mission arrived in Warsaw and had reported back
to Hoover the terrible situation of the Polish people, the relief food
was flowing into Poland through Dantzig, the German port for the use of
which for this purpose a special article in the terms of the armistice
had provided, but which was only most reluctantly and by dint of strong
pressure made available to us.

Similarly from Trieste the food trains began moving north while there
still remained countless details of arrangement to settle. I was in
Vienna when the first train of American relief food came in from the
South. The Italians were also attempting to send in some supplies, but
so far all the trains which had started north had been blocked at some
border point. The American train was in charge of two snappy doughboys,
a corporal and a private. When it reached the point of blockade the
corporal was told that he could go no farther. He asked why, but only
got for answer a curt statement that trains were not moving just now.
"But this one is," he replied, and called to his private: "Let me have
my gun." With revolver in hand he instructed the engineer to pull out.
And the train went on. When I asked him in Vienna if he had worried any
at the border about the customs and military regulations of the
governments concerned which he was disregarding, he answered with a
cheerful smile: "Not a worry; Mr. Hoover's representative at Trieste
told me to take the train through and it was up to me to take her,
wasn't it? These wop kings and generals don't count with me. I'm working
for Hoover."

But the whole situation in these southeastern countries because of their
utter disorganization and their hopeless embroilment in conflict with
each other, was too impossible. Whatever degree of peace the capitals of
these countries recognized as the diplomatic status of the moment, the
frontiers had no illusions. There were trenches out there and
machine-guns and bayonets. Men were shooting at each other across the
lines. Either the trains or cars of one country would be stopped at the
border, or if they got across they did not get back. Some countries had
enough cars and locomotives; some did not. If one country had some coal
to spare but was starving for lack of the wheat which could be spared by
its neighbor, which was freezing, there was no way of making the needed
exchange. The money of each country became valueless in the others--and
of less and less value in its own land. Every