File No. 855.48/825b
The Secretary of State to the Minister in Belgium ( Whitlock)
323. For Whitlock from Hoover:
Respect to your telegram No. 153 of 9th. There is every sympathy and desire here to assist the Belgians. Every priority has and will be given and the Government is now enlarging its assistance in food relief and clothing to a very remarkable degree considering the sacrifice in shipping that it entails. Assistance in tools and machinery can only be extended after we have accurate knowledge of what is required, a thing impossible until evacuation; and credits must be established to pay therefor which also must either be arranged through banks or new legislation by Congress. The President has asked me to take charge of organizing American interest in Belgian reconstruction and I will arrive in Brussels for consultation about December 10.