Norman H. Davis, chairman of the American Red Cross, conferred for a half hour with President Roosevelt today and afterward expressed the hope that James Nicholson, Red Cross representative, would shortly be able to go from Berlin to Cracow to inspect distribution of supplies from the Red Cross warehouse there.
Davis said some supplies had already been distributed by the Polish Red Cross. Further distribution will depend upon the manner in which these first supplies were handled and upon Nicholson’s report, if and when he is allowed to enter Cracow, he declared.
Asked what he knew of the latest reports of atrocities in Poland, as publicized by the Vatican, the Red Cross chairman said he understood the troubles were taking place in “Nazi Poland” and not in “Polish Poland.” He said the Red Cross was concerned only with that part of Poland not claimed by the Nazis as an integral part of the Reich State.
Meanwhile, Secretary of State Cordell Hull avoided comment on the atrocity accounts when questioned at his press conference. Hull said he would have to make a further study of his reports from Poland before making a statement. From other sources it was learned that reports of foreign service officers in Warsaw to the State Department have been barren of information concerning the atrocities.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
