Evening star., 1945-02-24
5000 Relief Worker!
To Assist Displaced
Persons in GERMANY
By JOsEPH H. BAIRD.

Plans to rush about 5000 trained
relief workers into Germany to aic
captive foreign laborers and othel
displaced persons as soon as the
Reich armies collapse were revealed
yesterday by Fred K. Hoehler Of the
United Nations Relief and Rehabili.
tation Administration.
Mr.. Hoehler, director of the dis.
placed persons division Of UNRRA
has just returned here from Europe
He went there to survey prepara.
tions for relief work, and visited
England, France, Belgium, the Meth
erlands and Italy.
Total 12,Ooo,00
He estimated the total of displaced
persons in Europe at between 49,
100000 and 15,000,0 900, of whom some
II ,0O0,0 900 are in Germany. Accord
ing 10 the best figures available
those now virtual slaves in the
Reich Excluding prisoners of war;
are divided as follows: Poles, 3,000,.
900; French, 100000; Russians,
2, 100000 Czechs, 100000; Belgians
soc, 900; Dutch, 100000: Yugoslavs
40 900, and Norwegians, 5000.
The job assigned to UNRRA under
the recent agreement between Gen
Eisenhower and Gov. Herbert H
Lehman, director general of the re-
lief organization, Mr.. Hoehler ex-
planned, is to cooperate closely with
the military in caring for the des-
titute and displaced. 1t will be
granted all possible facilities in the
way of transportation and other
necessities.
Outlining concrete plans of work
Mr.. Hoehler said that UNRRA was
creating, at the request Of supreme
Allied headquarters, teams of from
10 to II persons to work together in
Germany. SHAEF has asked fol
approximately 450 of these teams tc
be reacy to go into the Reich in the
wake of the Allied armies. Their
personnel would total around 5000
Will Use Europeans.
From so to go per cent of the per-
sonnel of these teams will be re-
cruited on the continent of Europe
Mr.. Hoehler said, because of the
necessity Of having persons who can
speak the language of the refugees
The remainder are being drawn
from the United States, Great Brit
ain and other United Nations.
Asked If he wanted to appeal
broadly for Americans to seek jobs
with UNRRA, Mr.. Hoehler replied
with an emphatic mo" UNRRA
he explained, was not interested in
people who merely wanted "trip to
Europe" but in only those who
could adapt themselves to jobs as
varying as interviewing officials one
day and driving truck the next
and those who are prepared for hare
work.
Mr.. Hoehler said it had been esti-
mated that, after the collapse oi
Germany, about 40 per cent of tht
displaced persons there would try te
walk home without waiting fol
transportation to be arranged foi
them. In anticipation, UNRRA i!
training motorized flying squad.
rons" to, assist these perambulant
refugees with food, medical aid ano
information.
Will Screen" Refugees.
For security reasons, he said, ref.
ugees crossing the German border
will be screened" by the military
authorities before they are allowed
to leave. Later, the various occu-
pied countries will set up committees
to examine those leaving the Reich
and make sure of their nationality
and Identification.
UNRRA, he said, found fewer dis
placed persons in France and Bel
gium than it had expected. He sur
missed that many of them were
drawn back into Germany with the
retreating Nazi armies, both because
the Reich needed labor and because
the Nazis hoped to indoctrinatt
them with antidemocratic propa.
ganda.
Praising the fortitude of already
liberated refugees he had seen ir
French assembly centers, Mr.. Hoeh.
ler said that they showed great
courage" The French among then
already are going forward with the
arduous task of rebuilding theil
country"
Ten European countries, he said
have drawn up multilateral agree
ment for mutual aid in repatriatins
their various nationals, although not
all of them have signed it. The II
are: Norway, Holland, Belgium
France, Yugoslavia. Greece, Luxem.
bourg, Poland, Czechoslovakia ano
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