Evening star., 1949-02-13
Ambassador Griffis
Cuts Corners to
Aid Refugees
By Gillespie S. Evons
Especial Representative, U. N. Relief
for Palestine Refuoees)

serve as director for the United
Nations Relief for Palestine Refu-
gees program. is Euclid's first
principle: A straight line is the
shortest distance between two
points.
The devotion of MIR. Griffls to
his credo is total. If the straight
line of his course slices across
protocol. red tape or precedent.
nevertheless it runs straight. In
business, Mr.. Griffis has demon
strated this refusal to deviate in
successive association with Para
mount Pictures. Brentano's and
elsewhere. In Government service,
which he entered as q "dollar-a-
year man" early in the war, he
demonstrated it on various now
well-known special missions. In
Poland, Ambassador Griffis be-
came legendary for his point-to-
point directness.
Plunged Into Problem
Impatience shown by Mr.. Grifis
with deviation and delay, however,
has been most sharply in focus
and most strikingly effective in
the latest of his labors-his United
Nations work as Director OF
"UNRPR.
Mr.. Griffis has been identified
with the Palestine relief problem
from it's inception. He arrived in
Egypt late last August as Ambas-
sador- designate. BY tradition, his
installation as Ambassador await
ed formal presentation OF Letters
of credence" to his majesty, King
Farouk. The wait was a matter OF
three days.
One day after his arrival. how
ever, and two days before he be-
came "Ambassador-in-fact," Mr.
Griffis plunged into the develop
ing refugee problem. He sent a
personal cable to William l..
Cover, United States Red Cross
delegate in Europe. asking Mr..
Cover to come to Egypt to survey
the need. A day or so later. he
assigned member of his staff to
full-time refugee work. A few
more days saw him writing per-
sonal cables and letters to the
four corners of the world. for
refugee contributions.
The Palestine refugee problem
grew like mustard seed; as fast as
Arab governments appropriated
funds and set up relief. they found
their efforts negated by the grow
ing magnitude of the problem. The
number of homeless swelled to
400, 900 100000 up. Today
it stands above 100000.
A disaster relief director for
U. N. Joined private agencies in
trying to meet the problem. The
Palestine mediator appealed to
U. N. member nations for contri-
buttons. Private agencies received
more appeals. Supplies came in,
but never fast enough nor great
enough to meet the need.
Rowing Headquarters
Partially in a candid effort to
spotlight the crisis. Ambassador
Griffis few to several refugee
camps, taking press correspond
ents with him. He helped them
get pictures and file stories.
In mid-November, the United
Nations General Assembly at
Paris faced an inevitable conclu-
sion: The Palestine refugee prob
lem was now too big for private
agencies too big for the Arab
governments too big for
piecemeal expedients.
Acting on a joint proposal of
the United States, the United
Kingdom. Belgium and the Meth
erlands. U. N. approved plan for
a S32. 100000 relief program, sup
ported by voluntary national con-
tributions. 1t authorized loan
of S5,O00,000 from U. N. working
capital to get the project in mo-
ton, and empowered Trygve Lie
to appoint a U. N. director and an
assisting, seven-man board. Stan
ton Griffis was named director.
From the day of his appoint
ment, things began to happen. In
q press interview. Mr.. Griffls was
asked where he planned to estab-
lish his headquarters. His reply
was Illuminating; headquarters
would be wherever he landed
Cairo Beirut - Geneva - GAIA
Damascus. This reply was no
figure of speech. In Geneva,
there is suite of Offices set aside
for UNRPR in the "Palais des
Nations" with an imposing chain
of rooms marked Director. Mr..
Griffis has spent 10 days there in
more than two months. He's been
in Cairo Beirut . GAIA
Saudi Arabia.
Up Relief Groups
The whole concept of a relief
of subdirectors, divi-
sion chiefs, memo chains and
hard shell routines went out the
window. Before leaving Paris.
Director Grifis had signed agree