April 14, 1918

Dear Bess:

I landed today and have been trying to find a cable office that hasn't a U.S. censor in it. They won't let us cable for things like informing our people we landed safely because the wires are so crowded they can't send them. I guess you've got my cable I left in New York by this time anyway. My cussed pen went dry right up there and I had to get up and fill it. I am in a French hotel room about as big as your grandmother's room and the front hall combined and

the floor's as cold as the top of a lake when its frozen and the grip with the ink had to be as far from the bed as it could be. The electric switch turns off the light in the centre [sic] of the room and another turn lights one over the head of the bed. You can't light both at once; when one's on the other goes off automaticaly [sic] and as the bed is the warmest I am writing this in bed. We go to work tomorrow and I have been seeing the town which is quite wonderful to me. It isn't Paris but if Paris is as much livelieras it is bigger, Paris is some town. Wine and beer are sold here and most of the 35th Division have been in Okla[homa] so long that they are trying to drink all there is here. They can't as the supply seems to be inexhaustible. Prices are worked strictly on the American plan in French money and they skin us alive. Our dinners cost us 10 franks a piece about $1.80. So you see things are not so cheap. One fellow bought him a Sam Brown belt for 40 franks (I don't know why I spelt that with a k) and gave the man aten dollar bill. He got 60 francs in change and the belt so he made a belt and 3 francs by the deal and didn't know it until someone told him that ten dollars was fifty-seven francs.

This is a beautiful place. I wish I could tell you where it is (call Boxley[8] up). The room I have at the Hotel des Voygers is furnished in mahogany with double lace curtains at its windows. It has a picture of Henry IV and his children on one side and Henry VIII of England at some state functionon the other. There is a fire place (no fire) with a white marble mantelpiece, which has a Dutch clock under a glass case. (The clock doesn't run probably on account of its age). It is a beautiful gold affair with a couple of 17th century pikeman on top of it. It is flanked by two exquisitely beautiful lamps and there is a large mirror over the whole thing about four feet square. The chairs are upholstered in red plush. It looks more like some count's bedroom than a hotel room.

I went to a picture show and saw Pearl White[61] in oneof the sections of a spasm that has been running a year or so over in USA. The name and explanations were in French and I've forgotten its name but it was a good old mellerdramer and I hadn't seen this episode. There was a comedy and another complete film that was good and a dancer named Miss Theer. We got tired and left before the show was over or I guess we could have been there yet. It began at 2:30 and we left at 5:30 all for 1 franc 34 centimes about 35 cents.

We had a most pleasant voyage and found a well founded rumor that we were sunk when

we got to port. The navy has the army beaten forty wags for wild stories.

I've got to quit because its ten p.m. and lights go out a[t] 9 o'clock and I'm liable to get arrested.

Write me as below. Yours always

Harry S. Truman

1st Lt. 129 FA

Det 35th Division

A.E.F

Via New York