Diary of Writing Italy’s Sorrow

Carlisle, Pennsylvania, March 2, 2006
Antony and I drove to the archives together and while he began the process of finding out what they had on D-Day, I continued wading through the large amounts of material I’d called up the previous day.  The tables at the archives are long and narrow and we sat opposite one another, occasionally comparing notes, which was all very companionable.

I also discovered that MHI holds the papers of William Donovan, the founder and head of the OSS during the war.  Not all are open to the public, but there is a wealth of papers relating to Italy, most of which I could see.  When I started looking through them, it felt as if I’d struck gold.  Some were incredibly detailed and provided insights into all aspects of the war in Italy, from morale, propaganda, state of the Neo-Fascist north to conditions in the south.  Felt very excited.  Antony also finding amazing stuff, which just goes to show that even on big subjects like D-Day, which he is now working on, there is lots still to be unearthed.

Another good dinner in the evening.  Am enjoying this so much more than last time!