Figure 1.--Here we refugees from nirthern France with a dog cart fleeing the advancing Germans at the onset of World War I (August 1914). France had a substantial agriculture potential, but it had no way of feeding the huge number of refugees that flowed into the country. The needed food for these and other regugees all over Europe during and after the War was provided by America. The number of lives saved was virtually incaluable.

The concept of charity began to appear has been present in some form throughout human history, yet the modern concept of humanitarian aid only truly emerged in the 20th century. this involved a complex progression of world events beginning with World War I and the war crimes launched by the Central Powers. It was in the 20th century that we begin to see major international efforts, essentially founding international humanitarianism and the United States was at the heart of this effort. There is no precise accounting, but America saved tens of millions lives. The total could have easily approached 100 million lives saved. America's status as a neutral until 1917 was a factor in ability to play a role in humanitarian efforts. There were four major efforts that came out of the tragedy of World War I: 1) Belgian famine relief, 2) Near East Relief, 3) European famine relief, and 4) the Jewish Joint. These efforts were necessary because of brutal German and Ottoman policies. The German policies were brutal, but nothing like the unimaginable NAZI atrocities of World War. The Ottoman Empire launched the Armenian Genocide. The Young Turks who founded the modern Turkish state. Other countries were involved, but the United States was the major country in all four of these efforts. The United States did much of its relief efforts through the Red Cross, because of the agency's extensive intentional contacts.

Belgian Famine Relief

An unknown American mining engineer, Herbert Hoover, who happended to be in London when World war I broke out, organized a committee to get americans in Europe home. He tgen entered into hitory. He turned to a far more daunting task--how to feed Belgium. Although Belgium was neutral, it had been invaded and overrun by the Germans. The Germans had anticipated a quick victory over the French in the West. When the War bogged down into static trench warfare, food supplies soon dwindled. The German Army seized Belgian food supplies for its men. At home Germany did not have a food surplus and was unwillikng to send food the Belgian civilains, especially as they had sided with the French. Belgium before the War imported large quantities of food, but The Allied naval blockade now prevented food from reaching Germany and Germany occupied areas. Thus a humanitarian disaster was unfolding in Belgium of epic proprtions. The Belgians managed to get a guarantee from the Germans that they would not interfere with food shipments brought into Belgium by a Belgian Relief Committee (CRB). The British, however, were dubious about the German guarantte, woried that the food might be used to feed German soldies. Delegations from various Belgian cities came to London pleading for permission to bring food through the blockade. After consulting with Walter Hines Page, the American Ambassador, and Emile Francqui, a Belgian Banker, Hoover decided to make the task of feeding Belgium his own personal crusade. He worked through the Committee for Relief of Belgium. It was a daunting undertaking. He needed to find and pay for food to feed 10 million people. Shipping and transporting that quantity of food required a major logistical undertaking involving ships, trains, and trucks. Distribution was a major concern. He had to ensure that the food was equitably distributed in Belgium and that the German Army did not take any of it. And hde had to guarantee to the British that the food would not fall into German hands. Somehow Hoover managed to pull it off. Here is great strngths as an a practical organizer and his sence of morality made this achievement possible. Hoover accepted no salary or remuneration of any kinds and many of his colleagues working on the CRB did likewise. Hoover appealed for support from all over the world, but it was in America that the public responded overweal an America volunteer staff in Belgium as neurtral Americans were more acceptable to the Germans as well as the Allies. The CRB over 4 years fed 11 million people in Belgium and northern France (the Germans had also overrun part of northern France. Hoover collected more than $1 billion to finace the CRB--mostly from America. The task was unpresedented. It was the first major relief undertaking of such dimmensions. It was also a learning experience. The CRB found that young children needed a special diet to prevent disease. Doctors invented a special cookie containing all the essential foods needed for young, growing children. This was provided to 2.5 million Belgian children daily along with milk and a stew. The American people supported the effort with almost missionary zeal. States dispatched special "state food ships" to Belgium. Along with the food came clothing. Hoover insisted that an accounting firm manage the CRB books so that no one could ever charge that any of the money had been misspent or embelzed. Amazingly the final saccountijg showed that not only had the money been carefully spent, less than 0.5 percent had gone for administrative purposes. For this effort alone, Hoover has to be considered one of the great heroes of World War I.

Near East Relief

The Ottoman actions against the Armenians was widely published in the Western media. The resulting publicity generated considerable support for the Armenians. Relief funds were collected to aid those Armenians who managed to escape from Turkey. One of the most important groups was in the United States was Near East Relief. Ambassador Henry Morgenthau, Sr. urged the U.S. government to act. One of those actions was to provide emergency humanitarian assistance. The Department of State asked the American Board of Commissioners of Foreign Missions to urgently collect funds. James L. Barton and Cleveland H. Dodge led the effort and founded the American Committee for Armenian and Syrian Relief (1915). President Woodrow Wilson supported the effort. The Committe held well publicized public rallies to save "the starving Armenians". They convinced churches throughout the country to take collections. The Committe also received extensive support from many charitable organizations and foundations. The Committee succeeded in raised millions of dollars. Because America was still neutral, The Committee was able to forward funds to the American Embassy in Constantinople which used missionaries and consuls to reach the Armenians. The Turks did much of the the actual killing in Anatolia. Armenians who reached other sections of the Ottomon Empire (such as Syria and Palestine) could be saved with the Committee's finds. The United States entered the War (April 1917) thus cutting this conduit to the Armenians. The Committe was only able to resume its operations after the War. The Committe after the War provided aid to Armenians who had fled to Russian-controlled areas. The Committe was renamed the American Committee for Relief in the Near East (1918). Congress incorporated the Committee as the Near East Relief (NER) (1919). This guaranted the NER the sole right to use the name in fund raising efforts. The NER under its various names collected and distributed $117 million to assist the Armenian people. That doesn't sound like much today, but in 2000 dollars that was probably close to $2 billion. The aid was delivered in various forms, including food, clothing, and various materials for shelter. Such aid arrived by the shipload. The NER established and supported refugee camps, clinics, hospitals, orphanages, and vocational training facilities. The NER helped save an estimated 132,000 Armenian orphans in the Near East. Many of the Armenians who survived the Tirtkisg genocide did no because of the NER. Large numbers of the people in modern Armenian have ancestors who were saved or aided by the NER. The NER finally closed its oprtations (1930).

European Famine Relief

The American Red Cross did not just conduct programs at home or for American soldiers overseas. It played a major role in American relief efforts overseas that prevented millions of Europeans from starving. This was because of its overseas organization, made it the organizational infrastructure to handle food and other relief programs. This was especially the case after America entered the War. Many charitable and volunteer groups organized drives to collect funds, food, medical suplies, blankets, clothing. For example the food here was collected and packaged by the Greek War Relief Association. Such groups, however, had no way of getting the food and other relief supplies to Europe and destributing it there. It was the Red Cross that proved to have the cability to deliver the relief supplies to desperate Europeans. It essentially acquired this role by default. American Relief started in Belgium with private donations. Eventually the U.S. Food Administration got involved, putting Government resources behind the relief effort. Just about every European country received American war relif and the Red Cross became the major American orgnization distributing food and other relief abroad: Armenians, Belgium, France, Greece, Italy, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Russia, and Serbia. The food went to all kinds of distribution points, including food kitchens, schools, and orpohanages. It was a major salvation for refugees, but also civilian populations that had not been displaced, but were experiencing severe food shortages because of the War.

Jewish Joint Distribution Committee

Created: 7:17 PM 9/30/2024
Last updated: 7:17 PM 9/30/2024