CLEVELAND, Thursday—On Tuesday evening I spoke for the Adult Education Council of Chicago at Temple B'nai Jacob and it was a very successful meeting of their forum. Afterwards we stopped at a little restaurant for a sandwich and a glass of orangeade and whom should I see there at another table but Senator Douglas. I was very glad when the Senator came over to speak with me for he is one of the Senators I greatly admire and respect.

Before going to my meeting, I had dinner at the Blackstone Hotel where I was staying, with my son, James, who had come into Chicago on business, and on Wednesday morning my son, Franklin, Jr., who spoke in Chicago Tuesday evening, came in for breakfast. Both my sons left Wednesday but I spoke Wednesday night at the Community Forum in Chicago Heights, and then went on to Cleveland.

I learned yesterday of an effort which is being made in Chicago during the week of March 16th to 23rd by the women of Chicago. They plan to call this Chicago Women's BIG Week. BIG stands for Bonds of Israel Government and they are going to canvass their community in the interest of getting people to invest in these bonds. This is being undertaken as a special tribute to Mrs. Goldie Meyerson, the Minister of Labor in Israel, who has been to this country several times and spoken to numerous groups and has the admiration of all the people who know her.

The women feel the community should be interested as a whole "in an investment which is not only sound financially but is an investment in a faith and a belief of a pioneer country, Israel." So far the interest in these bonds has always been met promptly and I think that anyone who has been in Israel will come away, as I did, with the feeling that the spirit of the people there is one that promises success for the establishment of a stable country.

There is much to be done and many problems to be met in Israel but in that area of the world, Israel is the one country which seems to be embarked on creating a truly democratic form of government. If peace can be really established between the Arab nations and Israel, I think Israel can serve as a valuable spark plug for democracy as well as for economic improvement in the lives of the people of the whole area.