Figure 1.--.

The Polish Government in Exile issued an appeal for emergency food donations (September 25, 1939). At the time the primary concern was the problms created by the German invasion. The Soviets also invased Poland, but the primary focus was on the the German invasion. It was not yet clear the food shortages tha the Germans woud create as a matter of policy. Maurice Pate and Chauncey McCormick helped organize the Commission. [Hoover, p. 4.] Former-president Herbert Hoover ageed to serve as the Chairman. The worst impact was at first ameliorated by emergency American food aid. The program was adminisered by former-President Herbert Hoover who had run the U.S. Food Administration that saved millions od Europeans durng and after World War I. The Commission for Polish Relief (CPR) was also known as the Comporel or Hoover Commission. It ws organized by President Hoover (late-1939). Hoover sought Congressional funding. He testified before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs that around $400-500 million would be needed to feed some 7 million of destitute people in occupied Poland. He asked Congress for at least 25 percent of the needed funds. [Curti, pp. 415–16.] In fact only America was at the time in a position to fund the effort or deliver the food. Hoover was not yet aware that developing NAZI policy was to eliminate millions of people. The Commision obtained funding from Congress, the Polish Government in exile, private charities, and the American Red Cross. Various Polish-American organizations in the United States donated $0.4 million and the Polish Government in Exile ($0.2 million). The Commission eventually collected $6. million. This included $3.1 million in gold that the Polish Government had deposited in the National Bank of Romania. This proved difficult to withdraw. Hoover did not fully understand how the NAZIs were deporting people into te General Goverment or how a substantial part of the food producded there wa being denied the population nd shipped to the Reich. The emergency program to help Poland ended with Hitler's declaration of war on America ended all contacts between the United States and Germany (December 1941).

Invasion of Poland (September 1939)

World War II began in Poland with invasions by the NAZIs from the west and Soviets from the east. Germany invaded Poland in September 1939 and defeated the Polish Army in a few weeks, introducing the world to Blitzkrieg warfare. Large numbers pf Polish children were displaced as a result of those invasions and subsequent occupation by two brutal totalitarian regimes. Poland was devestated by World War II. Poland along with Yugoslavia were the two countries most heavily damaged by the War. About a quater of the Polish population perished at the hands of both the NAZIs and Soviets. And children were among the groups most affected. Polish children were caught up in both the fighting and in forced poulation transfer carried out by NAZI and Soviet authorities. There were several resons for this and our information is incomplete. Substantial numbers of Polish children were displaced by the initial NAZI and Soviet occupations.

Appeal for Aid

The Polish Government in Exile issued an appeal for emergency food donations (September 25, 1939). This was before the Polish resistance had ebnded, although by this time was futile. At the time the primary concern was the problms created by the German invasion. The Soviets also invased Poland, but the primary focus was on the the German invasion. It was not yet clear the food shortages tha the Germans woud create as a matter of policy. The Commission for Polish Relief (CPR) was also known as the Comporel or Hoover Commission. It ws organized by President Hoover (late-1939).

Organizers

Maurice Pate and Chauncey McCormick helped organize the Commission. [Hoover, p. 4.] Pate was an American businessman and humanitarian. He spent some of his business career in Poland before the War and married apole. After the War he helped found UNICEF. Chauncey Brooks McCormick (1884–1954) was an American businessman best known for promoting and collecting art. He was asociated with the McCormick family which produced farm equiment. ormer-president Herbert Hoover ageed to serve as the Chairman. The worst impact of NAZI food policies were at first ameliorated by emergency American food aid. Former-President Herbert Hoover who had run the U.S. Food Administration that saved millions od Europeans during and after World War I helped administer the program.

Fund Raising

Hoover sought Congressional funding. He testified before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs that around $400-500 million would be needed to feed some 7 million of destitute people in occupied Poland. He asked Congress for at least 25 percent of the needed funds. [Curti, pp. 415–16.] In fact only America was at the time in a position to fund the effort or deliver the food. The Commision obtained funding from Congress, the Polish Government in exile, private charities, and the American Red Cross. Various Polish-American organizations in the United States donated $0.4 million and the Polish Government in Exile ($0.2 million). The Commission eventually collected $6. million. This included $3.1 million in gold that the Polish Government had deposited in the National Bank of Romania. This proved difficult to withdraw.

NAZI Food Policy in Poland

Hoover was not yet aware that developing NAZI policy was to eliminate millions of people. Hoover did not fully understand how the NAZIs were deporting people into te General Goverment or how a substantial part of the food producded there wa being denied the population and shipped to the Reich. Part of the reason that Germany lost World War I was the Allied naval blockde and the resulting food shortages that undermined civilian norale on the homefront. As a result this issue was very much on Hitler's mind even before he seized power, let alone launching the War. His answer to this was seizing the East with its vast agriculturl resources. This is reflected in Hitler's focus on the East in Mein Kampf and the concept of Lebensraum. The Germans and their Soviet ally launched the War with the invasion of Poland (september 1939). Germany and the Soviet Uniion partitioned POland along preestablished lines. Germany immediately seized the rich agricultural lands of western Poland and incorporated these provinces into the Reich (October 1939). As part of this process, the SS began deporting Poles and Jews to the General Government, the area of central Poland including Poland not immediately incorporated into the Reich. The General Government was not capable of feeding the pre-War population. [Tooze, p. 544.] The trasport of Jews and Poles into the General Giovernment created a serious food shortage. As the War developed, Germany defeated and occupied France (June 1940). This made available the rich agricultural production of France to exploit as well as other occupied countries. The World War I experience, however, encouraged the idea of using food as a weapon. This combined with the regime's acceptance of eugenics theories resulted in a genocidal brew of NAZI policies. NAZI food policies were different thn the Allied blockade policies which were desigbned t win the War. Part of Hitler's war objectives were the murder of millions of people. Hitler asked officials in the Ministry of Food, the agency responsible for rationing, to develop a starvation plan. The Minister was one of the chief advocates for eugenics in the NAZI heirarchy. The first country where the NAZIs emplemented these poliies was Poland with disaterous results for the Polish people, especially Jews. This was of course precisekly what Hitler wanted. The worst impact was at first ameliorated by emergency American food aid. The program was adminisered by former-President Herbert Hoover who had run the food programs that save millions od Europeans durng and after World War I. The emergency program to help Poland ended with Hitler's declaration of war on America (December 1941). Even before this, however, ordered a much more expedient sollution to the preceived 'Jewish Question'--murder. Much less well understood was the fact that for millions of Slavs, Hitler also was planning murder.

Initial Deliveries

The Commission suceeded in obtaining basic (such as evaporated milk, rye flour, vegetable fats, sugar and hominy grits)[Curti, pp. 415-16.] We are not sure about wheat flour as NAZI regulations in occupied Poland prohibited the sale of wheat bred to Poles. The Commission also collected clothing. Within only a short period, food assistance was on its way. The CPR managed to deliver 150 tonnes of supplies within only a few months.

Recipients

The food and clothing was delivered to Polish refugees throughout Europe. Food was delivered to a group of 50,000 Polish refugees in France. We are not sure yet how the fall of France affected this effort. The other primary reciients were 200,000 malnourished children, women and elderly inside occupied Poland. They were fed daily from make-shift canteens established in major cities. [Racio, pp. 203ff.], The CPR set up kitchen providing 200,000 meals a day (early 1940).

Shipments

The first CPR shipments were sent from the neutral United States to Sweden and then to German ports like Hamburg or occupied Danzig. We are not sure why the American shipping did not go directly to the German ports. After the Germans invded Denmark and Norway (April 1940), the shipping route was changed to sea transport to Genoa, Italy (Italy was neutral until June 1940) or Lisbon, Portugal. The food was then transported by rail to occupied Poland. Mussolini brought Italy into the War (June 1940). The Italians at this point refused to transport further food for Poland. The reason was presumably to reserve rail transport for the War effort. The British under Primeminister Churchill also were increasingly reluctant to issue exceptions to the naval blockade. One source suggests that the shipments at this time were rerouted to Vilnius. [Curti] This was a rail trnsport center in Soviet hands. The Soviets transfrred it to Lituania after they occupied that Baltic country (July 1940). We believe that this was part of a CPR effort to purchase Soviet grain.

Negotiating with NAZIs

We are not sure at this time as to how the CPR food deliveries were arranged with the NAZIs. It prsumably was dione through United States and German diplomtic channels. As to just who did the negiotiating and where we are not sure. An interesting question is why the Germans who were developing their genocidal Hunger Plan were even interested. The reason is presumably Hitler's desire to keep the United States neutral and the program thus had propaganda value. NAZI officials guaranteed that neutral shipping carrying CPR relief would not not be attacked by targeted by Kriegsmarine U-boats. NAZI officials from the beginninig, however, opposed CPR requests that American nationals be involved in the distribution process. They also objcted toincluding Jews in the program. [Walch, pp. 211–12.] NAZI negotiators finallu relented and allowed American citizens to actually accompany the CPR shipments to Poland. The Germans insisted, however, that the German Red Cross headed by SS Reichsartz leder Ernst Grawitz act as a liaison between the American observers and local Polish groups. (The Reichsartz was the highest medical authority of the SS. Grawitz for ecample played a role in advising himmler on the gas chambers used to kill Jews.) The CPR was allowed to operate to a degree to operate in occupied Poland. One report describes CPR food depots in Kraków and Warsaw (mid-1941). [Life]

United States Policies

The Roosevelt Administration and the American Red Cross (ARC) were not supportive of the CPR effort. The result was to divert donations from the CPR to the ARC. [Walch, pp. 211-12.] This was especially the case when Poland disappeared from the newspaper headlines. The Roosevelt Administration attempted to limit aid to Poland which they also saw as lost to the Germans. Administration officials were also not yet aware of te genocidal German food policies. The Administratiion's focus was concentrated on aiding the Allies (Britain of France). They were still hopeful that the Alies cold contain the Germans and America could avoid being drawn into the War. This attitude continued until the fall of France (June 1940).

British Naval Blockade

Another problem the CPR faced was the British. As in World War I, the British upon the declaration of war instituted a naval blockade to cut Germany off from importing food and raw materials. This ws complicated by the fact that German had occupied both Czechoslovakia and Poland, British allies. Thus theblockade not only affected Germany, but British allies. The British while Neville Chamberlain was primeminister (September 1939-May 1940) provided exceptions to the blockade and safe passage for CPR ships. [Life, June 2, 1941.] Chambrlain who had attempted to appease Hitler continued to hope that the Germans could be held by a limited war effort. Primeminister Churchill who took office on the same day the Germans lauched theie western offensive, believed in a much more aggresive war policy.

Program Reductions

Officialsans of the Polish Government-in-exile American-Polish groups from the beginning were suspicious about the NAZIS, believing that they woud divert the food shipments for German use. This affected contributions from the Polish-American community. There were sharp disagreents within the Polish-American community. Complicatins intridced byb NAZI fficials also affected dustributions. [Walsh, pp. 211-12.] This mean reduced destributionn (Spring 1940). The British naval blockade, especially after Churchill became primeminister (May 1940). The CPR attempted to purchase food from the Soviet Union which could have been easily shipped to the General Government. Uder the NAZI-Soviet Non-Agression Pact, Stalimn was shipping large quantiies of grain and raw materials to the Germans (September 1939-June 1941). We have few details, but one source describes the results as 'meager'. The CPR continue to deliver small amouts of food to Poles in the General Government until Hitler declared warvon America (December 1941).

America Eters the War (December 1941)

The emergency program to help occupied Poland ended with Hitler's declaration of war on America (December 1941). This meant America was no longer neutral and all contacts between the United States and Germany ended. The CPR was not trminated. It was able to operate on a limited basis throughout the War. The CPR delivered aid to Poles in Europe outside German occupied territories. This was primarily those Poles that the Soviet Union had intrned or deported from their occupaionzie. The CPR also functioned after the War, delivering aid to a devestated Poland.

Sources

Curti, Merle. American philanthropy abroad (Transaction Publishers, 1963).

Hoover, Herbert. An American Epic: The Guns Cease Killing and the Saving of Life from Famine Begins, 1939-1963 (H. Regnery Co: 1984).

Łuczak, Czesław. Polska i Polacy w drugiej wojnie światowej (Uniwersytet im.Adama Mickiewicza: Poznan , 1993).

Raico, Ralph. Great Wars and Great Leaders (Ludwig von Mises Institute).

Roland, Charles G. "Scenes of Hunger and Starvation," Courage Under Siege (New York: Oxford University Press, 1992), pp. 99–104.

Walch, Timothy. Uncommon Americans: the lives and legacies of Herbert and Lou Henry Hoover (Greenwood Publishing Group.: 2003).

Life Magazine (June 2, 1941), pp. 87ff.

Created: 9:59 PM 10/27/2012
Last updated: 9:59 PM 10/27/2012