January 4, 1945 UNRRA: ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND PROBLEMS I. Accomplishments. - Some 1200 persons have been recruited, including an excellent Bureau of Supply and Health Division. As to finance, contributions of nearly $1,800,000 have been provided for operating expenses and most of the members have paid their administrative quotas. As to operations, while UNRRA has not yet taken over direction of relief in any liberated area, the following facts may be noted: (1) it is running refugee camps. In the Middle East for some 50,000 Greek, Yugoslav, Albanian and Italian refugees; (2) it has arranged with the military to care for displaced persons in Italy and to send supplies to Italy early this year to supplement the military relief program; (3) it has sent personnel into Greece to act for the military and is prepared to do the same in Albania and Yugo- slavia; (4) it has arranged with SHAEF to attach UNRRA health and displaced persons personnel to the SHAEF G-5 missions; (5) it has arranged with the U.S. Typhus Commission for interchange of personnel on typhus teams; (6) it has concluded agreements with Norway, Belgium, the Netherlands, France and Luxembourg to send UNRRA missions to those countries for health, welfare and dis- placed persons activities; (7) it is prepared, as soon as they have the consent of the Soviets, to send supplies to Poland and Czechoslovakia, and WSA has promised a small amount of shipping for this purpose commencing this month; (8) UNRRA has made sub- stantial progress with respect to the acquisition of supplies in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and the American republics; (9) an UNRRA mission is in Ethiopia; and (10) regional offices for the Far East have been opened at Sydney and Chungking. II. Problems. - 1. UNRRA urgently needs a vigorous and competent Senior Deputy Director General to counteract the Governor's over-cautiousness. The British have not offered a capable substitute for Sir Arthur Salter who previously had this job. The Governor has asked for Commander Jackson of MESC and Richard Law has promised to do what he can to release him. If he cannot get Jackson, the place might then be filled by a strong European such as P. A. Kerstens of the Netherlands or a first-class American like Charlie Poletti or Ferdie Eberstadt. 2. It needs a strong American Deputy in London in charge of field operations. This position has been vacant since Lithgow Osborne resigned. The Governor tried to get Charlie Taft and President Hopkins of Dartmouth. Bill Batt has been mentioned as a possibility. 3. It |