File No. 861.48/90
[Enclosure]
Plan for relief in Poland submitted to the
British Government by Messrs. Hoover and Walcott
There are approximately 15,000,000 people in the German occupied
eastern area, including Russian Poland and western Russia. Of
this population, between 3,500,000 and 4,000,000 people are
concentrated in, or in the immediate neighborhood of, the cities
of Warsaw, Lodz, Schenzochow [Czestochowa], Vilna, Kovno and
Bella Ettap [Biala Etappe].
In order to handle the problem of provisioning from a practical
point of view and at the same time with proper safeguard as to
all the international phases in the matter, the following basis
is proposed:
(1) The American commission shall undertake the revictualing of
the above-mentioned cities only.
The German Government to undertake to furnish to the cities above
mentioned a supply which will cover a ration of—
| 400 |
grams |
of potatoes |
per diem
|
per capita
|
| 10 |
“ |
salt |
“ |
“ |
| 10 |
“ |
sugar |
“ |
“ |
| 3 |
“ |
tea |
“ |
“ |
The American commission to import cereals to an amount which will
afford a ration of 340 grams per diem per
capita of wheat, or beans, peas, rice, maize; also with
40 grams of fats per diem per capita and
a moderate amount of condensed milk for children.
(2) That the German Government shall undertake to revictual the
whole of the balance of the population in the occupied
territory.
(3) The German Government will undertake to devise financial
means for the provision of gold exchange abroad to pay for the
foodstuff purchased by the American commission. The Allies to
give necessary permits for these financial operations by the
commission.
(4) The German Government will make the necessary arrangements to
turn over to the commission sufficient German shipping to do the
entire transportation from North America or other places to
Danzig.
(5) The revictualing to last only until October 1, at which time
the new harvest will take care of the entire civilian
population.
(6) The German Government to undertake that there shall be no
interference with the imported foodstuffs; that they will be
consumed absolutely by the native civilian population; that the
American commission will be furnished every facility for the
control of the entire revictualing of the cities in question,
including the German contribution to the ration.
(7) In order to carry out the above it will be necessary to
import approximately 40,000 tons of foodstuffs per month. It is
proposed that such portion of these foodstuffs as go to the
well-to-do population should be sold, and in this particular the
German Government is prepared to give free railway transport
over the occupied areas and one-half railway rates over the
German State railroads. It is proposed to provision the
destitute without cost.
