Thelma and Lowell's Diary: July 23, 1943

She shortens Lowell's pants; President Roosevelt answers a question about the future of Rome

It was a rainy Friday morning. Thelma shortened a pair of Lowell’s pants and washed them. The couple visited their friends the Cooks — who seem to have kept Lowell fed while she was in Ohio. “They leave for Galveston next week,” she wrote, not indicating if this was a permanent move. The couple got doused in another rainstorm on the way home. The Times Picayune reported the next day that the temperature had reached 97 degrees on July 23 and the thunderstorm dropped it from 89 degrees at 9:30 to a more tolerable 82 an hour later.

In Washington, President Roosevelt answered a question about making Rome an open city, so its ancient monuments would not risk destruction and civilian casualties would be avoided as the Allies moved farther into Italy. This excerpt is from the American Presidency Project.