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I again pressed him about his memoirs, saying, "Don't forget
what happened to Pershing's memoirs. He delayed publishing
his story for 4 or 5 years after the war, then the public had for-
gotten about it."
"Did he write his memoirs? Is he alive? How old is he?"
Montgomery asked. He said he had had many offers from many
publishers but did not wish to publish his memoirs at this time.
We left Montgomery and had tea with his aides. The gardens
of his palace are stunning. An extraordinary sight are the large
mirrors in the gardens with peacocks strutting before them ad-
miring the reflection of their plumage. There is an artificial lake
with ducks and swans-a magnificent country estate indeed.
Displaced Persons
Returning to Bad Oeynhausen we stopped on the road to see a
train of about 40 flat cars. Hundreds of DPs were on these and
gondola cars some covered by tarpaulin rigs. Children, baby
carriages, foodstuffs, bedding-people with all of their earthly
belongings-going where they did not know. We were told that
they were mostly Poles whom the British were trying to get back
into Poland. Many of these Poles do not want to go back into
Poland because they do not wish to be inflicted with Russian
domination.
Along the road we see fat pigs and good crops, cattle, and
plump well-looking people. We see German soldiers in trucks
going home to their farms. The British use the available railroad
system to send the demobilized men home, then carry them by
truck to within 10 or 15 miles of their farms where they shift for
themselves and walk home.
Here one gets an idea of the absolute defeat of the so-called
German Superman. Here you see soldiers with their packs on
their backs aimlessly making their way homeward. They pay little
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