Papers of the War Cabinet's Eastern Committee [‎172r] (343/544)

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At that time he spoke of it as being necessary that we should ourselves organise and be
prepared to deal with the dreadful conditions that would follow peace-feeding the
enemy countries, the neutrals, and others in such places as are devastated. The
organisation he suggested was set up and is now working and doing its job, and is super
vising the feeding of the Allies. Directly the Armistice was announced Mr. Hoover
started to leave America in order to discuss the position with us, but we at once found
the Americans in this country ceased to take any part in the discussion. Mr. Hoover
arrived last Saturday week. We saw him on the Sunday and had a talk, but we got
no intimation whatever as to what his plans were for the future. All he did say, and
with complete definiteness, was tliat this organisation that he had set up in July and
August was no longer suitable ; it was a war-time organisation, but was not suitable for
anything afterwards, and that it must not dominate any other nation’s supplies. He then
went to France and has not yet returned. He was to have returned to-morrow, but that
has been postponed, and we do not know' when he comes back. Informally, I am told he is
absolutely of opinion that this Inter-Allied organisation has come to an end, and we have
learned informally that he is himself beginning to ship supplies to various parts of the
world from America. 1 hat applies not only to Armenia, which you have under
discussion now, but will apply to enemy countries, and the Balkan countries very largely.
I am alraid I must drag this in, because it is really part of the same problem. My
information is that Roumania is in a condition of terrible starvation, and Bulgaria too,
although perhaps that is less important, but Roumania undoubtedly is. Serbia is in a
condition of great difficulty as well. I was entrusted by the British Government to
look into these questions of relief, and I have failed to see what they are. All I have
been able to find is that there is no money available of any sort for anv relief scheme,
and it is essential that, if any relief scheme is to be started—it is quite easy to do it'
it is only a question of shipping food-supplies in small quantities while you look round
y ou ° lust have money to spend and shipping to use. You can then send supplies,
and look round and see what is happening. Mr. Hoover’s mind has run in precisely
the same way, and he is, in fact, doing it from America. He is sending cargoes of food
to Armenia, to Poland, and many other parts of the world, and he is establishing his
position so that he can do it. The British Government are doing none of these things,
and can do none of them, and cannot begin. We have an Armenian Relief Fund, but
you cannot send food from this country to Armenia; you must send it from the supplying
country, and we have no exchange at our disposal for sending food to Armenia^
assuming you wish to compete there and hold your own with America in this matter!
I am quite convinced in my own mind that supplies must be sent to Armenia, and
probably America is the right place, but I would strongly deprecate even the mere
acceptance of this American offer until we know what the whole scheme is. Even
though you let Armenia go, I imagine the British Empire could not let Serbia, Albania,
Roumania, and countries like that continue as they are. It is quite likely that if
America takes over the whole business and made a success of it, you would find, in
fact, the shipments to the Allies would interfere with the shipments to those places.
Lhey will go short, there will be an appeal to this country, and this country will either
have to interfere in something which has been handed over to America, or else say it is
powerless. J
LORD ROBERT CECIL : What places do you mean?
SIR JOHN BEALE : There are direct instructions, no doubt, and I speak
without any sanction. It is merely what I have gathered. When the Americans were
here in July, they thought if they set up an international organisation here to draw its
supplies mainly from America, that America would dominate. As I have said, the
international organisation is in America ; if it is to be in London, the British Govern
ment must do it, if relief is to operate from London. This food organisation, having
control of the buyer, is controlling the whole of the American market. Mr. Hoover is
a great producer, and he is irritated very much. America is the party controllino- the
price they get for their produce ; they are very annoyed, and they sav the organisation
must be purely American or there will be political differences in America.
LORD CURZON : Perhaps you may not have seen the actual terms* of the
proposal. 1 here is at the present moment in New York a very powerful bodv, largely
missionary in composition, the leading spirits of which are a Dr. Barton and others.
I hem names have been given to us, and they are men of mark and moment in the
United states. Their proposal is that a ship laden with the necessary food, personnel
Ac., should sail from America, that it should come direct to Europe, that it should be
* E C. 2540.
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