The sun., 1918-12-22
REDCROSS WAR
WORK IN FRANCE
HAS WTDEBASIS
Report Shows Vastness Of
Relief Between June 1917
and June 1918.
ARMY DEFICIENCIES NET
Organization Has 10000 Hos
pital Beds in Use for Amer
lean Soldiers.

I'm general the object OF the De-
partment of Military Affairs tof the
Fed Crossl is 10 help the allied SOL
der, and in the case Of the United
States Army to put ourselves at the
disposal OF every single individual In
II, s,iccoring the wounded, making lie
more comfortable for the well soldier,
and in so joining forces with our or
ranization in America that we can
look after, as far as possible. the men
tai happiness Of The soldier by roliev-
ing him of any mental troubles which
lie may have at home.
I'm other words, our object is to rem
der TO the United States soldier all OF
those services which the American
people had the right to expect from
i,s when they contributed to the Amer
scan Red Cross. Our organization is
planned to perform this duty in the
most economical and effective man
ner.
The above, taken from its account
OF its first years work in France,
might be called the confession OF faith
OF the American Red Cross. Its
story, in SO far as It is yet
free to tell 1t. is contained in
the report of its War Council. made
public yesterday. In reading 1t one
must keep in mind that the report
deals only with the first year." be-
tween June 2, 1917, and June 2. 1918,
and reserves for later publication all
account Of what 1t did from the be-
ginning Of the great counter attack
which marked Americas really heavy
participation in the world war.
vastness of Red Cross Work.
Bat from the report at hand. which
takes in only the first of the lighting
by Americans, the man or woman who
has contributed q dollar here and
dollar there may learn upon what
vast scale OF humanitarian enterprise
the money contributed was expended.
How, in addition to backing UP the
nurses and other workers at the actual
fighting front, he or she was in some
small way OF aid to the MANNED, the
romeless. the sick, little children and
the aged. and how the greatest mother
in the world" lightened the lot of the
fighters with n thousand big and little
attentions and comforts.
The first nucleus of the organization
began its overseas work when eigh-
teen members. under the leadership OF
Major G. NJ. P. Murphy. sailed from
New York on June s. 1917.
This date was previous to the SAIL
ing OF any American troops for Eu-
rope and previous to the date OF the
first draft registration" says the Red
Cross report. THE Red Cross at that
time had not conducted its campaign
for funds and the commission came
20 Europe for the purpose OF being
carly on the ground and organizing
the work which We knew lay before
Il. What that work was to be was
only vaguely understood.
in general terms, It was the feel
Ing OF the commissioner and his as
sstants that our allies had been car
rying on the war for approximately
three years. that they had been 60
ing through a. period OF hardship never
before seen in the world, that II was
the desire OF the American. people
To express through the agency OF it's
Ped Cross in a concrete And sub
stantial manner its sympathy for the
suffering caused by the war and its
desire to bear its share OF the bur-
Con IN the future.
Reception in Paris.
"On our arrival in Paris We were
received in the most generous and
. broad minded way by the committee
of the American Relief Clearing
. House. They stated to US their def-
Ii,e belief. now America was In the
war, that all American effort should
be coordlnated under one head, and
they turned over TO the American
RED Cross their organization equip
ment and personnel. This enabled the
commission to get started many weeks
sooner than 1t would have been able
10 otherwise. and great thanks are
dac them for their attitude at the
time
I'VE established our offices at &
RUe Francois Premier, and within a
few weeks Mr.. and Mrs. Robert w.
Bliss turned over to the Red Cross
the distributing service which they
had been conducting for the French
hospitals since the beginning of the
war and the Surgical Dressings Joined
hands with us as surgical dressings
branch OF the society.
These three moves enabled the
commission to begin its French work
with a going organization and went
o long way toward making its effort
effective In the early days.
Within a few weeks after our ar
rival we discussed with Gen. Pershing
. the work which lay before US, and it
was his belief and desire that the
American Red Cross was the agency
through which the American people
could, by relieving the suffering OF
? our allies, express Its sentiment. He
felt that It would be many months be-
fore his army would be an effective
fighting force and that the Red Cross
must during those months carry the
American flag in Europe.
With this idea In view, we or
ganized two departments one, the
department OF civil affairs. whose