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100,000 Polish Refugees Need Aid, Red Cross Asserts; First $25,000 Spent

October 10, 1939
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A hundred thousand Polish refugees who fled into four neighboring countries are in urgent need of warm underclothing and medicines, the International Red Cross at Geneva and the League of Red Cross Societies cabled the American Red Cross here today. Many of the refugees are Jewish.

A $25,000 contribution from the Red Cross Sent Several days ago has been expended, the cables said. Of this $17,000 was for the purchase of underclothing and $3,000 for the Hungarian Red Cross to provide for refugees within Hungary.

There are an estimated 35,000 interned Polish Soldiers and 15,000 civilians in Rumania, Lithuania, Latvia and Hungary. A large number of the civilians are believed to be Jews who fled beyond the confines of the Nazi terror.

Several thousand chapters of the Red Cross are producing underwear and sweaters for the refugees, While voluntary contributions to the Red Cross total $174,736 to date.

The Red Cross mission headed by Ernest J. Swift has reached Europe safely. Before sailing, Swift conferred with Paul Baerwald, chairman of the Joint Distribution Committee, and the two organizations are exchanging information and working in cooperation.

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