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May 18, 1918 - Don Martin in Paris writes about expected German offensive

Don Martin diary entry for Saturday, May 18, 1918: 
Spent an hour trying to find Howard Dean but find he is in Toul. I shall no doubt see him there. Went to office in evening and wrote a thousand word cable for New York on the approaching new German offensive [dated Sunday and published on Monday, May 20]. Sat around the hotel in the evening waiting for an air raid that didn’t come.

Weather like July at home.

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