page_title: European War Office
section_title: The Office
hierarchical_section_title: European War Office / The Office
caption_attribution_description: Español: Julián Juderías (1877-1918).
context_page_description: The European War Office was a humanitarian office created by King Alfonso XIII of Spain to help the victims of the First World War, regardless of their allegiance, or whether they were of military or civilian status. The War Office was governed directly by the Private Secretary of the King; it was based in the Royal Palace of Madrid.
  One of the King's most imperative achievements was to create a compromise between both sides of the conflict, to prevent the further sinking of hospital ships. As consequence of this, Spanish naval observers sailed hospital ships of various countries, in order to ensure that the vessels were being used for their intended purpose, as opposed to military expeditions. The King also collaborated in the creation of a dedicated signal code for hospital ships.
context_section_description: The Office, was formed in, approximately, 1914 with six staff. A publication in a French newspaper, Le Petit Girondais, provoked an avalanche of letters from many Europeans asking for aid. This compelled the King to enlarge the Office to 48 staff members, all of them speaking several languages, assisted by many volunteers.  A notable member of the Office was historian and translator Julián Juderías, who spoke 15 languages.
  The office worked in coordination with the Red Cross and was structured in several sections:
  Missing People.
  Information and Correspondence in Occupied Territories.
  Prisoners.
  Repatriations of Soldiers Severely Wounded or Sick.
  Repatriations of Civilians.
  Internment Service in Switzerland.
  Pardons.
  Commutations of Sentences.
  Remittance of Funds to Individuals and Families in Occupied Territories.
  Reports on Inspection Visits by Spanish Delegates.
  The Office admitted more than 200,000 letters —140,000 of them from the families of soldiers— all of whom were answered thanks to, what Juan José Alonso Martín, director of the Palace General Archives, has described as "a primitive computing system."
  The efforts of the King was not only to find people's relatives but to cease the practice of capital punishment. It is calculated that approximately 100 were saved from execution thanks to the Office —including French and German soldiers. The King even tried to save Tsar Nicholas II of Russia and his family, with no success. The Palace General Archives have more than 90 documents sent to St. Petersburg that proves the efforts to liberate or visit the Tsar —the Office's staff visited more than 4,000 prisoners over all Europe— but the Romanovs were already dead when the rescue operation began. However, the King was not sure of the fate of the Tsarina and her children so he and his Office continued.
  There is evidence that his efforts were instrumental in lifting the German invasion of Belgium, so that provisions from the United States could reach its nine million inhabitants.
caption: Julián Juderías in 1918
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