I Meet Winston Churchill, and Won’t Give Him a Light
When we were married, in September 1944, we wanted to go to Quebec for our honeymoon. It was the height of the Second World War, however, and as a lieutenant in the Navy; I couldn’t take off just like that.
My captain, however, managed to arrange for me to be detailed for a week to ‘inspect’ some ammunition depots outside of Montreal, complete with a Jeep and a gas ration to do the ‘inspection.’ Jean, who was working for the Boston Globe, spoke to Louis Lyons of the Boston Herald, and obtained press credentials for her to cover the visit of Prime Minister Winston Churchill to the Canadian Parliament, to brief them on the secret plans for the rest of the war.
In my dress whites Navy uniform, I joined the rest of the spectators lining the streets trying to get a glimpse of Churchill. The Prime Minister’s entourage swept past, and someone grabbed me into the official group- they thought I was Lord Gort's or someone’s military attaché. Too stunned to protest, I followed them into the Parliament, and the doors were closed, as it was a secret session.
I was seated right next to Churchill. In fact, while they were waiting to begin, Churchill turned to me and asked me for a match to light his cigar. I was so petrified that they would discover that I didn’t belong there, and turned away. I never heard a word of what was said during the session- all I thought about was whether I would be arrested.
Finally, it ended, and the entourage swept out again from the Parliament. I could see Jean and Louis Lyons, straining to see from behind the barriers. Jean was amazed- her bridegroom, in with the top brass!
Me and Roosevelt
While on the trip to Canada, Jean and I were invited to meet with Herbert Lehmann, Governor of New York, who had been a friend of Jean’s father, Judge Pinanski, at Harvard.
While we were meeting with Lehmann in his hotel suite. The telephone rang. Lehmann, who was busy pouring drinks or something, asked me to answer it for him. I picked it up, and a voice said, “Hello, this is Franklin Roosevelt (the President).”
I thought it was someone playing a prank. “You are not Franklin Roosevelt. Stop playing tricks on the Governor!”
It turned out it was Roosevelt, Leader of the Free World.
A Top Secret Project
At the Naval Ammunition depot in Pine Bluffs, Arkansas, we were working on a Top Secret munitions project, the Proximity Fuse, which would set off bombs and shells exactly when they hit the target. We were told it was going to be the most important technological advance of the war.
On August 8th, 1945, the news came about the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima. Our commander was furious! Our entire hush-hush project had been just an irrelevant diversion!
Judy Arrives, Rescuing Me from Jail
On V-J day- August 15th, 1945, I was Officer of the Day in charge of the Naval ammunition base in Pine Bluffs, Arkansas. When the servicemen heard that Japan had surrendered and that the war was over, they headed over to the officers’ club, and went wild, with the biggest party since 1941.
Around 11 PM, another officer and I decided to stop by the club to see how things were going. When we opened the door- it was a drunken madhouse inside! I quickly closed the door, and decided what the heck, the war was over, why not let them celebrate?
In the morning, the captain of the base rode by the club, and looked in. Everything inside had been smashed- the place was destroyed. He returned to the GHQ, and called me to his office.
“Dietz!” he bellowed, “what in the hell went on last night?”
“Just a party, sir,” I answered. “I figured it didn’t matter- the war is over!”
“Of course it matters!” replied the Captain, “you’re confined to quarters for a week!”
Just then another officer came in with a telegram from the Chelsea Naval Hospital in Boston. “I am happy to announce,” he said, “ that Lieutenant Dietz’s wife has just had a baby girl!”
“In that case,” said the captain, “is there still some Scotch left over from last night?”
“Yes, Sir.”
“Then drinks for everyone! Let’s celebrate!”
And I was a free man, thanks to the arrival of Judith Ann Dietz.
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