File No. 855.48/618 V RELIEF OPERATIONS BELGIAN RELIEF 1 The Ambassador in Great Britain (Page) to the Secretary of State [Telegram] LONDON, August 6, 1917, 11 a. m. 6898. For Hoover 2 [from Relief Commission]: C[ommission for] R[elief in] B[elgium] 21. If most desperate situation Belgium and France is to be avoided combined with discredit relief and American protection, wiping out effect last 22 years, must have immediately effective August allotted relief minimum average 60,000 tons additional cargo capacity. Have made insistent demand British Government which is approved. Insisted upon by Belgian and French Governments that this tonnage be turned over by Allied Governments to us at once. When pending arrangements with Dutch, Norwegian, Swedish result additional charters, corresponding tonnage can be returned to Allies. This course has approval important members British Government, but will fail unless strongly indorsed from United States. Relief Commission. File No. 855.48/624 PAGE The Second Counselor of the British Embassy (Hohler) to the Assistant to the Counselor for the Department of State (Auchincloss) WASHINGTON, August 14, 1917. DEAR MR. AUCHINCLOSS: I am enclosing a memorandum embodying the points which I dwelt on in my conversation with you this afternoon about the Belgian Relief, which I hope will make the 1 For earlier 1917 correspondence on this subject see "Withdrawal of the American Minister and Relief Workers from Belgium," Foreign Relations, 1917, Supplement 1, pp. 628-664. For negotiations on obtaining Dutch shipping and the cargoes of detained Dutch grain ships see "Negotiations with the Netherlands," Foreign Relations, 1917, Supplement 2, vol. II, pp. 1117–1158. 'Herbert C. Hoover continued to occupy the position of Chairman of the Commission for Relief in Belgium after his return to the United States to assume the duties of Food Administrator in June, 1917. *Foreign Relations, 1917, Supplement 2, vol. II, p. 1123. present state of our negotiations in this question perfectly clear to you. We have received further instructions to inform the United States Government that His Majesty's Government have agreed in principle to abandon the examination of relief ships to and from the United States at Halifax, etc., providing that there be an examination in American harbours which will furnish the necessary safeguards both as to the ships and their cargoes. If this is done and ships sail direct between America and Holland, it is calculated by the Committee of Belgian Relief that over 30,000 tons of cargo capacity will be saved monthly, and that there will be a reduction in the round trip of about 16 days-that is to say, instead of 76 days about 60. We are instructed to consult the United States Government on this point, and to invite them to undertake the examination. It is of very great importance to initiate the new method without delay. Yours sincerely, File No. 855.48/672a T. B. HOHLER The Secretary of State to the British Ambassador (Spring Rice) WASHINGTON, October 8, 1917. MY DEAR MR. AMBASSADOR: The Secretary of the Treasury has transmitted to me a copy of instructions which have been sent to the Collector of Customs, relative to examinations of vessels departing from this country laden with Belgian Relief cargoes, and I am forwarding herewith a copy of the instructions in question.1 It is understood that in consideration of this examination undertaken by the Treasury Department, which was the result of an informal arrangement between the Embassy and officials of that Department, no further examinations of supplies for Belgian Relief work will be made at Halifax. I should be pleased to receive from you a confirmation of the arrangement proposed. I am [etc.] ROBERT LANSING File No. 855.48/867 The King of the Belgians to President Wilson [Telegram] [HAVRE,] October 18, 1917. [Received at the White House 5.46 p. m.] HIS EXCELLENCY DR. WOODROW WILSON: During more than three years the American Commission for Relief under Mr. Hoover's able 'Not printed. leadership has achieved with marked success and under the most trying circumstances the task of supplying the Belgian nation with the bare necessities of life. Moreover, Your Excellency's Government has lately assumed the burden of financing the Commission. Those unmistakable marks of sympathy make me feel confident that whatever the difficulties may be, the United States will never allow their noble work to be jeopardized. However, since several months the imports of foodstuffs have been inadequate and the last reports which reach me from the invaded territory are such that I consider it my duty to make a personal appeal to your intervention. The Belgian population is confronted not only with hardship and suffering but with actual famine, the death rate is steadily increasing. Infantile mortality is appalling. Tuberculosis is spreading and threatening the future of the race. Only by immediate and energetic action can the lives of many of my unhappy people be saved during the impending winter. My Government has put all available ships at the disposal of the Commission and is unable to provide for more. For the additional transports as well as for cargoes and financial means, Belgium must rely entirely upon the United States. I do not doubt but Your Excellency will give to Mr. Hoover full power to meet the present emergency with adequate measures, and in such conditions we are confident that Mr. Hoover will assure the success of the great task he has nobly assumed in the name of the American nation. ALBERT File No. 855.48/650 The Ambassador in Great Britain (Page) to the Secretary of State 1 [Telegram] LONDON, October 22, 1917. [Received 10.20 p. m.] 7493. Poland of Belgian Relief Commission presents following to me with hope of your consideration in conference with Hoover: When $75,000,000 American loan was made to Belgium it was universally announced and understood in Europe that our Government would thereafter bear whole burden of relief and that European Governments would be spared further expense. Now, however, for first time Poland is informed in telegrams from Hoover that United States money can be spent only for supplies bought in United States. Please, after conference with Hoover, instruct me 1W. B. Poland, Director for Europe, Commission for Relief in Belgium. what to inform Poland. The income from European Governments is discontinued and Relief Commission here has no income. Yet two-fifths of Commission's outlay must be spent here. Must Poland inform British and Belgian Governments that they must continue to contribute two-fifths of Commission's outlay? Appeal to one will be unsuccessful, appeal to other doubtful. They had both understood that the American loan would relieve them of further payments. PAGE File No. 855.48/651 The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in Great Britain (Page) [Telegram] WASHINGTON, October 26, 1917, 6 p. m. 5669. Your 7493, October 22. From Treasury Department: American Government has not loaned Belgian Government $75,000,000, but made a loan of $45,000,000 to be drawn at the rate of $7,500,000 a month during a period of six months. This amount it was understood would be expended for purposes of civil relief, and probably through the instrumentality of the Belgian Relief Commission, although that Commission can not be recognized by the Secretary of the Treasury directly in making loans under the authority of the acts of Congress which permit him to loan to governments engaged in war against Germany. At a later date, the Belgian Government requested advances to be made for the purchase of supplies for their Army in Belgium. These have been now made to an amount aggregating $13,400,000. It is inferred that the loan of $7,500,000 per month for civilian relief will be expected to be renewed since the six-months' period has just ended, and doubtless there will be no difficulty in having such extension made. As to expenditures within the United States, it is desired that to the largest possible amount all sums loaned to foreign governments shall be thus expended. In case of urgent necessity, exceptions may be made, but the reason for these exceptions should be first submitted to the Secretary of the Treasury. Copy of this telegram will be shown to the Belgian Minister with the request that he make such representations to the Secretary of the Treasury as he desires to make. LANSING For correspondence concerning loans to the Belgian Government see "Cooperation of the United States with the Allied Powers in the Provision and Administration of Finance and in the Purchase of Supplies," Foreign Relations, 1917, Supplement 2, vol. I, pp. 516-592. File No. 855.48/652b The Secretary of State to the Minister in Belgium (Whitlock) [Telegram] WASHINGTON, October 26, 1917, 7 p. m. 286. For your information. The following cablegram has today been addressed by the President to the King of the Belgians in reply to a message received on October 18 concerning the inadequacy of food imports into Belgium, and expressing the hope that further measures will be taken to meet the situation: I have given most careful consideration to Your Majesty's cablegram, and I need not assure Your Majesty of the deep solicitude which I feel for the civil population of Belgium, as conditions become incessantly more difficult and the obstacles to be overcome increase in number. While the Commission has delivered some 400,000 tons of foodstuffs since the submarine warfare began, it has shipped an additional 250,000 tons which have failed to reach its destination either because of sinkings or because of inability to complete delivery of goods in transit through the war zone, besides which the delays to steamers in transit have entailed the loss in carrying capacity of over 100,000 tons. The Commission has been powerless to prevent these losses and no one feels more deeply the suffering entailed than do its members. Frankness in making a complete statement of the causes of the shortage compels me to say that even the Belgian authorities have from time to time increased the difficulty by requisitioning Belgian ships under charter to the Commission at critical periods. The relief work requires the regular movement of 220,000 tons of shipping, and while the losses of ships and the failure of neutrals and of the Allies to supply shipping last June reduced their regular fleet to 120,000 tons, the Commission have by the addition of steamers furnished by this Government, and purchases of ships by the Government waived in their favor, now built up their fleet to 160,000 tons. Furthermore, with my approval, Mr. Hoover has obtained from various Governments certain tonnage for this purpose in return for food supplies. This has been done with an insistence we have felt could be justified only by the duty of maintaining the lives of these helpless civilians. For no other purpose have we gone to such length. We now have the hope through these means of securing sufficient additional neutral shipping, and with success in the negotiations now pending, there may be available a fleet of sufficient size. Your Majesty is doubtless familiar with the financial difficulties of the Commission, which arise out of the inability of this Government to provide funds for expenditures outside of the United States, and the necessity of securing financial assistance from the other Governments for expenditures abroad, in which matter I trust Your Majesty will interest yourself. The foregoing is but a general survey of the situation, but I trust it will convey to Your Majesty some idea of the difficulties with |