1942 January 19 Booth Tarkington to "Dear Pratt" [Henry Pratt Smith?] concerning the state of the war, tells a humorous story of a local enemy plane spotter from Kennebunkport who saw a black plane overhead and "hurried back to the village and reported the black plane to Mitchell Field - in a letter." He goes on to compare the current time to World War I, 1918, after Ludendorff had thrust through to Amiens, when all the military authorities, diplomats, and newspapers were gloomy. Even after the Germans fell behind the Hindenburg Line, they all predicted a long war ahead. (oversize)