File No. 811.142/2542b
The Secretary of State to the Chargé in Switzerland ( Wilson)
1091. For Dresel from American Red Cross:
American Red Cross is willing to donate $100,000 during month November and $100,000 during month December for Polish relief to be transmitted to the Warsaw Committee, of which Lubomirski and Archbishop Kakowski are members, through the Legation at Berne provided the Warsaw Committee can give satisfactory assurances that the purchase of food with this money will not result in releasing other food or funds for benefit of Germany, but this relief will not be continued beyond December. This donation of cash is made with the idea of extending some immediate relief pending negotiation of agreements. Red Cross feels that agreements to be of any value this winter must be completed by January 1, and while they do not feel that cash contribution is satisfactory in principle, they are willing to make these two payments and rely upon Committee meanwhile to obtain agreements. If Polish Committee can secure the guaranties and make the arrangements outlined in the State Department’s cablegram of October 21 sent at instance Red Cross to American Legation at Berne for transmission to Vevey [Page 520] Committee, American Red Cross is willing, beginning with January, 1918, to proceed with milk relief for infants and small children in Poland outlined in that cablegram; otherwise no relief of any kind will be furnished after the end of this year. Whole arrangement, of course, conditioned upon American Government’s continued consent and upon American Red Cross’s continued conviction of desirability of continuing relief. Please make plain that when we speak of guaranties we mean real guaranties from German Government, not merely assurances by Committee that they have guaranties given in past which are still in force and which they believe they can rely upon.