Friday, February 20, 1953 No snow but rather cold Recd letter from Mary Peery our daughter Dear girl I went down town for brief period. Have been home most of day. Nothing special Washingtons Day I believe that no event was ever received with more heartfelt joy, George Washington wrote Congress after receiving the news in the spring of 1778 that France had recognized the independence of the United States. This and Frances entrance into the war opened a new and hopeful period in the Revolution. Washingtons joy was tempered, however, by a wise appreciation of some complications. He had to overcome the tendency of the French American alliance to relax the colonists war effort. And while seeking maximum help from France, especially the indispensable asset of sea power, he realized he must prevent the ally from becoming the dominant partner. He opposed a French expedition to Canada, feeling it might lead to restoration of French power in North America, yet he had to act with diplomatic genius. Washingtons great tact and intelligence in dealing with the French is described in the fifth volume of Douglas Southall Freemans George Washington. It tempts one to compare situations today, particularly the reconsideration of the provisions of the Yalta and Potsdam agreements. It is not yet clear how naive our representatives were in dealing with the Russians, but from present indications they did not have the foresight and realistic attitude that Washington did 175 years ago. Another dilemma of Washingtons day might be compared with the patience shattering no peace, no war situation today. The period between the surrender at Yorktown in October, 1781, and the signing of the peace with Britain in September, 1783, was one of tension and uncertainty. Washington camped on the Hudson river to keep an eye on New York, still in the hands of the British forces that waited, like Washingtons troops, on events. The cement (using Washingtons word) that held the 13 colonies together was crumbling and the 13 newborn independent estates were jealous of each other and of any powers assumed by the Continental Congress. Moreover, Washingtons army, idle, homesick and long without pay, was utterly demoralized and some officers wanted to use its force to collect the money they had earned many times over. Washingtons prevention of forcible intrusion of the military into the realm of civil government was one of his superb accomplishments. No such situation exists today, of course. Yet our problems call for the patience, tolerance and strength that made Washington first in the hearts of his countrymen.