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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (March 13, 1941)
DAILY NEBRASKA Thursday, MarcK 13, 1941 QommsmL SuUsdm, Belgian relief would aid nazis Dear Editor: From either intent or ignorance you have published an extremely misinformed editorial upon the Hoover relief proposals. Reports from both American relief workers and the French government do not re veal that Germany is doing everything she can. As a matter of fact she has increased the problem recently by pouring thousands of un desired mouths out of Germany into unoccupied France. I state this not on the ex parte statements of Herbert Hoover, but from those of the Vichy government and of the Relief Committee of the Friends now in southern France. And this is apart from the millions of tons of foodstuffs taken from occupied lands. If transportation facilities were good enough after the collapse of France to move these into Germany why do you think they can't be moved back? Your statement about "bona fide governments of vanquished countries" is also incorrect. The Vichy government is the sole one you can cite. Why not say so? Your statement of the "pleadings of the small democracies" theoretically should exclude France since it is neither small nor today a democ racy. What semblage of an official statement from a small democ racy can you quote? , "England is being asked for nothing" is patently absurd. Eng land is being asked to give advantages to the occupied lands that her own people do not possess. England is being asked to allow that Ger many have the use of the manpower of the occupied countries while American charity supports their families. England is being asked to repeat her experiences' of the last war, when the tin cans that car ried American food to Belgium were used to make German hand grenades, when German generals after having eaten relief supplies had the effrontry to congratulate American officials upon its quality. Malnutrition and starvation are horrible. Your committee is seek ing to aid in perpetuating the organization that has caused them Your committee i3 seeking to aid the victory of the power that has officially disclaimed, in this specific case, any responsibility for the results of its own acts. The unfairness of your editorial approaches closely to maliciousness, when you state that the suffering is caused by the British blockade and omit to mention both the looting by Ger many of the provisions stored up for emergencies and official state ments such as those by the Dutch government G. W. Gray. We may be wrong, but . . The information which the DAILY now has available makes acceptance of Dr. Gray's view by us impossible. The editorial on war relief referred to above was not written through ignorance, nor was it an intentional misrepresentation of the facts as Dr. Gray suggests, but was based upon information released by Herbert Hoover, Marshal Petain, and the American Committee for Food for the Small Democ racies. It is probably true that the responsibility of England in prolong ing the suffering of the conquered peoples of the continent, and the assistance shown by Germany in alleviating that suffering was over emphasized in the disputed editorial. Our stand was stated forcefully because the "right or wrong, England is right" attitude has become o dominant, that it takes a small sized explosion to open the eyes of many that England Is not 101 percent pure, and does show un necessary inhumaneness from time to time. Whatever the manner of presentation, however, the indisputable facts remain that the peoples of the small democracies are suffering from lack of food, that the British blockade is keeping essential food supplies from reaching them, and that, if the program of Herbert Hoover means anything, if Marshal Petain's statements have an lota of meaning and if Quakers working in these countries are not deliber ate liars, Germany is giving assistance. Marshal Petain declares that "the Germans are more generous than the English," and that they have released 2,000,000 quintals of wheat out of 2,700,000 requistioned for the German army for feed ing the people of occupied France. The essential part of the Hoover plan is that Germany give her assistance through returning part of the goods carted out of the vanquished countries, and give the relief workers a free hand in their work. Should Germany confiscate any goods, small as the quantity may be, the Hoover program comes to an end. A review of Polish war relief published In the Christian Science Monitor of November 23, 1940, points out that the German Red Cross Is co-operating with the Polish relief commfssion in alleviating hard ships there. And finally, the Quakers now working in Belgium, Holland and other small democracies report that Germany has given them a free hand. Regarding the efforts of "bona fide governments of vanquished Behind the News Seven billions asked Twenty-four hours after he had signed the lease-lend bill President Roosevelt asked congress for an appropriation of 17,000,000,000. In his letter transmitting the request the president declared, "It nations abroad" seeking relief for their nationals, we can again quote Herbert Hoover that he was contacted by the leaders of the five de mocracies to secure his assistance in organizing the kitchens. We have further, the Queen Wilhelmina relief commission, and the con tributions of the Polish government to the Commission of Polish Re lief as evidences of the intentions of these governments. And though it might have been possible that certain leakages did occur in the last war, they were not of sufficient size to cause con cern to the Allies. When Belgian relief was to be terminated in May of 1918, Prime Ministers Lloyd George and Clemenceau cabled a pro test to President Wilson stating that the military conclusions were all wrong, and insisted that the relief work should be continued in the occupied countries. . Ex-Prime Minister Asquith stated at the same time that he was convinced that relief food reached the Belgians and the French, and them alone. More than 10,000,000 people were supplied then by the 13 inte "xea P?110 OI f 13 Bvern , .. , , . , . ment to make for democracies same man who wants to run the soup kitchens now. The conclusions -every guTlf piane munition of should be the same, and the danger to the British blockade should be war that we possibly can." negligible. ? The appropriation estimate of Budget Director, Harold u. smith, which accompanied the president's letter, broke the $7,000,000,000 down into several categories, the largest of which was $2,054,000, 000 for planes and aviation equip ment, including engines, spare parts and accessories. Other categories included $1, 343,000,000 for ordnance and ord nance supplies; $1,350,000,000 for agricultural and industrial com modities; $362,000,000 for tanks and armored cars; $629,000,000 for ships and naval supplies; $260,000,000 for miscellaneous military equipment; $725,000,000 for building sites, tools and other facilities for manufacturing de fense articles, and $200,000,000 for testing, repairing and other wise keeping the defense articles in order. In the long run it makes no difference whether the responsibility lies at the door of England or Germany. The people do need food. That food is available, and is ready for shipment. If it can be dis tributed without aiding Germany in her war, humanitarianism de mands that the blockade be relaxed; that relief ships for the van quished, and for the vanquished alone, may get through. The Daily Nebraskan Bulletin FORTIETH YEAR. Subscription Kate are Sl.N Trr Semes ter or Sl.AO lor toe College ear. Si. SO Mailed. 81ns le copy, Onto. Entered as seeond-elass matter at the pastoffiee la Lincoln, Nebraska, wilier Act of Con pni, March 3, 1879, aad al special rata of postage provided for In Kertloa 1 103, Act of October S. 1917. Aatborlied Sep tember 30. 19ZZ. TASSELS. Tassels are antlfled that tickets to Oracle ileitis are M cents to students, SI to others. AO MATINEE DAME. The mr matinee dance sponsored by the Inlun will be held today at fi p. in. The university of California ex-1 tension division has inaugurated a course in television production and ' i acting. I YOUR DRUG STORE ?Our Box Candies are '"fresh"? sand going strong. Call us forS )Box Chocolates. 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