1947 UNIQUE TRAVEL DIARY OF SANDY GRANT, A DANCER AND ENTERTAINER WITH THE USO, STAGING OVER 70 SHOWS IN JAPAN AND KOREA AND METICULOUSLY DOCUMENTING HER LIFE TRAVELING AND PERFORMING FOR THE TROOPS STATIONED OVERSEAS

On offer is a super relic of a fantastic and unique part of a United States soldier's military experience. This is the diary of a woman who traveled with an entertainment group on tours with the United Service Organization (USO). The woman's name is Sandy Grant and the group she traveled with was called the "Rhythm Rockets." She performed ballet (along with other forms of dancing) and her diary tells all about her trip with the Rockets to Japan in 1947. The tour lasts 5 months and they perform over 70 shows. The diary has about 120 pages and 70 of those are diary entries. The rest are itinerary, items purchased, remarks on the customs of Japan, autographs, and much more. Sandy's entries are fascinating. She talks of all the many different military bases and theatres they performed at, the unique and strange customs and culture of Japan, and times meeting, dining and seeing several different high-ranking Officers, including Five-Star General and Field Marshall Douglas MacArthur. She even writes of flying on the same plane as Shirley Temple whom she refers to as "The Little Colonel." Her trip begins in the July 1947 where she leaves her home in Hoboken, New Jersey taking the train west to California, then boarding a plane to Hawaii and then on to Japan. Her entries are brief on the way over but get very detailed while in Asia and also detailed while sailing home on board the "Admiral Mayo", returning home after a 5 month tour. "July 20th, Midnight in Reno Nevada. Wild open town. Lights galore. Very spectacular. Left 10 minutes later. California July 21st. Arrive Suisan. Fairfield Cal. 6 A.M. Waited 3 hrs. for Army Transportation to be Billeted. Processing all day. Sent 2 wires and cards."; "July 22nd. Did one show at the Suisun Fairfield Army Air Base. Went Beautifully." On July 29th, the day she leaves for Japan, she is meticulous with her itinerary, the miles between cities, and the time taken to get to each place: "July 29. Left Fairfield - Suisun. C-54 Plane, California to Japan - Flew to Honolulu to Jalusta Island - to Kwajalein to Guam to Iwo Jima to Tokyo."; "August 2nd, Met bus from airport. To terminal. Checked in with U. S. O. Went straight to Meiji (Mee Gee) Hotel. Met by Don Brynes and Norman Lessman and Miss Swanson. Showed us to the dining room immediately. To our rooms, 509. Showers. Small table, bed. Bar in hotel. Met other units, Merle, Andre, Vesper and gang."; "August 4th, First Show. Work tonight. First theatre date. Report. 1st show, 8th Cavalry 2nd Squadron. Show excellent."; "August 5th, 2nd show. Tech. Intelligence Detachment."; "August 13th. Gifu Japan. Wonderful resort place. Show tonight. No. 6. Took lots of pictures. Dining room and bar excellent. Scenery gorgeous"; "August 14th. Night fishing. Fascinating. Cormorant's birds. Bought souvenirs and postcards up the river." From August 15th to the 21st she is doing shows in Tsu and Kyoto. One of them is even a boat show. The tour keeps moving all around Japan at a fairly rapid clip. "August 26th, Kobe Japan. Shurakan Theatre No. 16"; "August 27th - 28th, Swimming at the Shoija Officers Club. The residence of James, English man. Gorgeous spot. Best I've seen so far. Salt water. Authentic Japanese gardens. Exquisite home and surroundings."; "August 29th - 31st, Arrived in Tokyo after all night trip from Kobe. Heard the sad news that China may be off our itinerary. Hope not. 30th, Tokyo Army Air Base, Supply Base. Show tonight. Fucho Camp No. 18. E-N-C-O-H! Club. Japanese floor show. 8 girls and principals. Very interesting....31st, Drake Theatre. 1st Cavalry No. 19. And Signal Corps. Buffet dinner and after show went to officers club. Beautiful place. Bought silk at their P.X. 6 yds. $1.25. 12 yds. $2.50. 16 weave. Saw Gen. MacArthur at the Dai-ichi Bldg. (5 star). 2:30 P.M. Great thrill. Gae, Mac. and I. Also Gen. Miller, 2 star general." She sums up September 1st thru the 11th on one page. She does "Shows No. 20 - 26," all of which occur in Toky. One day she goes with a friend to an "International Military Tribunal Far East Court" and see trials. "October 3rd Tokyo. Shopped. Pat's slippers, few cig. Cases. Gae and Mac and I took a rickshaw ride to the Imperial Hotel. No show tonight. Wardrobe left behind on another plane." In October, the show moves to Korea. "October 9th, Enroute to Korea. Flight C-46 Plane. Up 4:45 A.M. Truck to A. T. C. Bust to Tachikawa 25 miles. Breakfast at airport. Left 10 A.M. Arrived 11:45 at Itami Air Base. Left Itami after 45 minutes refueling. Time 12:45 left. Gorgeous views of Mt. Fuji. Flew all around it. Scenery gorgeous. Fuji half snow capped. C-46 plane. 2 motor job. Landed 4:30 P.M. "Little Colonel" on flight with us. 5 hr. and 45 min. to complete flight. 1st appearance of J. O. B. Took party to Banto. Kimpo Air Field Korea. Kwang Ha Moon Hotel. Room 22. Will live here all month."; "October 10th & 11th, Seoul Korea. Played 216. Colored audience. Very good date to play. 38 parallel called the iron curtain. Beautiful scenery up there. Red Cross girls with us. Log fire bar. Went to E.M. dance. Crisp Oct. day. Show tonight for 32nd infantry 3rd Div. #42."; "November 4th, 8th Calvary #61. Repeat performance. This was our first date here. Next day party at Capt. and Mrs. Matthews's home, Tokyo Japan Washington Heights. Largest dependent area in the world. Cocktails. Dinner and to Peer Club. Actual room the Pearl Harbor attack was planned and executed. Beautiful place. Major Snell, Major ? Colonel and Mrs. Doyle, Dar, Swaney, Mac and I. Great evening." Her birthday party on Nov. 7th. On the 12th they play a show at Haneda Airfield. Says it's the first show ever played there and the last. "December 4th, Gae and I in town. Took pictures of MacArthur. Took rickshaw Sent cable to mother. Bought table clasher. Linen in Marunouchi Bldg. Took pictures at Imperial Hotel. Went to post office. Came back to hotel. Changed money from script to American money. Turned in ration cards. Jackie and Lucille's house. Ate spaghetti in Japanese home. Fruit. Train out and cab home." In early December, she begins the journey back to the U.S. "December 7th, Sailed this morning. Left Yokohama for Seattle. Admiral Mayo left this morning 8 A.M. The Yokohama M. P. Band played at pier to see our ship off. Strange to day should be Pearl Harbor day and we left Japan a few hrs. ago. Had breakfast, drills for the boat. Had lunch and dinner on deck most of day. Saw movie, "Desperate". Terrible picture but first day out nice and smooth. Hope it stays this way."; "December 14th, 9th day at sea. Sunday breakfast 8:30 A.M. Church services 10 A.M. Communion. On deck. To lunch. On deck all afternoon. Weather gorgeous. Took a lot of pictures. Missed movie tonight. Walked deck. Al and Norm and I. Had grand dinner. Sat in room and talked. Ronnie, Mae, Gae, Al, Norm and I. To bed."; "December 16th, Awake at 5:30 A.M. Breakfast at 7 A.M. On deck. Pitch black out. First glimpse of Seattle. Lit up like a xmas tree. Went thru routine work. Checking off boat. Band played. Rained all day. Thru customs. To New Richmond Hotel, Room 711. Had late lunch at hotel, 2:30 P.M. Called dad at 3:30 P.M. That's 6:30 Phila. time. Called Herb. Call incomplete until 1 A.M. his time. Al, Gae and I stayed in Gal's room. Then to bed. Wire from dad." She boards a train that night for Philadelphia and in the next few days rides through Montana, North and South Dakota, Wisconsin, Chicago and then comes home on the 21st just in time for Christmas. At the end of the book there are a dozen pages or so of 'Memos' in which Sandy has listed little observations, Japanese phrases, and things to know. "1/ Exchange of money ¥ Yen mark 1000 Yen for 20.00. 2/ People very humble. 3/ No automobiles. Travel on foot - Jam every subway car or train - Rickshaws every where...10/ Kyoto - Former Capital of Japan. Token name for Tokyo - Kyoto - (twisted around)." She does the same with Korea, writing down little observations and common expressions. The diary is in fair shape. The cover has pulled away from the binding in the front. It measures about 4" x 7".; Manuscript; 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall; KEYWORDS: HISTORY OF, SANDY GRANT, UNITED SERVICE ORGANIZATION, USO, RHYTHM ROCKETS, POST WORLD WAR TWO JAPAN, POST-WW2 KOREA, U.S. MILITARY DEPLOYMENT, ADMIRAL MAYO, GENERAL DOUGLAS MACARTHUR, SHIRLEY TEMPLE, THE LITTLE COLONEL, BALLET DANCER, TOKYO, KOBE, JAPAN, SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA, USO AFTER THE WAR, MILITARY ENTERTAINMENT, KWANG HA MOON HOTEL, AMERICAN IN ASIA, JAPANESE CULTURE AND CUSTOMS, INTERNATIONAL MILITARY TRIBUNAL FAR EAST COURT, FIRST DECADE OF THE USO, MORALE BOOSTER, WOMEN IN THE USO, WOMEN ENTERTAINERS, AMERICANA, HANDWRITTEN, MANUSCRIPT, DOCUMENT, LETTER, AUTOGRAPH, WRITER, HAND WRITTEN, DOCUMENTS, SIGNED, LETTERS, MANUSCRIPTS, HISTORICAL, HOLOGRAPH, WRITERS, AUTOGRAPHS, PERSONAL, MEMOIR, MEMORIAL, ANTIQUITÉ, CONTRAT, VÉLIN, DOCUMENT, MANUSCRIT, PAPIER ANTIKE, BRIEF, PERGAMENT, DOKUMENT, MANUSKRIPT, PAPIER OGGETTO D’ANTIQUARIATO, ATTO, VELINA, DOCUMENTO, MANOSCRITTO, CARTA ANTIGÜEDAD, HECHO, VITELA, DOCUMENTO, MANUSCRITO, PAPEL