Daily Post - 05.11.1943, Blaðsíða 3

UAiL Y
Postmaster to the World
One of the greatest problems
in all countries after the Un-
ited Nations' victory will be to
reunite the families separated
by a war which has affected
civilians as much as the armed
forces. Entire populations in
Europe have been uprooted and
moved to new localities. Milli-
ons of men, women and child-
ren have fled from their homes
in the path of invasion. Towns
have been levelled to the
ground. Refugees wander in a
total blackout of communica-
tion, not knowing what has be-
come of their families.
Here is good news for all
thoce who have friends or rela-
tives in wartorn countries.
Since the beginning of the war
Red Cross agents have been
busy carrying messages be-
tween people whose usual chan-
nels of communication—mail,
telegraph, cable—have been
closed. Their experience ir. lo-
cating missing persons will
mean the difference between
hope and despair to manv fa-
milies when the work of re-
habilitation begins.
The American Red Cross In-
quire Service has been especi-
ally active in this work, since
the population of the United
States includes citizens. of 50
differnt national backgrounds.
Under the rules of the United
States Office of Censorship, this
Service is today the only med-
ium through which Americans
get in contact with relatives in
Poland, Hungary, Belgium and
the other nations locked in the
dark isolation of war.
With the cooperation of the
International Red Cross Com-
mittee in Switzerland, the Am-
erican Red Cross Inquiry Unit
has helped thousands of re-
fugees abroad to communicate I
with friends in the United i
States, has delivered mesasges
from inquirers in the United
States to people in enemy or
enemy-occupied countries, and
helped locate Americans miss-
ing in war zones. It has become
a gigantic postal station
through which passes an end-
less stream of anxious queries,
pleas for help, and messages of
reassurance ey d heartbreak.
In one recent week this Unit
received 7,500 messages from
Europe and Asia in answer to
inquiries that originated in the
United States. In the last nine
months these messages numb-
ered more than 200,000.
UNIVERSAL PROCEDURE
The procedure for sending
messages is the same in all
countries. They must be sent on
an official Red Cross form
headed “The International
Committee of the Red Cross,
Office of the Consul General,
Geneve, Switzerland”. Below
this is another line showing the
National Red Cross Society
from which this message ori-
ginates—Danish, British, Ame-
rican or any country on the
globe.
Replies from persons missing
in the Far East have already
been received at the American
National Red Cross headquart-
ers in Washington. Some of
these came from the Interna-
tional Red Cross Committee de-
legates in Shanghai and Hong
Kong. Others came through the
Japanese Red Cross, concerning
people in the Philippines, Thai-
land, and Malaya. The Red
Cross is everywhere and serves
everyone, rich and poor, of
every color and creed.
The messages which are sent
on the official Red Cross forms
cannot be more than 25 words
in length. They must be con- |
fined to tsrictly personal matt-
ers. After the space for the mes-
sage there are spaces for the
name and address of the sender
and for complete information
on the last-known whereabouts
of the person for whom the
message is intended. On the re-
verse side of the official form
is the place for the answer.
When the messages are re-
ceived at the local Red Cross
chapters in the United States
they are forwarded to the Na-
tional Headquarters where they
are sorted and passed by the
censor. If they are found to be
legitimate personal messages
without any information that
could be of any military use,
they are released for shipment
to the International Committee
of the Red Cross in Geneva,
Switzerland, which is made up
exclusively of Swiss citizens.
The International Office sends
the mesages to the National
Red Cross Headquarters in the
country of their destination
where they must again pass
through censorship before be-
ing delivered to the localities
where the addressees formerly
lived.
TIME-CONSUMING
From six months to a year
is the usual period for a round-
trip message between sender
and receiver. This delay is due
partly to the uncertainty of
transportation and the number
of channels through which a
missive must pass to comply
with international treaties
governing communication be-
tween countries at war. But it
is more likely to be due to the
difficulty of locating one indi-
vidual in the havoc and confu-
sion of world war. The Red
Cross has been remarkably suc-
cessful in the majority of cases.
Few messages are returned
marked “Unable to Locate”.
Once in a while one is received
from a relative of the person
addressed, reading thus: “We
are well but from father have
had no news.” Some bear the
official stamp “Addressee
peacefully deceased”. Even this
news is a merciful release from
torturing suspence and uncer-
tainty.
With concentration camps
overflowing, the Red Cross In-
quiry Servic efrequeqtly has to
range the world in its search
for missing persons. Here is a
typical case. The American re-
latives of a Polish mother and
son sent a message asking for
word of their safety. Investiga-
tion showed that they had been
driven from their home by Nazi
invaders. The Red Cross.picked
up traces of them in Breslau,
Germany. There it was found
they had separated. The boy
was finally located in Iran, and
the mother in Samarkand, Rus-
sia. A message was sent to each
of them telling the whereabouts
of the other, and word came
back to their relatives in the
United States saying that they
still lived.
The texts of the messages
which flow in and out of Red
Cross Headquarters reveal in a
few words the dull apathy of
these who have been living
under the Nazi heel in occupied
countries. From a woman in
the State of New York went
this query to her sister in Paris.
“How are you getting along and
are you in need? Wish I could
help you.”
The sister replied: “All well.
Life difficult. Am working and
not in need of money but food
scarce.”
Fear lies behind the reply of
this mother in Athens to her
son in New York City: “Dear
children. We are all well in
Athens. Houses in Piraeus
slightly damaged. Do not for-
get me.”
Some of the replies from ene-
my countries throw a blinding
light on the unrest among the
populace and achieve a drama-
tic effect by their very under-
statement. From Germany
came this message. “I am in
labor camp. Parents rem ved
end of July. Nothing i.aore
heard.”
And from Italy came this
one. “Have been notified re-
turn is possible by exchange of
citizens. Have refused offer till
sister freed.”
For sheer drama nothing in
the files of the Red Cross has
equalled a message from Po-
land: “We are alive.”
In cheerful contrast was the
reply of a young refugee in
New York to an inquiry from
relatives in Italy. “Mama
healthy, papa peppy. Working
office yet.”
The Red Cross does more
than meet the physical needs of
the victims of warfáre. It helps
relieve the spiritual and mental
sufferings of those who are
without word of loved ones. It
is one of the most appreciated.
services in the world.
Oct. 29. — Sammy Angott
returned to the boxing wars
and defended his lightweight.
title successfully against Lut-
her “Slugger” White in Holly-
wood Wednesday night. Angott
easily won the 15 round en-
counter—giving the Baltimore
negro a boxing lesson. Th&
fight had a 67 minute delay be-
tween the third and fourth
rounds as the Hollywood ball
park lightning system failed.
* * *
Two English fighters—Jac-
kie Patterson and Freddie
Mills—have been moved up to
the championship level in the
latest quarterly ratings issued
by the National Boxing Asso-
ciation. Patterson has been
named flyweight champion of
the world, succeeding Little
Dado of the Philippines, who
(Continued on page 4).