hope in this critical
moment. He came to the gigantic endeavor as the man of the hour.

Hoover naturally made Paris his headquarters, for the Peace Conference
was sitting here, and here also were the representatives of the Allies
with whom he was to associate himself in the combined effort to save the
peoples of Eastern Europe from starvation and help them make a beginning
of self-government and economic rehabilitation.

His first steps were directed toward: First, securing cooerdination with
the Allied Governments by setting up a council of the associated
governments; second, finding the necessary financial support from the
United States for making the American contribution to this relief;
third, setting up a special organization for the administration of the
American food and funds; and, fourth, urging the provision of funds and
shipping by the Allied Governments.

The special American organization for assisting in this general European
relief was quickly organized under the name of the American Relief
Administration, of which Hoover was formally named by the President
Director-General, and Congress on the recommendation of the President
appropriated, on February 24, 1919, $100,000,000 as a working fund for
the new organization. In addition to this the United States Treasury was
already making monthly loans of several million dollars each to
Roumania, Serbia, and Czecho-Slovakia. But while waiting for the
Congressional appropriation the work had to be got going, and for this
the President contributed $5,000,000 from his special funds available
for extraordinary expenses.

Before actual relief work could be intelligently begun, however, it was
necessary to find out by personal inspection just what the actual food
situation in each of the Eastern European countries was, and for that
purpose investigating missions were sent out in December, 1918, and
January, 1919, to all of the suffering countries.

Hoover had quickly gathered about him, as nucleus of a staff, a number
of men already experienced in relief work and food matters who had
worked with him in the Belgian relief and the American Food
Administration. Others were rapidly added, both civilians of business or
technical experience and army officers, detached at his request,
especially from the Quartermaster and Service of Supplies corps. From
these men he was able to select small groups eager to begin with him the
actual work. His own impatience and readiness