Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-02-07
|FEARS TEUTONS IN PLAN
| FOR POLISH RELIEF WORK
Sir Edward Grey Says Any Supplies
Shipped to Poland Would Ultl-
mately Reach Troops.

! LONDON. February THE foreign
office has given out letter from Sir
Edward Grey, secretary for foreign af-
fairs. to Herbert c. Hoover. chairman
Of the American commission for reltc1
in Belgium, and the cabieSrams eA-
changed between the Polish relief So
cieties of Chicago and Premier AS
auth. which indicate that no agree
ment has yet been reached betweeo the
lbelIigerents for the relief of the civilian
| population of Poland.
| Mr. Hoover's letter to Sir Edward
Grey. dated December %, says:
Sir: knowing your keen desire to
mitigate in every possible way human
suffering arising out of the war. I feel
justified in bringing before you suS-
f., gestion in behalf of the civil. popula-
ton of Poland l attach hereto a Pc
tition which the commission has re-
ceived from the large and representa-
tive relief committee in Warsaw, and
| also report made as result of per-
.onal investigation at our instance by
| DIR. Vernon Kellogg, until lately di-
rector in Belgium of our work there,
No added words of mine can darken
the picture of misery and despair which
these statements depict. representing
as tneN 40 what WOulQ nave Deen tue
fate of Belgium but for the relief
afforded under international auspices.
with your earnest support.
am assured by the German authorities
| that protection viii! be afforded to
local and imported supplies for the ex-
elusive use of the civil population and
also that every facility will be afford
cd this commission in its task of or
sanization and distribution under
proper guarantees.
to SoEn fat
beans. some breadstuffs, etc, together
with condensed milk for children, can
only be obtained by imports from over
seas. for which there would seem to be
route practicable from the western
hemisphere to Sweden. with transship-
ment thence via Danzig or Liban. We
would not undertake such a task with
out the approval and cooperation of
the allied governments.
Sir Edward Grey's Reply.
Sir Edward Grey's letter to Mr..
Hoover. given out by the foreign Of
flee for publication. follows:
Dear Mr.. Hoover: l have carefully
considered your letter of December %,
regarding the proposed scheme for the
relief of Poland. In the face of ac-
cumulating evidence of German and
Austrian requisitions, in Poland. some
inclosed Geographic correspondence
with Polish organizations In the United
States, | fear it would be impossible to
enter into any arrangement with you
IN regard to any scheme of relief until
the German and Austrian governmentS
have prohibited the export Of all food
stuffs from Russian Poland, and have
guaranteed that native stock OF food
stuffs shall not be drawn upon to main
tain the occupying armies.
IF. and when, this were done, 1t
might be possible to come to an ar
rangement with you allowing of the
Importation of certain articles into
Poland. in return for undertakings on
the part of the German and Austrian
governments to supply an adequate ra-
ton and other necessary articles and
to give you.a free hand in the distri-
button of all stocks of foodstuffs thus
made available.
But prohibition of export and the
guarantees mentioned above must be
regarded conditions precedent to any
further discussion. since these measures
are demanded by the situation now ex-
listing quite Independently of the ques-
ton of imports, and the fact that they
have not yet been put into force con-
stitutes evidence that the German and
Austrian governments will never CO.
operate in any work undertaken in the
interests of the population of Poland"