Imperial Valley press., 1944-03-15

Net cnly does the American Red
Cross take care of the men IL tho
service, their families, the wounded
bat it also remembers the men who
are prisoners of war.
During the last year the Ameri-
can Red Cross sent 100000 parcels
TO American men who are prisoners
of war, and these parcels were dis
tributed in large part through the
! IN elnatiCnal Red Cross Central
Bureau of Information in Geneva,
Switzerland.
Lucien SchWob of the Tamarack
Ranch, Imperial, and formerly CT
Geneva, sent the Pcst-Press an
article from an American Swiss
newspaper telling the work dCne by
the Central Bureau for American
prisoners.
The American service in Geneva
is conducted by a staff CT some l6
persons, and from the period CT
covering the United States en-
trance into the war to August Of
1943. the names CT 38,086 American
prisoners of war, reported by the
Axis. were cab,ed to the American
Red Crcss headquarters in Wash
ingtCn, D. c. In addition the names
6O73 American civilian internecs
were forwarded to Washington.
During this period the American
bureau forwarded 152,210 cards and
letters to and from American
prisoners of war and interned
civilians, received 4,815 kilograms
sent 1903 tclegramS, made 1862
special inquiries in r9oardin to m
dividualS.
STAfFED Ia SWISS
The entire Central Inf0rr .lCn
Bureau, CT which the American i
service is but a part. is s'affed ~
5000 SWisc, about 310O CT Whom
are residents of Geneva. Only
about one-fif,h receive any pay fer
their services, and at that, only a,
modest salary.
One of the departments is the
Aid to Priecncrs,' this department
taking charge Of packages sent to
prisoners Cf war and lnternec
civilians, storing them and iorward-
ing them tc confidential representa-
tiyes of prison camps. men choser
by the prisoners themselVec frcm
their midst.
From October 1940-MarCh Of l943
national governments, national REQ
Cross so,ieties and other auxiliary
agencies have entrusted the Inter
national Red Crc5s committee with
1872 321 .97O kilCs of merchandise TO
be forwarded tcnc kilo equal ~
oounG0. In addition over a MIL
lion Swiss frances have Leen uscd
20 purchase goods,
Most packages for the prisoners
have to be shipped across the
ocean. such as thCfe for American
prisoners. Freighters carry them u
Lisbon where they go by raj
through Spain to Geneva.
In order to handle the ship
mcnts the international Red Cross
las establi. he'd foundation which
ssumeg the purchase OF ships,
heir entry into The Swiss COM
nercial register and their Use ac-
ccrding to regulations CT the SWis'
maritime law.
STORE GOODS
The shipments ale taken to the
Geneva warehouses where goods
damaged in transit are repaired
and rcpacked. There ic also .
special section called Intellectual
help" which secs &c il that prison
ers receive material giving them
intellectual, and spiritual help as
we'll as relaxation. Over one MIL
lien books had been sen TO prison
camps up tc June 80, l943.
This work also is part of the
pl pliscner of war program in which
the American Red Cross participates.
The article concludes: "A beacon
of light shining brightly in the
corresponding chaos of war is this
great humanitarian work dcne by
the Central Information Bureau
for prisoners Ct war which is the
me link between plitoners of war
Ind interned civilians and their
families. Without this institution
and its inspired staff of workers,
wars miSerieS would be infinitely