840.48/2801
The Director of the A. R. A. European Children’s Fund (Poland) to the Acting Chief of the Division of Near Eastern Affairs, Department of State (Robbins)
[Received September 7.]
Dear Mr. Robbins: Your letter, undated, in answer to my note of 31st August:37 I hesitate to attempt to answer your inquiry as it refers to a subject in regard to which action has been held up awaiting Mr. Hoover’s return and his decision as to the activities which ought to be undertaken by the Relief Administration for the coming year. It is also obvious that the Polish situation must for some time be undetermined. We expect that within a short time Mr. Hoover will be making a trip to Washington and that he will then discuss the whole situation with Mr. Davis and probably with the Secretary. Meanwhile, you may be interested in a brief outline of the relief activities being carried on by this organization at the moment.
Serbia. Our relief operations have been wound up except for very [Page 289] limited work amongst the children of the Adriatic Coast and a small amount of other child relief inaugurated by our representative but now being carried on by local organizations which have proved themselves thoroughly competent.
Roumania. All American relief operations have been terminated, the child welfare work which was initiated by us, being carried on entirely by Roumanian organizations.
Hungary. Our Child Feeding Mission in Budapest has been closed as of the first of September, the work being continued by local organizations. We are still keeping a couple of Americans in Hungary to supervise general relief through the means of food drafts.
Czechoslovakia. The need of outside intervention has been greatly decreased but a small staff of Americans will supervise the distribution of food for about fifty thousand children over the winter. There will also be a small organization in control of general relief through means of food drafts.
Austria. Arrangements have been made to provide one meal a day for 300,000 children between six and sixteen years of age until June 1921. Shoes and clothing for about 100,000 destitute children are also being sent in. General relief by means of food drafts is being carried on by a considerable staff.
Germany. Through the Friends’ Service Committee, arrangements have been made for carrying on supplementary feeding of 625,000 children from now until the second week of February 1921, at which time our present allocation of funds will have been exhausted. General relief is being offered through the food draft plan, the distribution of food being supervised by our representatives of the A.R.A.
Poland. Provision has been made for the feeding of 500,000 children until June 1921. Clothing has been arranged for 200,000 children. A certain amount of general relief by means of food drafts is also being provided. All of this is being supervised by a very competent staff of American Representatives.
Future Work. The future requirements of the European situation, as before stated, are now being studied and have not been decided upon by Mr. Hoover. However, it is safe to make a few general observations.
Founded upon the activities which we have organized, it is our belief that outside of Austria, Poland and Germany the general requirements of relief both for children and adults can be met by the Central European States without foreign intervention. In Austria the number of children fed should be increased and there will be great need of additional assistance for adults, particularly of the upper middle or professional class. In Germany there is imperative need for funds to continue the supplementary meal to [Page 290] the 625,000 children from February 1921, to the next crop period. There is, of course, also great demand for general relief. In Poland you will see from the late telegrams, copies of which we have sent you, that the number of children cared for should be increased from 500,000 to 900,000 and that the general relief provided, in large part made necessary by the Bolshevik campaign, must be very great in order that there may not be widespread death and desolation during the coming winter. Included in this may be considered the 200,000 tons of grains now estimated as probably required.
At the present time the A.R.A. has no considerable resources to meet these enlarged requirements, but the problem as to how they can be met is now being considered by Mr. Hoover and, as before noted, will be gone over with the State Department after the requirements abroad have taken more definite shape.
Yours faithfully,
- Neither printed.↩