and which may be of interest in connection with other information the Department may have on the subject. This commission, which is usually spoken of as the "American Relief Commission," attracts great attention in official and business circles in Holland, and high praise of its organization and efficiency is expressed on all sides. The Dutch Government has manifested the greatest interest in the work of the commission, and in response to the many requests made by it, has gladly rendered all possible aid and assistance. I have [etc.] MARSHALL LANGHORNE [Enclosure] Report by Captain J. F. Lucey on the work of the American Commission for Relief in Belgium On our arrival we established temporary offices with the Furness Shipping & Agency Company, who placed their entire staff at our disposal and attended to all the details of our work. The managers, who were exceptionally courteous, personally devoted a large part of their time to our interests, and rendered us much valuable assistance in arranging the necessary details of transshipment with the Dutch Government. Acting on instructions from London to establish permanent offices of our own, we investigated the building at 98, Haringvliet, and, on Thursday, November 20, moved into our present well-equipped offices. The head offices of the American Commission are in London, where the commission was first formed under the supervision of Ambassador Page. There are branch offices in New York, working directly or indirectly through the various committees which have been formed to assist in this great work throughout the whole of the United States. Organization. We have a very complete organization which consists of: General office management; receiving and shipping department; accountants' department; stock department; cost department; stenographers; porters; and messengers: In several of our departments we are employing Belgian refugees who were in great need of employment. The Furness Company has put several of its most capable men at our disposal. We have stationed efficient agents on the frontier, at Hansweert, Terneuzen, Maastricht, and at Eysden. The frontier representatives have been active in establishing lines of communications and now we are in touch with all the great centers of Belgium, and with the heads of the German Government at Brussels. These latter have placed Government lines at our disposal, thus enabling us to maintain fairly good connections with our representatives. Arrival of food supplies. The first ship, viz., the S. S. Coblenz, arrived on November 1. As it was important that the first shipment should proceed without delay, we were instructed by his excellency, the American Minister at The Hague, to place the delivery of this shipment in the hands of the Secretary of the Legation at The Hague, which we did. On Wednesday morning, November 4. three days after the arrival of the Coblenz, her cargo was delivered to the American Minister in Brussels. The next ship, the S. S. Jan Blockx, arrived on Monday noon, November 9. Discharging of her cargo began at once and continued throughout the night. On the following morning a special train of 41 cars, escorted by Captain Sunderland of the United States Army, started for Liége and Limburg. On Tuesday evening, approximately 30 hours after the arrival of the Jan Blocks in the port of Rotterdam, her cargo was delivered to the burgomaster at Liége. The next ocean-going steamer to arrive was the S. S. Tremorvah from Nova Scotia. Her cargo was in part clothes, which have been distributed to Belgian refugees in Holland in about 500 towns and villages; and in part food supplies, which have been sent to Louvain, Brussels, Maline, etc., and redistributed from these cities to the outlying districts. The first American steamer, the S. S. Massapequa, in charge of Captain McCarthy, arrived at 9 o'clock, Saturday night, November 21, and was met by the following committee: Col. S. Listoe, American Consul General at Rotterdam; E. B. Elderkin, chairman of the Nova Scotian delegation, which presented the cargo of the S. S. Tremorvah; H. C. Crowell, representative of the Halifax Morning Chronicle; P. Douglass, P. C. Jongeneel, managers of Furness Shipping & Agency Company, Rotterdam; J. F. Lucey; and on Sunday morning byMarshall Langhorne, Chargé d'Affaires of the American Legation at The Hague; Captain Gherardi, Naval Attaché to the American Embassy at Berlin, Captain, U. S. Army; Capt. A. H. Sunderland, attached to the American Legation at The Hague, Captain, U. S. Army; together with a number of gentlemen from the American Commission. Means of transportation. Our first work was to obtain facilities for delivering the food supplies which were to arrive in Rotterdam for transshipment into Belgium. You will appreciate the fact that all communications had been discontinued, trains were not running, many canals were not open, nor did we know whether we would be permitted to use those canals which were open. We are glad to inform you that we have reestablished sufficient communications to enable us to deliver supplies into the central points of Belgium. Belgian cooperation. We are affiliated in Belgium with the Comité National de Secours et d'Alimentation, which has headquarters at Brussels with subcommittees in each province. Stationed at each province are one or two Americans, who receive the goods in the name of the American Minister and see to it that they are delivered to the proper offices of the provincial societies. The provincial committees make their requisitions at the head office at Brussels, which is under the supervision of the American and Spanish Ministers. German authorities. The German authorities and German diplomatic officials have given us every assistance possible and have been uniformly courteous in the reception and treatment of our representatives. We desire specially to thank the German Consul here for the active interest and cooperation he has given us in our work. Dutch authorities. The Dutch authorities have been extremely courteous and have placed every facility of their Government at our disposal. They have made up special trains for us at very short notice. The Foreign Minister, Mr. Loudon, paid us the unusual compliment of attending in person to many details of our work. The American Legation at Brussels have rendered us every possible assistance, and we cannot endorse too highly the splendid work which Mr. Whitlock has done. He has earned, through his untiring efforts in the interests of this work, the universal respect of the Belgian people and of the German authorities. Financial. The minimum requirements of the Belgian people for the next eight months are estimated at 80,000 tons of foodstuffs per month, which require about $5,000,000 per month to cover. Inasmuch as the men at the head of this commission are accustomed to the organization and management of large businesses, we are hopeful of coping successfully with this gigantic undertaking. Accountancy. The auditing of the books of the commission is in the hands of Messrs. Deloitte, Pelder, Griffiths & Company, of London, New York, and Paris. General. You will note from the necessarily brief report which we have given you what an extremely difficult work we are undertaking. We believe it has no parallel in history. In addition to what is being accomplished in Belgium, a great deal has been carried out indirectly in Holland through the Netherlands National Committee, which has made distributions throughout many of the cities and provinces of Holland. By the continued perseverance and cooperation of the various governments interested, and by the splendid response to the appeal made to the American people, what at first seemed to be an impossible task is gradually being accomplished. Though there will be much privation and distress in Belgium, which it is quite beyond the scope of human possibility to deal with, there is every prospect that the greater part of the suffering of the Belgian people will be relieved. Were it not for the splendid services rendered us by your Legation, we would have been unable to accomplish even the small amount of work we have done. Yours [etc.] J. F. LUCEY File No. 855.48/126 The Ambassador in Germany (Gerard) to the Secretary of State [Telegram] AMERICAN EMBASSY, Berlin, December 26, 1914. [Received December 28, 8 p. m.] 1195. Acting not officially but as one of chairmen Belgian Relief Commission, called to-day with Spanish Ambassador and Netherlands Minister on Undersecretary of State Zimmermann who gladly and without hesitation assured us that commanding general in Belgium will give assurance to American, Spanish, and Netherlands Ministers in Belgium that German military authorities will not make any further requisitions of food supplies in Belgium while the International Commission are sending in food and for a reasonable time after the last delivery. GERARD File No. 855.48/125 The Ambassador in Great Britain (Page) to the Secretary of State [Telegram] AMERICAN EMBASSY, London, December 28, 1914. [Received December 29, 8 p. m.] 1340. The Foreign Office informs me that the British naval authorities will undertake in the future to facilitate the voyage only of such charity ships to Rotterdam as contain whole cargoes of food for Belgian relief. It is important, therefore, that such ships should not contain other cargo, and to secure this protection all ships for Belgian relief must be reported by Lindon Bates, the commission's representative in New York, to the British Ambassador in Washington. After conferring with Sir Cecil Spring Rice it might be advantageous to give this arrangement wide publicity because certain societies and committees continue to ship contributions of food in ships that carry other cargo. AMERICAN AMBASSADOR File No. 855.48/130 The Ambassador in Germany (Gerard) to the Secretary of State [Telegram] AMERICAN EMBASSY, Berlin, December 28, 1914. [Received December 31, 8 a. m.] 1210. My 899, November 23.1 Foreign Office now request that special certificates of unneutral ships carrying food for Belgians contain following statements: (1) American express declaration that the ship carries solely food and clothing for Belgian population to be unloaded in a Dutch port; (2) an undertaking of the 'Ante, p. 819. master of the vessel on his word of honor to abstain from any and all actions on outgoing or homeward voyage involving assistance to our opponents; (3) statements that certificate and pass are valid for single outward voyage only and must be delivered to German consul upon arrival in Dutch port of destination or to German Minister at The Hague if there is no consul (similar papers for return voyage will be issued by German Legation at The Hague); (4) statement that the papers do not bar a search of the vessel and that cargo must be stowed so that search can be conducted quickly and easily; (5) statement that the date of departure from the United States is to be communicated to German Ambassador at Washington, the date of departure from Holland on return voyage to German Minister at The Hague; (6) statement that non-compliance with these provisions and obligations assumed works forfeiture of all rights to preferential treatment. GERARD NEGOTIATIONS RELATING TO THE WORK OF THE RED CROSS [The following documents represent but a small part of the Department's activities in furthering the work of the American Red Cross in belligerent countries. It continued to transmit a great volume of routine correspondence concerning the despatch of personnel, supplies, and funds (which were handled through the Department's fiscal system), and the administration of the units abroad.] File No. 811.142/232a The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in Great Britain (Page)1 [Telegram] DEPARTMENT OF STATE, Washington, August 5, 1914. Under Article 11 of the treaty of Geneva American Red Cross expresses deep sympathy and offers to British Red Cross a unit consisting of three doctors and twelve nurses with hospital supplies. All medical officers to be men of practical army or navy experience. All nurses finest graduate trained American Red Cross nurses, two or three years training. Each member of unit ready to take oath of secrecy or assume whatever other obligations may be required. A like offer made to all countries involved and ship will be chartered by the American Red Cross sailing under Red Cross flag to forward personnel and supplies. Earnestly trust this offer will be accepted. Suggest unit give service at base or reserve hospitals. If necessary further personnel will be forwarded later. Communicate foregoing to British Red Cross and request early reply.2 1 W. J. BRYAN The same, mutatis mutandis, to the Ambassadors in France, Germany, Russia, and Austria-Hungary, and the Ministers in Belgium and Servia. 'Replies notifying acceptance not printed. File No. 811.142/265 The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in Great Britain (Page)1 [Telegram] DEPARTMENT OF STATE, Washington, August 27, 1914. Department advised by American Red Cross that it has taken over the German S. S. Prinz Joachim of the Hamburg-American Packet Company under charter at the nominal charge of one dollar to be commanded by the courtesy of the Navy Department by retired naval officers and manned by crew of civilian Americans for the purpose of carrying units composed of three surgeons and twelve nurses each, together with hospital supplies, to all the countries involved in the war, which assistance has been accepted by their governments. This ship will probably enter English, French, and Dutch ports only. The ship will be painted the colors prescribed by the Hague convention, white with a red strake, and its name will be changed to the Red Cross and it will fly both the Red Cross and the American flags. Under the joint resolution of Congress approved the 20th instant authority is given to American Red Cross during the continuance of the present wars to charter a vessel of foreign register to carry the American flag for "transportation of nurses and supplies and for all uses in connection with the work of said society." After futile efforts to secure an American or English ship the packet company tendered this ship as a free gift to assist the Red Cross work, the transaction being actually a loss to the company as the crew is left on its hands. The Red Cross obligated itself to deliver the ship back to the port of New York in the same condition as received within thirty days with the option, if the necessities of war demand it, to make a similar voyage under the same conditions. As the belligerents have accepted the assistance of Red Cross units and as the object of the expedition is purely charitable and in the interest of humanity and for the amelioration of the sick and wounded of the armies in the field, you will bring the foregoing immediately to the attention of the British Government and press for assurances at the earliest possible moment that this vessel will not be hindered or molested during its voyage or its stay at belligerent ports. BRYAN File No. 811.142/321 The British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (Grey) to the British Ambassador in Washington (Spring Rice) [Telegram] August 29, 1914. [Received in the Department of State August 29.] His Majesty's Government have no objection whatever to an arrangement under American control to use any ship for the purpose 'The same, mutatis mutandis, to the Ambassadors in France, Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Russia. |