No. 735
Editorial Note
According to Musto 50 to Bonn, July 18, the initial shipment of food under the program offered by President Eisenhower left New York for Hamburg on July 17. (862B.49/7–1753) Two additional shipments followed on July 20 and 21. The first distribution of food parcels, which consisted primarily of food from the Berlin stockpile intended for replacement through the use of the American shipments, occurred at several distribution centers in West Berlin on July 27. It was originally estimated that one million food parcels per month would be distributed to residents of the Soviet Zone. In [Page 1624] fact, more than 200,000 Soviet Zone residents crossed into West Berlin during the first two days of the program, so that the scale of the operation was substantially enlarged within a few days of its inception. Documentation concerning the details of the food parcel program is in file 862B.49.