Papers Relating to the Foreign Relations of the United States, 1918, Supplement 2, The World War

Announcement of September 11, 1918, by the Secretary of State¹

September 11, 1918

Some time ago announcement was made of the proposed formation of a national committee, composed of American citizens, which would cooperate with the Legations of Sweden and Switzerland and the consuls under their jurisdiction, in relieving the situation and condition of law-abiding residents in this country who are German or Austrian nationals, and in supervising the aid given the families of interned alien enemies.

This Committee has now been formed under the name of the “National Alien Enemy Relief Committee, in Cooperation with the Legations of Sweden and Switzerland and with the Approval of the Government of the United States” with an office at 818 Connecticut Avenue, Washington, D. C, and with a membership which comprises prominent American citizens in the larger cities of the country. On and after September 15 this Committee will be in a position to perform its functions in the fullest possible manner.

The purposes of this Committee are few and relatively simple but of a delicate nature and requiring the greatest care in their accomplishment. These purposes are, for the present, twofold—first, the recording and control of the assistance dispensed to the families of interned alien enemies by the Legations of Sweden and Switzerland; second, the rendering of aid and assistance, both financially and socially, to the vastly greater number of law-abiding, industrious, and discreet subjects of Germany and Austria-Hungary who are resident in the United States. Many of this latter group, although loyal to the United States, are, through unjust and unfounded suspicions and prejudice, of which they are the victims, prevented from or seriously handicapped in earning their livelihood and are, in consequence, reduced to grave financial straits.

Appreciating the need in which this class of residents finds itself, and realizing that some central control and guidance was desirable in the matter of their relief, the Department of State and the Department of Justice have not only approved the formation of this Committee but have encouraged it to undertake this important and valuable work.

This Committee is not, however, a general relief organization, nor has it any funds of its own for the relief of those in distress. Its functions are rather to oversee and direct rather than actually to administer relief, and these functions may be summarized as follows:

1. To investigate, at the request of the Legations, appeals for aid and assistance which are received from the families of interned alien enemies, in order that the Legations may be informed whether the appeal is genuine, what the real need of the applicant is, and how long that need is or will be continued, so that the Legations may grant relief from funds in their possession with the assurance that they are not being imposed upon.

2. To direct and encourage the relief, through the numerous local organizations throughout the country, of the law-abiding Germans and Austro-Hungarians resident in the United States who are in need of financial or other assistance on account of discrimination and prejudice against them arising out of their nationality or from other causes directly or indirectly attributable to the war.

Appeals made to the Committee for Relief will be promptly investigated and, if the request is a proper one, adequate assistance will be rendered, if possible, through an appropriate local relief society under the direction of this Committee. In the event of the Committee learning from time to time of alleged discrimination against or unfair treatment of innocent alien enemies through prejudice, fear of their disloyalty, or for any other reasons incident to the war, such cases will be carefully looked into and the facts with reference thereto will be ascertained. If it appears that this discrimination is unwarranted, the assistance of local aid societies and loyal citizens will be enlisted to allay these groundless fears to insure fair treatment in the future of those discriminated against.

The members of the Committee are giving generously of their time and thought to make this plan a success and will not receive compensation of any kind. On the contrary, the expenses incident to the maintenance of an office and the carrying on of its work are being defrayed by the contributions received from the various members of the Committee.

The object is a most worthy one and one which should appeal to the sense of justice of all fair-minded Americans and the zeal and enthusiasm exhibited by the members of the Committee in carrying on the work insure its success, provided that it receives the cooperation and sympathy of the American people in general and especially of the local relief societies.

The National Alien Enemy Relief Committee membership is as follows:

[Here follows a list of names.]

1. The Official Bulletin, Washington, Sept. 12, 1918 (vol. 2, No. 410), p. 3.