894.48B/121a: Telegram
The Acting Secretary of State to the Ambassador in Japan (Woods)
182. The Department’s September 17, 5 p.m. to Kobe, which was repeated to you, and the Department’s No. 178, September 19, 6 p.m. to you.30
For your information there is quoted below a telegram, addressed to the President, received by the Red Cross by reference from the White House, from J. W. Buckley, Vice-President, American Association at Kobe:
“Understand funds being raised United States are being sent Japanese Government, who will use same for relief of Japanese only. Absolutely imperative that 5 percent all funds collected be sent to the International Relief Committee, Kobe, who are assisting thousands of foreigners. Please communicate this to the people of the United States.”
The policy of the Red Cross in extending relief is as follows:
“The American Red Cross is extending relief in Japan in two ways: First, through the Japanese Imperial Emergency Relief Bureau for general relief work among all victims of the disaster; Second, special assistance to American citizens to be rendered through the officers of the Department of State.”
The above is for your information and for the information of American Consuls and American citizens in general in Japan and should clearly indicate the exact attitude of the Red Cross towards the administration of relief measures.
It is important that you and General McCoy should be kept fully informed of all American relief activities and Consul Dickover and other Consuls concerned should be instructed to see that all requests for aid either to the Department or to the Imperial Japanese Relief Bureau should be communicated either to you or through you. The Department and the Red Cross desire that this work be concentrated, as far as it is physically possible so to do, under yours and General McCoy’s control in liaison with the Imperial Japanese Relief Bureau. In order to do this, therefore, all requests for aid should be passed upon by you and General McCoy.
- Neither printed.↩