Saving Poland’s “Children of the Children"

“Food for the Small Democracies,” 1939–1942 & 1946

Abstract

The National Committee on Food for the Small Democracies was formed to “raise a voice on behalf of the peoples of Finland, Norway, Holland, Belgium, and Central Poland” shortly after the Nazi invasion. Former President of the United States Herbert Hoover organized the committee, and its mission statement was dramatic: “To the end that the lives of millions of children, women, and men can be saved from the inevitable famine and pestilence which confront them, and that renewed hope may be given to them in the ideals of mankind.” Over 37 million people’s lives were threatened. The Americans forming the committee included 600 dedicated professionals and 3,000 members of the clergy along with numerous supporting organizations. Their speeches carried strong titles: “Why the Hoover Plan Will Not Aid Hitler?,” “Can This Famine Be Prevented?,” and “Must They Starve?” Hoover’s appeal to save “the innocent victims of war” was based on personal experience, for he had already saved millions of lives – especially those of children – from starvation during the previous global conflict. Now, in Poland, Belgium and elsewhere, he would be saving “the children of the children.”