army lives its last hours. It will prove the biggest blender of Hitler’s leadership not to have left them surrender. Not as if surrendered their fates would be different as it will be now, but because the loss would not weigh on Hitler’s conscience (is there such a thing?) but on the Russian’s. Two hundred thousand men * after all. And I am sure among the Roumanian [Romanian] troups [troops] thousands of Hungarians must be, from Transylvania.

One of the Casablanca discussions’ outstanding features * later stated to be three hundred thousand

22 seems to be the gain of the American standpoint in the French question: is all – even British – communiqués general Girand’s name stands first, De Gaulle’s only after. Let us hope the states will have the last word in our parts too. The most disquieting announcement (Eden, House of Commons, today) is that agreement was made with the Soviet about uniting and [strikethrough] organization [/strikethrough] organizing [strikethrough] of [/strikethrough] Balkan insurgents who are fighting [strikethrough] [?] [/strikethrough] dispersed at present. This will be against us, I am afraid.

Jan [January] 28. Thursday. Hanna Sz. wants to buy a house near Eszterke, so we went out this noon to inspect it. Snow, cold, but still a pretext for a walk. But coming home I was very much frozen, nothing else for me but the stove and hot drinks (not alcoholic, be sure). I should like to know so much, what sort of winter do you have in Louisiana? Is it really cold a territorial climate? Or is it influenced by the longitude and by the [strikethrough] nearness [/strikethrough] proximity of the Mexican Gulf? In Egypt, about the same longitude just these weeks in January and February used to be the finest.

23 Jan [January] 29. Friday. Life is so dull that only music can lift this dullness for some moments. Not before long Beethoven’s Vth Symphony was on Bpest radio, yesterday a lovely suite from Rossini’s Barber of Seville at Prague radio, today again at Budapest Beethoven’s IIId Symphony, the Eroica is on, leader of the orchestra Menyelberg . * Few moments of almost undisturbed joy but then again the chimaeras of war turn up. Germany is rather down, but strong enough for much mischief and destruction. Nerves are overstrained so much that even some months, let us say, until the autumn seem eternity.

Marguerite K-H rang me up this morning with some vague invitation to Hédervár which I refused but I shall see her next week when again home from the last hunt this season, I have to change books from her library.

Jan. [January] 30 Saturday Today, on the tenth anniversary of Hitler’s accession to power there were not very much solemnities, as it seems, in Berlin. Görings speech was timed on 11 a. m.

* He is not getting younger. Decline in conducting.