Robert Indiana kept a series of illustrated journals during the late 1950s and 1960s, in which he discusses the development of his work as well as his daily life on Coenties Slip.

In his journal page for April 21, 1961, Indiana records that half of his work was returned from uptown (from the Indiana / Forakis show at the David Anderson Gallery), and that the herm Zeus (later retitled Zig) destroyed the painting Election (later retitled Electi) when it toppled over and ripped the canvas.

Indiana also mentions a visit by the artist Stephen Durkee, who came by to pick up a drill. The artist often recorded current events, and this entry includes a small sketch of the Cuban flag, accompanied by the declaration "Cuban invasion a debacle," a reference to the failed Bay of Pigs invasion which occurred April 17–19, 1961.