Show american red cross answers despairing pleas for help from war torn europe FILING cabinet in a hand acome X some white office building on seventeenth street holds stories of misery and suffering endured dy by millions of civilians who since september 1939 have found themselves in the path of mechanized invading armies this file in the american red cross national headquarters building contains eyewitness eye witness reports from red cross workers in europe although the cries for help from masses of tortured souls are condensed into the terse language of the cable the chronological file reflects only too accurately the swiftly moving catastrophe of the P past ast year another file tells a more encouraging story it contains americas answer to the despairing pleas for aid each country which has felt the crushing blows of lightning attacks has been aided by the american red cross beginning immediately with the invasion of poland A commission of red cross officials was dispatched in october to make a survey of the most urgent wants in every country using the reports made by this commission and its successors as a basis national officers of the society kept a steady flow of supplies valued at millions of dollars moving from this country first to poland then finland and later norway belgium holland england and france until the black friday of may 10 when hostilities entered the total war 11 phase with the invasion of the lowland countries the american red cross expended a total of 1 in purchasing war relief requirements quire ments no organized drive was staged but the public voluntarily contributed the remaining came out of reserve funds of the national red cross this money was sufficient to take Z a A f I 1 r ia 4 Ns volunteer red cross ivor kers prepare packages for the relief of ivar refugees care of the most urgent relief requirements quire ments of the stricken nations supplemented by the halt half million garments and more than surgical dressings within 10 hours after headlines screamed the news of germanys germanas Germ anys entrance into belgium and holland however the red cross launched a public appeal for total war calls for total mercy became the slogan and the american people responded with traditional promptness and generosity As the campaign moved into high gear contributions poured in from all sections of the country prominent leaders in every field of american life endorsed the public appeal including leading churchmen jurists journalists mayors and governors civic leaders and heads of fraternal organizations even before the dollars of mercy began to roll in the red cross speeded up its overseas operations to help take care of the belgian dutch and french refugees who crowded into the already heavy populated districts of southern france headquarters were hastily set up in paris in charge of wayne alf ctet at field taylor european delegate A number of trained disaster relief experts flew by clipper plane to complete the staff in paris and set up headquarters sub in bordeaux to receive american relief supplies P purchasing ur chasing began immediately for a million dollar cargo to be shipped on the S S mckeesport McKee sport a freighter chartered by the U S maritime commission for the job of carrying desperately needed supplies to the helpless sufferers fourteen millions of surplus food purchased through the federal surplus commodities corporation constituted two thirds of the cargo of this mercy ship the first to be sent by the red cross since the last world war ambulances auxiliary hospital trucks complete equipment for a number of hospital units clothing surgical dressings and shoes were also on board as the mckeesport McKee sport steamed out of new york harbor on june 15 other vessels were readied to follow her path to europe immediately med lately with additional cargoes |