↑Confidential↓
Tuesday, August 16th 1921.
Dear Miss Addams,
RUSSIA. Miss Courtney and I got back from Poland on Sunday night and we were very much interested to find the various communications which had been going on with regard to the [organization] of an appeal for relief for Russia.
I hope very much you have been able to go to Geneva yourself and to discuss the whole matter with the representatives of our London Committee there. My own feeling about it is, that while it may be helpful to make a special appeal, backed by such names as Brent Allinson showed us, for funds to support Friends' work in Russia, that it would not be helpful to have this turned into a complete [organization] with its own treasurer, and it would not be necessary to do this as the appeal could simply suggest that subscriptions be sent direct to the Friends' headquarters.
[written in left margin] ↑With regard to the names Brent Allinson showed us I imagine more consideration will be given before the list is decided on -- but don't feel specially qualified to make suggestions.↓
We seemed to get a little bit nearer to the Russian problem while on our visit to Poland, where so many refugees were returning, and had a good deal of talk with them. It was a great drawback not being able to talk direct with those who only spoke Polish or Russian, but those from Galicia spoke German, and with these, we could get in closer touch.
I do not think there is anything more we can do about the question now but wait to hear what your next step is.
A.R.A. CHILD FEEDING IN AUSTRIA. I hope you will forgive me troubling you again about this.
We now hear from Captain Richardson that Mr. Brown is refusing to allow any A.R.A. supplies to be handed over to us for distribution. They are insisting on Captain Richardson undertaking the feeding of children of all ages, even though the supplies [page 2] which, since the Russian catastrophe, are allocated to Austria are far less than the estimated need.
Mr. Brown is requiring Captain Richardson to undertake the feeding of 15,000 children under four. This is about half the number which we estimate will require feeding next winter, and I should suppose that the number that they are feeding above the age of four is also below that likely to require it. Captain Richardson is insisting on using the same method as ours for the children under 4, for which we are very glad, but he is very empathetic to us that he does not know how to do it as efficiently as we have been doing and feels that there will be great waste of time and money in changing over the administration.
We are appealing to our Home Committees to find the funds for an additional 15,000 whom we expect will need our help. Of course, conditions may improve enormously before next winter and make this unnecessary, but I cannot think that there is really much hope that this will be the case.
It is probably too late for anyone to do anything to alter this decision of Mr. Brown's now, but the point which I am venturing to ask you to consider is whether Mr. Hoover [realizes] the kind of man Mr. Lyman Brown is, and whether he really means him to have so much power to insist ↑on↓ deciding policy. One gathers that Mr. Brown owes his position to the fact that he is a good [organizer] of shipping facilities and so on, and this, naturally, does not in itself, make him a good judge as to the method by which relief should be administered. He quite clearly has no knowledge whatever of Relief Work or Social Welfare Work of any kind and has the greatest contempt for those who have. If it is Mr. Hoover's wish that a man of this kind should control policy, nothing more can be done, but it is possible he does not [realize] that Mr. Brown is taking as much control as he does. [page 3]
It is discouraging to feel that Mr. Brown is to be the [organizer] of the American Relief Administration work for Russia where surely much wisdom and judgment will be necessary to ensure that real good is being done with the funds subscribed.
I cannot very well give you all the evidence that I have for the truth of what I have said about Mr. Brown, but I am perfectly satisfied that you will find [no one], who knows anything about the situation, who will give a different opinion.
SUMMER SCHOOL -- SALZBURG. We are very glad to hear that the Summer School has been successful and hope you have enjoyed it if you have not been too tired.
Please remember me very warmly to Dr. Hamilton and Miss Smith if they are still with you, and I hope you will forgive me for worrying you over this.
Yours very sincerely,
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