Jim tells his brother that in the two months he has been in the Lincoln Battalion, he has not seen a single day of fighting. Nonetheless, he spends his time practicing infantry techniques. Jim says that he can't give Ring the inside scoop on the war as it is harder to follow in Spain than in California. He believes that any big change will have to come from the international community. Asks Ring what he thought about his piece on the Marx Brothers. Jim says that if there is any money for it forthcoming for the story, Ring can keep is as a loan. Jim asks his brother to send him a package of chocolate, tins of meat, and plum cake, care of Walter Kerr at the New York Herald Tribune office in Paris. His previous packages have gone missing.