Evening star., 1944-09-10
UNRRA, Problem-Plagued,
To Test United Nations
Montreal Meeting, Proving Ground for Plans
to Bring Relief, Will Indicate Extent
of Ability to Cooperate in Peace
By Sigrid Arne.

At Montreal, in the 10 days following
September IS, the United Nations will
meet the first real test of their abilit.
to work together in the peace.
The United Nations Relief and Re
Mobilization Administration (UNRRA)-
the first of the United Nations war
born agencies to go into real opera
how to work in Europe. And there art
already loud squeaks in the machine
which the conference may, or may not
erase.
Italy will be the center of one major
argument. AS "ex-enemy territory,
under the UNRRA agreement, she can
receive aid only after approval from
the UNRRA Council and If her govern
ment foots the bill provision agreed
upon after European delegations OBJ
jected violently to any aid for ex-
enemies.
Now, however the Allied armies,
principally United States and United
Kingdom, are liberating Italy and must
feed the italians as they go, and it's
common word here that they are sick of
the job They would like UNRRA to
take over.
Prime Minister Churchill, during his
recent visit to Italy, indicated that the
British delegation to the Montreal con-
ference will be instructed to secure
UNRRA aid for Italy.
some time before Italy is accepted as a
full ally, rather than "ex-enemy."
If the UNRRA conference resolves
this problem it will be the first modifl-
cation of the original agreement. 1t is
doubtful that the exile governments
will accept the move readily, since it
would leave the gate open for similar
relief work in Germany.
So at Montreal, the United States
and United Kingdom delegations will
face the Europeans across the board.
Europeans Worried.
Furthermore, the Europeans are wor-
ried about the whole pattern.
UNRRA can enter a country only
after two invitations: From the military
and from the local government
It's presumed military control will
last an average of six months after lib
Grafton, but the fact has Europeans
apprehensive. The armies are prepared
to feed as they 60 but with diets of
1000 calorieS a day. The UNRRA
Council is about to agree on $500 be-
cause of worry over starvation induced
diseases reported from the various un-
dergrounds Exile governments are
anxious to establish the richer diet as
soon as possible.
Some governments which have the
money want to stockpile food now to
supplement army feeding, but can't find
out whether they may. They are re-
strained under UNRRA to buy only
through the combined purchasing boards
of the Anglo American staffs, to insure
orderly movement of supplies to the
armies which will be fighting in the
Orient.
One exiled government official told
me:
To make things worse, two South
American governments are offering us
food. But we can get no permission to
purchase, and We could no doubt be pre-
vented since our funds are frozen and We
would need an okay from the United
States Treasury"
Two Doubt UNRRA Value.
Two European governments have let
It be known unofficially that they ques-
ton the value of UNRRA membership.
They could withdraw at Montreal.
They argue they have funds, so they
must pay for all supplies they get
through UNRRA, must pay to help run
UNRRA. and face huge reconstruction
costs at home.
If they drop out either relief to war
zones must be cut or the remaining ma
tions must carry a heavier load.
1t had been understood that only five
nations would have to request direct
handouts. since they have little or no
gold or foreign exchange: Poland, Yugo-
slavia, Albania, Greece and Czechoslo-
vakia. 1t develops now that Norway
may have to ask for part of the money
needed to feed her people and restore
her industries.
The problem of collecting the UNRRA
fund became so acute recently that
UNRRA now plans to send a two-man
commission Eduardo Santos, former
President Of Colombia, and Laurence
Duggan, formerly of the United States
State Department. to South America
because, up to July IT, nine of the ma
tions below the Rio Grande had paid
nothing into UNRRA. They were Bolivia,