868.48/3144: Telegram
The Minister in Sweden (Johnson) to the Secretary of State
[Received 9:20 p.m.]
1465. My 1108, May 8, 8 p.m. Boheman sent for Mallet and me this afternoon to compare the text of a communication made by the International Red Cross to the Italian Government with specific recommendations. These recommendations are the result of extensive conversations which were carried on in Rome by the Italian authorities and the Swedish Minister and M. Junod, Swiss representative of International Red Cross. Following is translation:
“The International Committee of the Red Cross after having studied the desires expressed by the different belligerent governments in the matter of distribution of relief to the civil population of Greece and to the supervision of that distribution by the delegation of the International Red Cross in Greece, and in understanding with the Swedish and Swiss Red Cross, submits to the Italian Government the following note:
The International Committee of the Red Cross desires to maintain in Greece the organization for supervision of distribution such as it has existed up to the present, under the form of the High Committee of Direction presided over by Monsieur Brunei of which delegates of the Italian and German Red Cross are members as well as the President of the Greek Red Cross, and of a Committee of Action presided over by a delegate of the International Committee of the Red Cross, other members being Greeks.
However, by reason of the increasing amount of relief supplies being sent to Greece the International Committee of the Red Cross considers as absolutely necessary in order to encourage still more the dispatch of relief goods, to add to its delegation in Greece several new collaborators chosen from among the representatives of the Swedish and Swiss Red Cross. These representatives would be entitled to supervise the distribution of gifts and relief supplies from their respective countries in their capacity as delegates of their national Red Cross societies. On the other hand they would be actively associated in the supervision exercised in the name of the International Committee of the Red Cross over distribution of relief coming from overseas.
In this latter circumstance several of them would be members of the Committee of Action.
[Page 762]The Committee of Action would thus be composed of Monsieur Brunei, Delegate of the International Committee of the Red Cross and of delegates of the neutral Swedish and Swiss Red Cross who would thus become assistants to Monsieur Brunei.
The Committee of Action would be authorized to organize according to the requirements of the situation subcommittees in other parts of Greece than Athens or Piraeus.
The competence of the Committee of Action would be, (a) to receive all consignments of relief which come to Greece from neutral countries or from overseas; (b) to proceed to organization of distribution of this relief in Greece; (c) to make a report to International Committee of the Red Cross on the situation of the civil population of Greece and on opportunities for augmenting or diminishing relief from overseas.
This Committee of Action would therefore be constituted of members exclusively neutral but would be competent to admit Greeks especially chosen by itself. It would be in constant contact with the High Committee of Direction which would establish the relations indispensable to its work with the authorities of the occupying powers.”
Boheman at the same time gave us an aide-mémoire dated today reading as follows:
“After the receipt of the answers of the Italian and German Governments regarding the proposed relief action in favor of Greece—the contents of which were communicated to the American and British Ministers at Stockholm on the 18th and 30th of April respectively—the Swedish Government and the Swedish Red Cross approached the International Red Cross Committee at Geneva, under whose auspices, according to the original plan, the scheme should be administered, for the purpose of arriving, first of all, at a solution of the question of control, acceptable to both of the belligerent parties. Definite proposals to this effect, essentially corresponding with the conditions laid down by the American and British Governments, have been worked out by Dr. Junod, delegate of the International Red Cross Committee, and it has been ascertained that these proposals have every prospect of being accepted by the Italian and German Governments. The text is herewith submitted for the consideration of the American and British Governments. As soon as they have indicated their position with regard to these proposals, the Swedish Government and the Swedish Red Cross are prepared in collaboration with the International Red Cross immediately to start organizing the machinery of control. It would seem expedient that it be left to the proposed Swedish-Swiss Commission to endeavor to find on the spot adequate solutions of special questions that remain outstanding; thus the plan as a whole need not be held up any further.”
Please see immediately following telegram.