Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-03-24
AMERICA TAKES
RELIEF WORKERS
FROM BELGIUM
q e rm an Policy Compels
United States to Withdraw
From Stricken Country

Washington, March 24.-American
relief workers in Belgium and Amer
lean Minister Brand Whitlock have
been formally withdrawn from Bel
gium. Official announcement to this
effect was made at the State Depart
ment this morning.
The American relief commission
will be replaced as far as possible by
members of a point neutral commits
sion largely under the supervision of
Dutch military officials. Brand Whit
lock will go to Havre, France, resum-
ing his duties as minister at the tenn
porary Belgian capital.
The following announcement was
given out by the State Department.;
by direction of the President, the
minister at Brussels has been instruct
ed to withdraw from Belgium with
foreign diplomatic and consular off,
GERS and take up his official residence
at Havre.
After consultation with the COM
mission for relief in Belgium. Mr..
Whitloek has also been instructed to
arrange for the departure of the Am
erican members of the commission.
This step, the seriousness of which is
fully appreciated by the government,
was taken only after careful consid-
Grafton and full consultation with all
the interests involved.
when diplomatic relations with
Germany We're broken off the normal
procedure would have been to with
draw the minister at Brussels and the
American members of the relief COM
mission. But this government and
the commission, however, felt a heavy
moral responsibility for the millions
of innocent civilians behind the Ger
man lines, and it was decided that the
work of the commission must be kept
going despite all difficulties until con-
tinued American participation became
impossible.
For over two years it has been the
single-minded purpose of this gov
ernment and the commission to see
that these ten millions of civilians
were fed and with this end in view,
the Americans concerned have sub
mitted to restrictions forced on them
by the German authorities, which un-
der ordinary conditions, would never
have been tolerated.
Immediately after the break in re-
lations the German authorities in
Brussels Withdrew from Mr. Whitlock
the diplomatic privileges and immuni-
ties which he had up to that time en-
joyed. His courier service to The
Hague was stopped; he was denied
the privilege of communicating with
the Department of State in cipher and
later ever in plain language. The
members of the relief commission
were placed under great restrictions
of movements and communications
which hampered the efficient per-
formance of their task. In spite of
all these difficulties the government
and the commission were determined
TO keep the work going till the last
possible moment. Now. however, n
more serious difficulty has arisen. In
the course of the past ten days several
of the commissions ships have been
attacked without warning by German
submarines in fragrant violation of SOL
cmn engagements of the German gov
crnment. Protests addressed by this
government TO Berlin through the in
termediary of the Spanish government
have not been answered. The Ger
man governments disregard of its
written undertakings causes grave
concern as to the future of the relief
work. In any event it is felt that
the American staff of the commission
cannot longer serve with advantage in
Belgium. Although a verbal promise
has been made that the members of
the commission would be permitted
to leave if they desire the German
governments observance of it's other
undertakings has not been such that
the department would feel warranted
in accepting responsibility for leaving
these American citizens in German
occupied territory.
This government has approved the
proposals of the Netherlands govern
ment TO send into Belgium a certain
number OF Netherlands subjects to
carry on the work thus far performed
by the American staff