Council for the European Aid Agency

The Council for the European Fund ( english European Relief Council ) and European Assistance Council called, was a company created on September 27, 1920 American organization in which nine dealt with assistance in post-war Europe individual organizations came together to the suggestion of Herbert C. Hoover to coordinate their activities.

After the initially public American Relief Administration had responded to the most urgent emergencies resulting from the First World War in 1919 , the continued lack of food for children made private commitment necessary. Since the actions of individual aid organizations, which are already running in parallel, would only be able to solve the problem together, the following organizations took part in the European Aid Council:

• American Friends Service Committee (Quaker Fund)
• American Red Cross ( American Red Cross )
• American Relief Administration
• Federal Council of the Churches of Christ in America
• Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (Jewish Aid Organization)
• Columbus Knight
• National Catholic Welfare Council
• Young Men's Christian Association (Young Men's Christian Association)
• Young Women's Christian Association (Ymca women)

It was decided that aid to children in need in Central and Eastern Europe should take precedence over any other aid to Europe until the next harvest. An estimated 3.5 million children in dire need prompted the American public for the largest charity event ever. The success was due to the good reputation of Chairman Hoover and the participating organizations, but also to the support committees that were formed in many cities. The so-called Hoover Drive raised 29.5 million dollars, of which the ARA with 15.7 million and the Red Cross with 10 million dollars were assigned the largest positions for their work. After its transformation into a children's aid organization under private law in July 1919, the ARA had the exact name "American Relief Administration European Children's Fund".

proof

• Frank M. Surface / Raymond L. Bland: American Food in the World War and Reconstruction Period. Operations of the Organizations Under the Direction of Herbert Hoover 1914 to 1924 , Stanford University Press, Stanford 1931, pp. 77-80
• Hermann Stöhr: This is how America helped. The United States' Foreign Aid 1812-1930 , Ökumenischer Verlag, Stettin 1936, pp. 160-164
• Herbert Hoover: Memoirs (Vol. 2). The Cabinet and the Presidency 1920–1933 , Matthias-Grünewald-Verlag, Mainz 1952, pp. 22–25