8. Diary Entry by the President’s Press Secretary (Hagerty)1
Released at 10:30 a statement by the President offering emergency food supplies to Albania through the League of Red Cross Societies.2 Last night, with the President’s approval, our State Department [Page 12] informed our embassies in Yugoslavia, Greece and India3 of this move so that they would not be surprised by it. Albania is an Iron Curtain Communist country and its food supplies are dwindling seriously. The President’s statement said we were offering this food through the Red Cross and such a move would put the Albanian Government on the spot. If they refuse,4 their peoples will know of it and Russia will then be forced to ship in some food. If they accept, our packages will clearly be labelled as coming from the United States and the Albanian people will know where the food comes from.
This is similar to the move we made last year in the Danube flood countries which was very effective propaganda in those countries.
[Here follows discussion of other subjects.]
- Source: Eisenhower Library, Hagerty Papers.↩
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For text, see Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1955, pp. 316–317.
At a meeting on February 9, the OCB discussed and reluctantly approved the proposal of sending food to Albania: “It was finally agreed that members of the OCB all approved the project subject to the ability of the Department of State to negotiate an agreement assuring delivery to the consumers, that delivery to be in the hands of trustworthy and reliable agents and not ‘Albanian Red Cross’.” (Notes of the OCB meeting by Bishop, February 9; Department of State, OCB Files: Lot 62 D 430, Preliminary Notes)
↩ - In telegram 740 to Belgrade, sent also to Athens, London, Paris, and Rome, but not New Delhi, March 3. (Ibid., Central Files, 867.49/3–355)↩
- As reported in a memorandum from Stevens to Bishop, March 9, the offer was rejected. (Ibid., OCB Files: Lot 62 D 430, Albania)↩