December 9, 1950
Margie held a concert here in D.C. on Dec. 5th. It was a good one. She was well accompanied by a young pianist name of Allison, whose father is a Baptist preacher in Augusta, Georgia. Young Allison played two pieces after the intermission, one of which was the great A flat Chopin Waltz Opus 42. He did it as well as it could be done and I've heard Paderewski, Moritz Rosenthal and Joseph Lhevinne play it.
A frustrated critic on the Washington Post wrote a lousy review. The only thing, General Marshall said, he didn't criticize was the varnish on the piano. He put my "baby" as low as he could and he made the young accompanist look like a dub.
It upset me, and I wrote him what I thought of him. I told him he is lower than Pegler and that was intended to be an insult worse than a reflection on his ancestry. I would never reflect on a man's mother because mothers are not to be attacked although mine has!
Well I've had a grand time this day. I've been accused of putting my "baby" who is the "apple of my eye" in a bad position. I don't think that is so. She doesn't either-thank the Almighty.
In addition to personal matters I've had conference after conference on the jittery situation facing the country. Attlee, Formosa, Communist China, Chiang Kai-shek, Japan, Germany, France, India etc. I've worked for peace for five years and six months and it looks like World War III is here.
I hope not-but we must meet whatever comes-and we will.