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The following was copied from Answer to G.I. Complaints published by the American Red Cross shortly after World War II. It was apparently distributed within the organization in 1946-47.
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This material has been prepared to assist you to answer complaints raised about Red Cross services to the military forces.
1. “THE RED CROSS CHARGED FOR FOOD AND LODGING IN OVERSEAS CLUBS.”
ANSWER: Yes it did, but at the request of the Army. The Red Cross charged for food, lodging, barber and valet services in stationary installations but did not charge in mobile facilities (clubmobiles, etc.)
Small charges for food and lodging overseas were no new departure. In both wars the Red Cross made nominal charges for food and lodging at the request of the military authorities. The official War department recommendation was made in a letter dated May 20, 1942, written by Henry L. Stimson, Secretary of War, and addressed to the Chairman of the American National Red Cross.
LETTER FROM THE SECRETARY OF WAR TO THE RED CROSS REGARDING CHARGES IN RED CROSS CLUBS
Mr. Norman H. Davis, Chairman
American National Red Cross
Washington, DC
Dear Mr. Davis:
United States military authorities in Great Britain have requested the Red Cross to establish clubs in certain cities in that area with a view to providing, as circumstances dictate, sleeping accommodations and meals in addition to the usual recreational facilities. The provision of food and lodging for enlisted personnel while on furlough, and at prices within their means, is a most important recreational facility, as many soldiers cannot otherwise avail themselves of leave privileges. The Red Cross officials appear to be reluctant to provide these accommodations, except on a basis of no charge to servicemen.
The War Department appreciates the motive of the Red Cross with respect to this matter and its established policy of free service, but under the circumstances it is believed impractical, unnecessary and undesirable that food and lodging be furnished free it is believed advisable that American soldiers be required to pay at least the actual cost of meals and lodging furnished for their convenience and benefits while on furlough. Such procedure is considered a sound business arrangement and conforms to local practice. It is therefore believed that such procedure should be adopted because of its merit rather tan because the local military commander requests that charges be made for the proposed services.
The War Department recommends that the Red Cross authorities in the British Isles be authorized to provide these services at such cost, as they deem appropriate.
A Copy of the War Department letter was posted on many club bulletin boards, but it was overlooked by vast numbers of men.
GENERAL EISENHOWER’S STATMENT
Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, Chief of Staff, United States of Staff Army, in his statement released to the press on April 10, 1946, reiterated the policy regarding such charges:
“During the current Red Cross fund campaign vast numbers of patriotic Americans have responded generously to the cause. Already the majority of chapters have reached or exceeded their local goals. In some communities, however, I understand the campaign is lagging, and I am surprised to learn that one of the reasons given is that complaints are being leveled at the organization’s overseas operation by returning servicemen. For the most part these criticisms have grown out of a Red Cross policy of making nominal charges to our forces for food and lodging in fixed Red Cross installations abroad. These complaints are distressing to me since this particular Red Cross policy was adopted at the request of the Army, so as to insure an equitable distribution among all service personnel of Red Cross resources.
“I know the Red Cross. I have seen it in action. Overseas it performed with the precision of well-trained army. It would be a grave injustice to the splendid work of the Red Cross if its campaign should be retarded anywhere by mistaken criticisms.
“In providing millions of pints of life saving blood plasma, thousands upon thousands of packages for prisoners of war, in relaying countless heart-warming messages regarding conditions at home, bringing comfort and entertainment and cheer to hospitals, leave areas and battle fronts, the Red Cross accomplished a prodigious task. In Africa-in England, later on the Continent, we learned how much it meant to find the companionship, the friendliness, the link with home the Red Cross managed to provide.
“The services of the Red cross are as urgently needed today by our occupation troops, our men in hospitals, and our veteran as they ever were by our fighting forces in time of war. The Red Cross needs and deserves our continued support.”
In this war it was recommended by the War Department that Red Cross make charges because of the relatively high rate of pay give to American servicemen, which from the point of view of our Allies compared unfavorably to the pay of Allied soldiers and sailors. This was particularly true in Great Britain where there was the greatest concentration of troops in the early days of the war. British servicemen were required to pay in their clubs and canteens.
In every case charges were below the cost to the American Red Cross. The prices varied from theater to theater because local food costs differed and no standard price could be set that would have applied to all theaters.
2. “THE RED CROSS CHARGED 15 CENTS FOR CUP OF COFFEE.”
ANSWER: This is not true. The complaints undoubtedly originated in the ETO and can be explained by the ticket system that was standard practice for all clubs in that theater to simplify accounting and keep some check on local cashiers of foreign nationalities. The Red Cross charged 10 francs or about 20 cents for a sheet of tickets (12 coupons) that entitled the bearer to 3 cups of coffee and 6 doughnuts.
Thus the cost of each coupon was less than 2 cents, and each sheet carried in print the information, “Good for any Red Cross Club in the ETO.” Some servicemen failed to examine their tickets carefully and may have assumed that the sheet of tickets was good for only one cup of coffee and doughnut.
In China coffee cost 10 cents and 2 doughnuts cost 10 cents. No coupons were used. In Italy coffee was free, and the organization charged 5 lira or about 5 cents for 3 cookies or pastries. In India a cup of coffee cost 2 anna or 4 cents. The cost of a doughnut was also 2 anna. Sheets of coupons were used in some sections of India. Higher prices charged in India and China were entirely due to the monetary inflation in those countries. Even so, prices charged by the Red Cross were much lower than those charged for the same items at civilian facilities and were charged for meals and individual items of food in such widely scattered place as France, Italy, and China. In France it was not unusual to have simple restaurant meal cost from $10 to $20 in American money, and in China things were even worse, with edible meals sometimes costing as much as $40 or $50.
This revenue made it possible to expand the club program and serve more troops that could have been served otherwise.
The Red Cross, contrary to the belief held by many servicemen and civilians, had to pay for most food supplies received from the Army, as well as for those obtained from local civilian sources. The Red Cross paid direct to the quartermaster from theater headquarters.
RED CROSS NO LONGER CHARGES IN CLUBS
New Agreement with War Department
Effective July 1, 1946, the War Department and the American National Red Cross have entered into new cooperative arrangements for the continuance of Red Cross overseas club service for occupational troops.
Under this new plan of operation the Army will continue to supply quarters in which club operations will be carried on. The Army will now furnish the general maintenance personnel and will operate within the clubs canteens at which it will sell food and nonalcoholic beverages.
The Red Cross will provide trained personnel to manage, supervise, and conduct the recreational programs carried on within the clubs. The organization will also furnish refreshments without cost at special entertainment events.
3. “THE RED CROSS SOLD CIGARETTES.”
ANSWER: This is not true. The sale of cigarettes is a violation of Red Cross policy and the Bureau of Internal Revenue regulations.
There were instances, however, in which servicemen paid for tax-exempt cigarettes carrying the name of the Red Cross. Such a situation may have come about through confusion of Red Cross supplies with army post exchange supplies, In the shipping and sorting of great quantities of overseas material, Red Cross cigarettes were sometimes taken to post exchange, and army cigarettes were accidentally acquired by the Red Cross. Thus a serviceman could have purchased cigarettes bearing the Red Cross emblem. One case is known of a field director’s spending two days trying to identify and track down all the men who had purchased Red Cross cigarettes in this way in order to give each a package of free cigarettes. There were occasions when Red Cross supplies were stolen and sold in the black market. One such case involved an American Red Cross employee who, for this offense, was court-martialed and dismissed from service.
Frequently hospital workers made purchases for patients, and in some instances this service was misunderstood. Patients in neighboring beds seeing money change hands and cigarettes and other items passed from the hospital worker to the patient may have jumped to the conclusion that Red Cross cigarettes were being sold.
NOTE: THE AMERICAN RED CROSS INVITES SPECIFIC EVIDENCE IN SUPPORT OF ANY ALLEGATION THAT REDCROSS PERSONNEL SOLD CIGARETTES. THE ORGANIZATION WILL TAKE IMMEDIATE STEPS TO DEAL VIGOROUSLY WITH ANY SUCH SITUATION.
4. “THE RED CROSS SOLD SWEATERS AND COMFORT ARTICLES.”
ANSWER: This is not true. Sweaters and comfort articles are given to those who need them and are never, under any circumstances, sold by the Red Cross.
Sometimes, however, despite every precaution, Red Cross supplies have found their way into unauthorized hands, and at such times servicemen may have been victimized. There were instances when servicemen departing for warmer climates sold their Red Cross sweaters to men remaining in the cold zone. Thus a serviceman might have purchased a sweater bearing the Red Cross label, but he did NOT purchase it form the Red Cross.
FROM JULY 1, 1941 TO JUNE 30, 1946, OVER 11½ MILLION KNITTED GARMENTS WERE PRODUCED FOR THE ARMED FORCES BY VOLUNTEERS IN RED CROSS CHAPTERS.
5. “RED CROSS GIRLS WERE ‘BRASS HAPPY.’”
ANSWER:
1. Did you realize that overseas there was an average of only 1 Red Cross woman to 15,000 enlisted men?
2. Did you know that these women for their safety had assimilated officers’ rank in the event of capture? That they wore no insignia to denote this?
3. Do you remember that in many areas, particularly in the Pacific, the base commander restricted the freedom of the Red Cross women employees because of local conditions and that in hospitals units overseas the girls were required to observe the regulations established for army and navy nurses?
4. Had you considered the fact the average age of the GI was below 25 while the age of all Red Cross women personnel overseas was above this?
5. Don’t you see that these facts quite naturally restricted the opportunity of enlisted personnel for personal social engagements with Red Cross girls?
6. Is it fair to tarnish the work record of the thousands of women workers who volunteered for overseas service and did a magnificent job because a few women workers forgot their mission to the servicemen in pursuit of personal goals?
6. “RED CROSS SOLD BLOOD PLASMA.”
ANSWER: This could not have happened; either during the war or after surplus plasma was returned to the Red Cross by the military.
During the war, the American Red Cross part in the blood donor program was to act as a collection agency for the Army and Navy. It had no part in the military distribution and use of whole blood or plasma. These products were administered to patients only by military medical personnel with charge. Therefore, the Red Cross could not have charged servicemen for it.
An example of how one story got started is the case of a sailor in the Pacific who lost all his money in a crap game and wrote his father an urgent letter saying that he needed $50 to pay for a transfusion.
After the fighting ceased, there were approximately 1,500,000 packages of blood plasma declared surplus by the military and returned to the Red Cross in accordance with provisions of the Surplus Property Act of 1944. This plasma is made available without charge by the Red Cross to state departments of health for free distribution to physicians and hospitals for civilian use. No charge is made for the surplus itself, although patients may be expected to pay for the professional services in administering the transfusion.
Any reported sale of American surplus blood plasma in foreign countries or in this county by the American Red Cross is not true. In instances where the Red Cross has found that surplus plasma has been erroneously offered for sale, the Red Cross has made every effort to have the plasma returned to it for free distribution. However, the American Red Cross controls the distribution of only that plasma returned to it as surplus.
A SIMPLE TEST
One Red Cross worker, whenever confronted by a serviceman or veteran, who is spreading stories about the sale of Red Cross articles by our personnel, applies this simple test. She asks these questions:
“Did it happen to you?”
“Were you actually present when such a transaction took place?”
“If not, is the person who told you the story certain that a Red Cross worker made the sale, and is he able to back up his story with even a little exact information, like the date, the place, the name, or position of the person making the sale?”
In other words, she asks the man to use the same test he would apply if he found himself unjustly accused.
7. “I NEVER SAW THE RED CROSS OVERSEAS.”
ANSWER: This may be true in the sense that many servicemen did not have personal contact with Red Cross workers. The Red Cross could go only where permitted by the Army and Navy and established its installations at the specific request of the military authorities. During most of the war the Navy restricted the Red Cross overseas service to a limited number of naval installations. The Red Cross reached as many men as possible, at least on an itinerant basis. However, units on secret missions and those at certain isolated islands and outposts may not have seen Red Cross workers. Red Cross was frequently understaffed, because its personnel and supplies were delayed in reaching their destinations, inasmuch as army munitions and troops had top shipping priority.
Remember that at the peak of activity, when there were between 12,000,000 and 15,000,000 men in the armed forces, the Red Cross had only about 20,000 men and women assigned to the services. With such a difference in numbers, it was obviously impossible to maintain continuous personal contact with every man.
8. “THE RED CROSS NEVER DID ANYTHING FOR ME.”
ANSWER: Many servicemen never had need of Red Cross services. They may not have had personal or family problems; perhaps they were never wounded and did not need blood plasma. But if they were given a leave overseas by the military, hundreds of thousands of them visited Red Cross clubs. In many leave areas our clubs were the only authorized lodging places for servicemen. Many men took Red Cross facilities so much for granted that they frequently did not realize or remember that they were Red Cross installations.
9. “THE RED CROSS DIDN’T GIVE ME A FURLOUGH.”
ANSWER: This is based on a misunderstanding of our functions. The Red Cross has no authority to grant a furlough to any serviceman. Furloughs are granted or withheld by the military authorities. Our part in the procedure is to provide verification of home conditions when the military or the serviceman requests this service. The facts in support of a man’s application for furlough are passed on to the military to make final decision.
10. “THE RED CROSS WOULDN’T GIVE ME A LOAN.”
ANSWER: This may be entirely true. Any organization lending great sums of money (70,000,000 during the war) must set limitations. The Red Cross couldn’t make loans to every man who applied for one. It had to set up definite restrictions. Its basic policy was to give temporary financial assistance in time of emergency need.
If a man is granted an emergency furlough and needs transportation and maintenance to his home, the Red Cross will lend him the necessary funds.
If a financial emergency arises in a man’s family if the allotment or allowance check is late, or if serious illness occurs when the family is short of funds, the Red Cross chapter in his home community has authority to make a loan to the family.
In addition, there are a number of personal emergencies for which field directors are authorized to make loans, but the Red Cross cannot attempt to lend money to every man who is short of funds.
Because of the human element in administering a program as vast as this one, varying interpretations of the loan policy by Red Cross Personnel may have resulted in some complaints.
11. “THE RED CROSS CHARGED ME INTEREST ON A LOAN.”
ANSWER: This is absolutely contrary to Red Cross policy.
12. “RED CROSS FAILED TO NOTIFY ME IN TIME WHEN SERIOUS ILLNESS CREATED A PROBLEM AT HOME.”
ANSWER: During the war many factors contributed to exasperating delays in communications. Red Cross messages were sent over army and navy facilities, and during hostilities army and navy communications had priority; and there were times when communications were “blacked-out” completely for security reasons.
Men were transferred from unit to unit and moved rapidly form one location to another so frequently that it was often necessary to check for new address and forward messages two or three times. Overseas personnel sometimes had great difficulty in reaching men to deliver the messages.
Also, national headquarters of the Red Cross, through which all overseas Red Cross communications were channeled, was hard pressed to maintain a sufficiently large staff of trained workers to keep abreast of the great volume of correspondence.
Despite all these difficulties, Red Cross handled over 42 million letters, cables, telegrams, and radiograms, in extending service to servicemen and their families form July 1, 1941, through June30, 1945. Communications service is regular permanent functions of the American Red Cross and will continue in both domestic and overseas operations.
13. “RED CROSS MEN AND WOMEN RECEIVED EXCESSIVE SALARIES.”
ANSWER: Some top personnel served on a volunteer basis. Overseas, nearly all others were well-trained paid workers. The salary rates for the majority approximated those received by junior army and navy officers.
Red Cross personnel receive none of the special tax exemptions allowed the Army and Navy, or any of the benefits accruing to servicemen under the GI Bill of Rights.
Most Red Cross overseas workers endured the same uncomfortable living conditions as service personnel, and they often experienced the same hazards.
Like the Army and Navy, the Red Cross suffered casualties. The latest available figures show that 75 Red Cross men and women died while on overseas assignment. Hundreds of others were returned to the United States for medical reasons after extended exposure to unfavorable climates and conditions.
Red Cross overseas personnel came from a wide variety of backgrounds and previous experience. They were all selected with great care. They were patriotic American men and women human beings doing a difficult job under trying conditions. The Red Cross is deeply proud of their performance.
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