--- ,· . ' - ~~ -----1.- Via Diploma.tic Pouch. v' ./ Mr. Van Arsdale Turner, Acting Asst. Director, Civilian Relief, Insular & Foreign Operations, American Red Crose, National Headquarters, Washington, D.c. Dear Van: Reverting to your letter of March 17 and 9J1l' reply of April Y, on the subject of the copy O!/the current report on the work of the Joint Relief Commission in Poland which you desired to receive, the London Committee of the International Red Cross have now been able to furnish us with copies of the following reports, which please find enclosed herewith: Join{ Relief Commission of the International Red Cross, a~~va, Distribution of medical supplies to.Poland, 11 Comporel S JDent", 1942-1943. v v Joint Relief Commission of the International Red Cross, Geneva,. Med~aments Envois en Pologne 1942-1943. "" -~ The I.R.CoC. inform us that a copy of the report of the Joint Relief Commission in Poland was sent direatiy to you from Geneva on March 1.4. ~"fil:rr~ / William L. Gower, Director of Civilian Re.lief. RW. .• . OFTHi;i rn"iEi~ATIQ~AL RIBD CROSS International Heid Gross Committee - 4, Cours des Bastions1 - PHARMACEUTICAL SERVICE ...;. MEDICAL SUPPLIES i. '' ShipmentR into Poland. Typed on slip '~ttached to this page. In order tlnt ,,'co may oc; Hble to fill in the gaps which are apparent, in thi:c tre1o,tl:c<?, >;7 :ih~~ll oe very grC1.teful if you ~till com~nunicate any additional in !'orma ti on, wi;ich you rrmy possess. un following page, SUMMARY \ Pages1 I. Introductory Note 1 & 2 ,\\ \ II. Resume of Shipments: \ ·\ . \ a. Shipments made by the Joint Relief Commission of \ the In tern a tional Red Gross in Geneva .3 to 5 · -_x-. b. !le-siiipments by th'l Joint Relief Commission, .it_ of shipments coming f~om the "Commission for Polish Relief" 1 in New York and from the Amer­ ican Red Cross, in Nashington 6 to 7' III. D"!tailqd Lists of the Shipments (A ppendices) 8 to 2}:. \ The present memorandum conMfus the shipment of ,..,,, ........ ,""" ..... ""PP...... "<?· sanitary materiel sent into Poland (The General,Uo·veirnnietilt . Commission of the International Hed Cross, in Geneva, 1943. These miscellaneous shipments whether theywere hnd by the Joint Relief Commission; or {!ifts in kind, shipped through us, acting as intermediary. Thanks to the funds which were entrusted to it b; the represF.lntativ~s Switzerland of the Polish humnnitarian organizations in foreign count:r-iesj Join 1:, 1.elief Commiusion 11«s in the process of p!-'oceedirit with the pu.rchase in Swi.tzed:md of large lots of .Jedical supplies and of vaccines which •1ere of· . prim" import:.:.n\].e, of pharmaceutical specialties in ol!:rrent use, and of vitam:in!JJ- .. for ?/Jlich it hnd drg:mized '.;he trnnsportation into Poland. , · I ' "!.or·;;over, it !~'·:>.d =tlso Leen c.ble to attain Lhe transportation into Poland of ;, L.r;<c, shipment of ph·-tr:n:',ceuticccl products coming from the "Commission for Polish ~ 0 li~f", ln New fork, 3.s well as for several lots of medical supplies sent by tha ;\!'fl.-:::.. i.:.~:.~n ;1-:Li C:·oss, in A.~)hington. Thus, des;:ii te the Jifficul t.ics of all sorts which in te!Yupted the O!'ganiza tion o" fo·Js: shipment~o and deli:iJt:>d enormously the shipment of the necessities of first importc,nce, the Joint Commission is happy to state that nevertheless, it mis pos- ,, sible to huve sent into i'oland \Gen<Jral Government), during the years 1942 and 1943, 'l l"'rge amount page 2. of medical supplies cind of ;;1..ni tary materiel. · The hum,mi tarian Polish organizations wliich existed before the war have cob- " siderably litnHed their actii'i ties in the sphere of the General Government,- bu~ there is a new institution, the "Rada Glowna Opiekuncza.11 The Cnetral Polish Heli~ Go1i:nit.tee), '''iich he's its headquarters in Cracow, and which has been charged with'\ the making up of the deficiency for their activities. It is then to this organi- \ ia ti on th!t t all of the tihipmen t~; mentioned in the present memorandum have been \ !"cmt, J?i th the exception of a special shipment intended fo:b the hospitals, for the medic,tl flerv.lce0 and for the seriously ·.vounded which, for this reason, was f!.ddr"'.ssed to ths Polish Red Cross in Gracow. The di vb ion, among the loc&l org;rniza tions, of a large part of these ship­ men L "11li their uistr.i.bution to "':.he :v.,,lfare organizations !ind to the needy pop-,. ul'ltion ims e~rried out in t,be presence of a. special delegate of the International :t-.::d C!:oss Gom~~i ttee .. Joint Relief Commission of the In terna tional Red Crot.m~ SUMMARY OF THE SHIPMENTS .. a. Shipments made by the Joint Relief' of the In te :·national. Red Crosu, .•in l. Ih ti; of tlJ<c shi proen t: August 19 i;.nd 20, 1942. :Vledical supp:}.ies, pharmaceutical, specialties and vaccines (Detctiled list in Appendix 1.) I 239 packa6es and 3 demijohns total gross wieght: 12,271 kgs. value in francs; 291,973.- - Receipts: The ll.cknowledgment of' receipt from the "Central Polish Relief Co:nmittee in Cracow, is dated ;;ep. 8 1942. 1 * ~. Date of shipmsnt: February :.: 7, 19/,J. \tedical supplies, pharmaceutical specialties, d!:'essings, surgical instruments, syringes and hypodermic ncoed.les. (Detail<:id list in Appendix II.) ~·65 cases and packages, 4 7 barrels 11+ 'fotal t;ross ;deght: 1 344 kgs Value in fr1:ncs: 116,428,- - iteceipt: The ickno•iiledgemen t of receipt from the "Gen tral Polish Relief 11 Cornrni ttee in Craco~<, is :ihted March l;c and 15, 1943. * ~at0 of shiement Medical supplies, pharmaceutical specialties, insulin, serums and vaccines, disinfecta,nts. · (Detailed li:.;t in Appendix III.) · - 140 cases, 6 barrels, 3 packages Total gr;oss weight: 7 1 359 kgs. Value in francs: 360,145.- - ... Receipt: The ackno7iledgement of ·receipt Committee,inCi:'acow, is dated * Date of shipment: March 1, 1943. ~: Medical supplies, pharma.ceutfqal suringe s I.ind hypodermic needles.· {Detailed list in AppendixIV.) · ..,- .. .-. ·.1_.,;·1~-;v-,f·-if1' •. lJ cases, f demijohn total ,;(ross weight: 838 kgs. f,. value in francs: 28,1+04.-- Remarks: This shipment, especially intended f'or the hospitais, medfoal services, sanir.ary services and for the seriously wounded, waa adctre~sed to the Polish Red Cross, in Cracow. The Central Polish Relief Committee, in Gracow S'3nt us an 1 ack.;.:_._/~­ no11le<lgexent of receipt for this shipment dated March 12, 194.3;. ( · . 'j .-:: ' . 2 kgs • l ,'~·~:i'': i ·~os'' ·vei,ch".,: 5. 7 kgs v~:..lu ..::? in fr'.:.Il•:!b: ~,850.-- i{.~;~•ci pt::;: Th'i ::.e!kno1!ledg'Jm·m t of recr3ipt from the Central .Polish Relief Com:ni ttee, i.n Cr01cow, ·.;is d!ited M:lrch 26, 1943. * 6; Date of shipment: June d, 1943. Pharmaceutical specialties and vitamins "Roche" (Dstsiled list in Appendix V.) 18 cases Total gross ··rnigh t~ 1,171 kgs Value in francs: 49,194.-- ;{emarks: This shipment consists of a ·gift of the firm of F. Hoffman LaRoche ·'< Company, in Basle. !'ceceii)L.'H . Tha &ci~nov1.Ledge1nent oi' fo11sh i\~lief Con~n~itt~;e· * 'i"·:.:it;...l ~r~1.:>s wei,,.;lit; l,.L:50 k.gu. \r:-:·..L~Jc! i: i'r:~~lCLZ ~- ,660.-- 1 1[ ..~ ~ G_·~J.'..Jilj_:J .•. ~.~;]1~.:fl.L l"~,_;i;:~il_JL rrom the Gcntrci-l .Polish ·~J..~ ~-.::~· ~cii~:· i L t.-:0 i~: ._,r::·.00;•1, O·. .!~---r·~~ t110 dhte ol ::_'..-~",.:\.,· ~·-'~~~\.j~"r\ t0 :>i"'eeJ ·.;Li.Lo ueiae; t,nrnsporte<l. ·-1~1-"'-lt.· ..L~ l!...:~i~·~:it. l.i r8ee:i t!L. ih\':.iChl.88 ci 5hortage of .... ,,_ .rJ<.,.;: ,;::r, . ----- ..i~.~1~--tf'/, - ,-44, ·cue Join"L ..:1.t.::.ii~f' .__,/ ,:;i., .. ~.\Ll _i.,. _. ;~·-.:v.:-~, :.J!_;.~11"·.:! .. ;;::-.l<_l utai>i-~~8 1...o tna t\.J.Lioh -~~-.i·::f ~or:.r~:i 1..L·:~·; i:1 >·-·.t..:oW, ~J .J.. ... r;t:: ltu.:~nl.i'L~Y- of "'.-_: ___ .__, _j..l._ __ -=_;, _1( l J..b l.,' .. th:L... • • - _; -- •• t t-_;_ ~:::_ • ~· u. Re-shipmEints, lJy the Joint fuli~f Gom_mi:;sion from th·a· "Commission- for Poli5h :1eliei'0 ; ;l:n Arr,-"ricEcn it'i!d ~r.:.iss_, in iiashit.gton • . -· . 'rv:·ti<,n: Th,; ,,;3d5.::ctl 3i;1:pi.ia8 'i.ddrdt'.sed to the. Helief organizatiotis i-' ;_c-.n.:i t:.;; tlie "Cc~ 1~j :,:;i 0i1 for PoliBh Helief•i, ln New YorkL :.;;, l ha iu1:'"'ri Cf;n hCl~ .:; (',)68, hi !iashi:,gton, vlere S€iilt to' thelJ'.' ':ec;tin .tion · ·v1.r0,10;L the L1termedi,ll'J' of t,he Joint. Helief•Gdm~. 1i;i:;sLin 0.:.· the l:.t,errwtio11~l L(ed Grons, in Geneva. '.rhese -vri1•iO.iis··. ~=-:_i i:.::n·LG ~ver~ (!hGCAd:i ;.:;ver .:in the btln-~ tf~r;y St~ttionS _of· the Jt:;i ~~ t. l>.:·;::c,j ~'.J::) i ·~·n J .. - t t.h~ 1~U~· toms l:.o;:Jcied h&-i'·ehoUS~!? of GBneva- -. ,::,.-,·;; 'I:'. , : .:1•: re;';!;L.; .,;ci to 20l0;nu ,,rter V<Jrii'ic<d,,iou of the · r·ci. n ii :J~ 1 ni th ::.:t..:_110m.a.:d,, ·,-;_._· Lllu f'ic1al clt;.m&ge a.n~ &.n allow~ ;;.:!~ l~-·1· tr~e ~-:.._. .:i·:li t, L_.11 .._,f tL.e jHi.. C!Kfages whicb_:h;,d deterior~ted _--~.- <t( .