852.48/310
The Department of State to the British Embassy
Aide-Mémoire
For some time past the Government of the United States has been gravely disturbed over the reports reaching it of widespread suffering and human misery in Spain. Ever since last August it has been working in close touch with the American Red Cross, which undertook (using the Friends Service Committee as its field agents) to distribute impartially in Spain according to need 60,000 barrels of flour from wheat which was obtained from the American Surplus Commodities Corporation, and transported free of charge in unused cargo space of vessels belonging to the Maritime Commission. The charges of handling this flour amounted to over a dollar a barrel which was met by a direct cash contribution by the Red Cross from its general funds.
Even before the report was made by Sir Denys Bray and Mr. Lawrence Webster to the Secretary General of the League of Nations, it had become apparent that far greater efforts were needed to prevent widespread starvation and disease. The Surplus Commodities Corporation is ready today to make available to the Red Cross, at a purely nominal figure, up to 500,000 bushels of wheat per month for the next six months, to be distributed as before by the Red Cross in Spain impartially according to need. This offer, together with certain services in kind which might be given to the Red Cross, constitutes the contribution that the Government of the United States through its different branches is able to make. It is not in a position to make a gift in cash nor is the Red Cross able to continue supplying its own funds to meet the necessary handling charges. The present problem before the Red Cross is accordingly to find the funds to enable it to meet the handling charges and thus to avail itself of the offer referred to.
The Red Cross is hoping to obtain these funds from two sources: the first is through a drive which will shortly be undertaken by the Friends Service Committee which it is hoped may produce a substantial sum; the second is through a possible contribution from the International Commission for the Assistance of Child Refugees in [Page 382] Spain, which is already in touch with the Red Cross through the Friends Service Committee. Inasmuch as with the gifts and services in kind offered by the different branches of the Government of the United States one dollar’s donation made available to the Red Cross will provide foodstuffs to the value of some four dollars, it is hoped though it cannot yet be promised that the funds obtained from these two sources will enable the Red Cross to distribute the full amount of wheat (either as cracked wheat or milled into flour) mentioned in the preceding paragraph.
The Government of the United States is inclined to feel that with so many organizations already in existence in Spain the chances are that the setting up of a fresh organization would complicate rather than ease the situation. The American Red Cross has worked very closely with the International Red Cross Committee, to which it has contributed more than $55,000 in cash. It has also maintained the best of relations with the International Commission for the Assistance of Child Refugees in Spain, and both the International Commission and the Red Cross have made use of the Friends Service Committee as their field agents. The American Red Cross believes that it would prefer to continue working in cooperation with these organizations and to see their scope and capacity extended rather than to risk any delay in its operations while working out ways and means of cooperating with a new organization.