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

File No. 891.48/65

The Secretary of the American Committee for Armenian and Syrian Relief ( Vickrey) to the Department of State

New York, July 5, 1918.
[Received July 6.]

Gentlemen: Sometime ago Mirza Ali-Kuli Khan, Chargé d’Affaires of the Persian Legation, asked me as secretary of the American Committee for Armenian and Syrian Relief to send him a letter which he could have on record concerning our commission to Persia.

For the information of the Department I give you herewith carbon copy of the letter I have written in response to this request.

Respectfully yours,

C. V. Vickrey

[Enclosure]

The Secretary of the American Committee for Armenian and Syrian Relief ( Vickrey) to the Persian Chargé ( Ali-Kuli Khan)

New York, July 5, 1918.

Your Excellency: I want to express to you our Committee’s deep appreciation of the message which we received from our Department of State, and also of the letter you sent to us expressing the appreciation of your Government of services which representatives of our Committee have been privileged to render in Persia.

I assure you that it will be our pleasure to continue to render any service within our power along humanitarian lines, and as an expression of good will and friendship for your people.

I desire to report to you that at a recent meeting of our Committee it was voted to make this humanitarian service more effective, by offering to send at our expense additional relief workers. For this purpose we now have under appointment, if acceptable to your Government, a commission of experienced educators, financiers and philanthropists, who will be glad to render any service that may be within their power.

I understand that both Doctor Judson and Doctor Cook have conferred with you concerning this commission, and have doubtless discussed with you the personnel, dates of sailing, etc.

This commission as at present contemplated consists of:

• Dr. Harry Pratt Judson, President of the University of Chicago, as Director
• Wilfred M. Post, M.D., formerly in charge of the American Hospital in Konia, Asia Minor
• Wilbur E. Post, M.D., member of the medical faculty of the University of Chicago
• Joseph W. Cook, M.D., formerly in charge of the American Hospital at Teheran
• Prof. A. V. W. Jackson, of Columbia University
• Mrs. A. V. W. Jackson
• E. W. McDowell, formerly of Tabriz
• Roland S. Vaile, expert agriculturist from University of California
• F. Tredwell Smith, of Yale University
• Livingston Bentley, Princeton University
• Harold R. Holmes, Cornell College, civil engineer
• Leland Rex Robinson, Columbia University

The last nine on the above list have already sailed from the Pacific Coast and are now in Japan or China. Doctor Judson, the two Doctors Post, and possibly Mr. Maurice Wertheim, a well-known New York business man, will be prepared to sail as soon as the necessary permits and passports are received.

We will be pleased to receive from you any advice which you may have with reference to service that the above commission may render in Persia.

You will also be interested in knowing that our Committee is now seeking incorporation by special act of Congress, under the new name of the American Committee for Relief in the Near East. In any correspondence with your Government you may perhaps prefer to use this new name rather than our old one.

Respectfully yours,

[No signature indicated]