made possible for a time the mass feeding of thousands of homeless in Bel¬grade. The complete occupation of the Balkans and the island of Crete made it necessary to divert to the British Middle East the cargoes destined for Greece, and there, under Red Cross supervision, relief was administered to Greek refugees and through the British Red Cross to war sufferers in Syria, Abyssinia, Eritrea, and Egypt. What Kind of Help Relief provided through the American Red Cross to war sufferers abroad is not confined to any limited categories of relief. Any form of aid will be extended which may be deemed most effective in meeting the needs. Assist¬ance has included cash grants, ambulances, mobile canteens, complete X-ray units, food, clothing, medical supplies, surgical dressings, establishment of nurseries, and many other types of aid. The war relief operations of the American Red Cross have been con¬ducted in accordance with well-established policies growing out of the Treaty of Geneva, subsequent international conventions, the Congressional Charter, and the precedents and experience accumulated in previous and current foreign relief activities. Without discrimination as to race, religion, or political opinion, relief has been given, when conditions have permitted, to the sick and wounded of the military forces, to prisoners of war, and to civilians in need as a result of war conditions. In these operations due consideration is given by the Amer¬ican Red Cross to its responsibility to those who have provided the funds used for foreign relief. In order to eliminate duplication and the expense of maintaining a large staff in foreign countries, as well as to strengthen exist¬ing organizations, assistance is extended—under the supervision of Red Cross representatives—through the international network of the Red Cross, includ¬ing the International Red Cross Committee, the League of Red Cross So¬cieties, and the individual Red Cross societies of the nations affected. Where large operations on behalf of civilian populations are conducted, other na-tional and local agencies in the particular country are used in cooperation with the Red Cross organization. No supplies are sent abroad for relief distribution except in response to definite requests from reliable representatives and with due consideration for the responsibilities of Red Cross societies and the responsibilities of govern¬ments. In this way the relief granted is known to be required to fill definite urgent war-caused needs and valuable shipping space is not wasted in the shipment of less necessary or even unwanted supplies. When extensive oper¬ations are contemplated, an American Red Cross committee, composed of American citizens resident in the foreign country, is usually formed to trans-mit approved requests for aid, supervise distribution, and maintain contact 10 with relief agencies and Governmental officials. These committees, particularly in Great Britain and China, are rendering valuable assistance. Operations in Occupied Territory Successful American Red Cross relief operations have been carried on in European countries occupied by belligerent forces, as in Poland and in the vicinity of Paris following the occupation. For the past year, however, the existence of blockades and the conditions in occupied European countries have prevented such activities because of the impossibility of maintaining certain minimum standards required by the American Red Cross for the proper dis¬charge of its responsibilities. The American Red Cross must have freedom of action to conduct relief operations. To insure the essential freedom of action, it is required that provision be made for the continued presence of Red Cross personnel to observe and supervise relief distribution. There must be un¬hampered communication with such representatives as well as channels free from effective blockades for the shipment of supplies from the United States. Sources of Funds and Supplies Funds and supplies for American Red Cross war relief operations have come from three major sources. In the first place, the American Red Cross through its national organization has utilized contributions from the public for war relief activities, most of which were given during the War Re¬lief Campaign begun in May 1940. Although the goal was first set at $10,- 000,000, increasing needs made it necessary to double that amount. Public contributions poured in through the effective nation-wide organization of the Red Cross, and within a few weeks nearly $22,000,000 had been raised. Donors were allowed to designate the country to which they wanted aid to be given as a result of their contributions. The second major source of Red Cross aid has been the work of volun¬teers throughout the country who, since the outbreak of hostilities, have worked through their local chapters in the production of garments, layettes, and surgical dressings and bandages. Some of the materials for these sup¬plies have been purchased by the National Organization, others have been supplied by government agencies using the Congressional appropriation for war relief, and still others have been provided by the chapters themselves. The value of these supplies cannot be reckoned by the cost of the materials nor by their market value alone. Their worth must also be measured by the strength and courage which comes to the war sufferers with the realization that the help received comes from the working hands of American volunteers. (See Chapter Production below.) Finally, large quantities of supplies for distribution through the Amer¬ican Red Cross to war victims abroad have been provided as a result of a 11