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A STUDY III THE PUBLIB RELAIIRIIS ’
OF THE AMERICAN RED cRoss

RRESIS FDR IRE RERR-EE 0F M. A.
MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY-

NORMA GRACE SWEENEY
l 9 5 8 -

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A STUDY OF THE PUBLIC RELATIONS

OF THE KMERICAN RED CROSS
BY

NORMA GRACE SWEENEY

A.PROJECT'REPORT

Submitted to the School of Social Work
Michigan State University
in Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
of

MASTER OF SOCIAL WORK

1958

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( \(31 “,1, 1r .
Dir ctor_of School

iii

AC K313 , LL37: CLUBS

There have been many people who have made suggestions and given
moral support to the writer while she has been engaged in writing this
study. First and foremost, my humble thanks go to that Second Person
who has constantly been my guide. hey the uses of this education be
dedicated to His service.

My thanks to Dr. myrtle Haul whose generosity in the giving of
time and talent have been rendered so freely and cheerfully. my thanks
to Er. hanfred Lilliefors and Mr. Loren Belknap for the suggestions
they have made. My thanks to all of the faculty of the school of Social
II'ork of fiichigen State University for their interest, encouragement and
friendship through the last few years.

my thanks to hr. “.0. Wilkinson, Marion harks. Harriett Young.
Vera RoLeod, Idsbelle Borgman, Frances Friedlein, and all of the people
working at the Ingham County Chapter of the American Red Cross for their
suggestions and for their kindnesses which have made my fieldwork place-
ment e happy experience.

My particular thanks to Harriett Young for the wonderful Job of
typing that she did without any thought of remuneration.

My thanks to "Bus" whose continual moral support as well as fi-
nancial aid have made it yosnible for me to finish this project and this
year's schooling.‘3‘i‘iii< : 739311;; 3.1011 :1 kin-1:52;" ti‘.‘-::_;I:tful husband.

'3 ' ' W

.' _ _ 9- rfl -. _ AN. T I... h‘ , -‘ ‘I“- .,. 5" .~ ‘ —e - 1— '_'.‘ I “‘_ “‘ ' '3‘
h? thanks to L3 Wdinflter fissvlefifl -CL ~“~ H55: id #592143 Que

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yéar. ~ ,.f ' ‘ . ' . ' . . - ‘.

And finally, my thanks to the rest of the family who have
relineuished me from the role of ”good" mother and grandmother in
order that I might finish this study.

To all these people. hey their trust and faith not have

been misplaced. I an humbly grateful to one and £11.

TABLE OF CONTEETS

Pass
LCKNOWLEGBIIENTB 000.00.000.00000000000000000000.00.00.000.00.00 11‘

LIST OF TPLBLES ILND CEAIRTS 000......0.0.0.0....OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. V1

Chapter

I. IszCDUCTIOH OOOOCOOOOOCOO0.0.0.0.0...OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. 1
II. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND, PUBLIC RELATIONS,
AND 6mm OPINION OCCCCOOOOOOCOOOOOOOOOO0.0.0.0.0.... 9

Services of the American Red Cress
Public Reletione
Pertinent Literature

III. ‘ETHODS AND PROCEDURES EMPLOYED IN STUDY .............. 34
The Questionnaire
The Sample

Ne PF-ESERTATIONAEDAAMYSIS OF DAT‘ OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOC 4o

Veterans ' Personal hperiencee
with the Red Cross

Veterans' Feelings about the
current Red Cross Program

General Statements Made by Veterans
about the American Red Cross

Ye SUQMIY AND CONCLUSIONS OOOOQQOOOQCOQOOOOQO0.0.0.000... 61

VI. mama—HIDATIONS 00.0.0.000.00.000.00...0.0.0.0000...0.. 64

”PEN-DIX I .OOOOOOCOOCOOOOOOOOO0.00.00.00.00...0000......0......

Bibliography

. ”EPEE‘IDIX II .0...’....‘....OOO0.00.0.0...OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOCC 7O
Questionnaire
Letters
ӣJEITDIX III O....COCOCCCOOOCOOOOOCCOOO0..OOOCOOOOCOOOOOOCCOOOO. 78

Ipeechee end Editeriele

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Table
1.

.eg.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

Chart

1.'

LIST OF TABLES AND CHARTS

Veterans' Opinions as to whether Red Cross
Did Good Job During World Wer II, According

to Rm 00.0.0000...0.0.0.0...OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO00.0.00.

Veterlnei Opinions es to Whether Ied Cross
Did Coed Jeh'DuringVWorld War II. According
U0’3W‘flflh.°f B03'10. eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

Veterane'~0pinions es to Whether Red Cross
Workers Were Overpeid During World War II.

. According t0 Rank eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

Vetersne' Opinions as to Whether Red Cross
Workers Were Overpaid During World War II,
‘Ocording ‘0 BrIHCh 0f 59:110. eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

Veterans' Opinions as to Whether Women Red
Cross Workers Contributed to Morale,
According to Rnnk eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

Veterans' Opinions as to Whether Women Red
Cross Workers Contributed to Morale,
According to Branch Of Service eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

Veterane' Opinions so to Whether the Red
Cross is Doing Good Job Now, According to

Bank OOOOIOOOOOOOOOOOOOCCQOOOCOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.

Veterene' Opinions as to Whether the Red
Cross is Doing Good Job Now, According to
Branch 0: SOIVIO. eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

Services WOrld War II Veterans Believe
Red cros. Perform! or D093 HOD Perform................

Organisational Chart of the Inghan.Ccunty
Chapter Of the American Red CrOBI eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

Page

41

42

43

45

46

49

53

15

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CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTIOH

Public relations are important in all valid fields of human en-
deavor. They are particularly important in their relationship to the
activities of social agencies. Private or voluntary agencies depend
financially on the community's regard for their services. Keeping the
good will of the community is a continuing process depending on the sun
total of all of the activities performed by the individuals who are part
of the agency. The presidentof the board of directors may help to forb
thistee important policies which will have a bearing on the agency's pub- .
lic relations. The Janitor may also play a role which can produce good
or bad public relations. When an agency shares in the public contribus
ticns to a community chest, it becomes doubly important that the good
will of the public always be strived for. Complaints and criticisms
not only damage the one agency from which they originate but also all
of the other agencies belonging to the community chest.

The writer, in endeavoring to find a suitable subject for a
thesis project, had a conversation with.Hr. W.C.Wilkinscn who is manager
of the lngham County Chapter of the American Red Cross. He indicated
that there were complaints and criticisms about the Red Cross which.he
felt, in a good many instances, showed a lack of understanding of the
policies and functions of the agency. He also felt that if specific
complaints could be identified and gaps in peoples' knowledge cculd.be

discovered, public relations might be improved through more effective

 

ml

 

Ile of publicity and by bettering agency services. Perusal of some of
the literature written on the problem revealed that there were a number
of polls taken some years ago to find out how servicemen felt about the
Red Cross.

Many of the complaints and/or criticisms of veterans relative to
the Red Cross are common knowledge. George Gallup took a poll on the
lubjeot during World war II and according to Foster Rhea Dulles, "He esti-
mated that some forty-seven percent of the veterans knew something they
considered to the discredit of the Red Cross from personal experience,
and that sixty-six percent had heard other servicemen express unfavorable
opinions."1 Some of the most frequent complaints were those connected
with.loney. A few such complaints in this category were: (1) that the Red
Cross charged for cigarettes and comfort articles; (2) that the Red Cross
charged for lodging and food at service clubs; (3) that it charged for
whole blood and plasma; and (4) that it charged interest on loans. There
were also complaints about personnel. Serviceman felt that the Red Cross
workers were overpaid and that they had nice soft jobs behind the lines.
The Red Cross girls came in for some criticism when they were accused of
being WBrsss happy". Communications, such as letters and telegrams were
the source of many criticisms where the Red Cross was responsible for .
providing delivery. The statistics which George Gallup compiled re-
flected the thinking of soldiers who were still actively engaged in

fighting or of veterans who were only a short time removed from the

 

w

chster Rhea Dulles, The amerioan Red Cross: A Histogy (New Icrk:
Harper and Brothers, 1950): 9.375

wartile experience. It is interesting to note, from the polls taken,
that the servicemen who were the nest hostile had had the least e1-
psrienoe with the Red Cross. Presumably, it is human nature, when
living under war conditions, where life is hesardcue and conditions
uncomfortable, for soldiers to gripe. 'with the nellowing of years,
have the feelings of servicemen changed and, if so, how do they feel
about the American Red Cross now?

The writer, in this study, is interested in finding out how
veterans feel several years after the war. Have unpleasant Red Cross
experiences carried over into civilian life to such an extent that con-
tributions to a local community chest night be effected? Are some of
the more vociferous veterans influencing other_people so that they,
in turn, may not contribute? This study is an attempt to find it feel-
ings of servicemen about the American Red Cross have changed through
the yearns

it first, the writer considered interviewing veterans with the
use of a schedule. There were two deterring factors to this sort of
an approach. One was the time element involved and the other was the
fact that veterans night not feel 80 free to express themselves in 3
face to face interview as they night in filling out n questionnaire.
Finell¥.stshort questionnaire was chosenveeathetloatnadyantngeous
mto .oolleetidA-ted questionnaire was devised, designed to give
the answers to some of efore-nentioned questions. This questionnaire
was sent to 100 world war II veterans.

The Home Service Department of the Inghan County Chapter of

 

 

 

the American Red Cross, where the writer has her fieldwork placement, '
came in for much wartime criticism, as did almost all Home Service De-
partments. This criticisn night he explained by the fact that the Hole
Service unit is the liaison.hetveen the military and the isnily. The
Red Cross has a representative in. or coverage of, every Army, Heir,
end Air Force post. The national office in'Washington serves as e
sediun of cc-municatien'betseen the service-en,nebroad. and his fhldly
end vice-verse. Emergency situations are communicated in e short tile.
During peacetime, this service, shieh is provided without charge to

the client,ie elsost lOQfizreliable. Under wartime conditions. en the
other hand, fibere oan.be nan: delays due to such conditions as bleak-
oute, sheer'volune of messages, and tho priority of military communi-
cations. Then too, the fast movement of troops from one area to another
lakes it hard to deliver messages. Home Service performs a nn-her e!
other functions for servicemen and their families. When allot-eat
checks are delayed, outright grants are made to the family'to tide then
over until the checks start coming through regularly; Assistance is
given with marital problems. Emergency loans are made to servicemen.
Legal advice is very often given and help is available in filling out
various military documents. Social surveys, which are e description-cf
the hose environment, educational and social attainments, and recon-one:
dsticns. are made for the Veterans Administration. Ices surveys ere
elso made at the request of military hospitals and the various branches

of the armed services. Because there are many other agencies whose

\.

function is to assist civilians, Home Service helps, as a rule, only in
case~of.emergenoies and disasters such as floods, hurricanes, and in the
ease eff burned-out families. There are many civilian requests for help
which are referred to the proper agency.

Home Service is only one of several departments of the American
Red Cross. Though programs may vary from community to community, there
are some which are quite standard. The Inghsm County Chapter has a
variety of training programs such as Home Nursing, First Aid, Water
Safety, LifeQ-saving, Mass-feeding, and training for the various volun-
teer Jobs which are an important adjunct of the organisation. Other
contributions made by volunteers are the work of the Gray Ladies in
the hospitals and in the blood program, the work done by Motor Corps,
Canteen and in a clerical capacity. II’he Blood Program is a very in-
portant department in peacetime as well as vartime, because the need
for blood is always present and the generosity of the general populous
in donating blood, makes it possible for the Red Cross to make it
available, without charge, to anyone residing is highs: County; and
to replace blood for residents hospitalised elsewhere. lot only is
the shole blood a life-saving ocmodity, but also the various deriva-
tives are very vital. |The Junior Red Cross is a fast growing progra-
shich gives young peeple an. opportunity to share in the volunteer sork
ei’ their own community hit in international volunteer work as well.

The work of the Red Cross 1. carried on by . small paid staff
and a great many volunteers. The follosing statement by Murray G. Ross

sight sell be about the incrican Red Cross:

VS,

The association without highly professional help should
seek therefore to build those bonds of friendship, respect,
acceptance, and conviction of purpose which will permit it
to endure and overcome attacks from within or outside the
organisation.

in example of this strength is the reaction of the
IAH.C.A.'s in North America to the criticisms of their sork
with the armed forces in the first world war. These criti-
cisms were extensive, found both inside and outside the
Y.H.C.d., and were extremely damaging in nature. Those not
near the center of the Y.K.C.L. could hardly realise how
devastating were these attacks nor how close they came te
stimulating panic. Yet the Y.K.G.A. survived, and with
remarkably little difficulty in light of the severity of
the attacks. ind it survived without clearly understanding
what had happened, what caused the focusing of hostility on
the‘Y.K.C.A., thy some members within.the organisation
suddenly turned upon the organization. But it was able to
survive because of simple and remarkable strengths. The
Y.M.C.A. was almost completely decentralised in Canada and
the United States. Thus one might criticize the I.M.C,A.
but the fifty man responsible for the‘Y.M.C.A. in Sidney or
Akron, or Regina or Boston could see no justification for
the criticism in light of their own work, and rose to sup-
port what they themselves had.built. The !.M.C.A. also
specialized in ”fellowship" (a term now in disrepute)
which emphasized warm friendly relations in.!.K.C.i. work,
and this led to strong'personal bonds within the organiza-

.ticn. Third was the conviction about, and loyalty to, the

purpose of the organization. There were other factors but
these were perhaps primary. And while the I.M.C.i. never
understood the nature of the attacks, nor did they make any-
thing more than fumbling attempts to meet it, the organisa-
tion had sufficient strength to withstand the difficulties.
For the most part it accepted the attack- with indifference
and "Christian charity" and went on with its post-war work.
lany organisations live through such experiences just
as families endure periods of stress. It is undoubtedLy
true that this could be done more effectively with insight
into the source of stress. But insight is not a substitute
for existing strengths in an organisation, bonds of friend-
ship andlaffection, feeling of responsibility, conviction of

purpose.

 

WW w—fi v" ww—

1Murray G. Ross, C uni Or n nation: Theo and rinc les
(New York: Harper and Brothers,19555o PP.198-99

An organization must feel secure within itself in order to sel-
come complaints against it with the hepe of tracing them to their source
and remedying the situation. An organization which is "good” will at-
tempt to rectify shortcomings wherever possible. is a general rule
agencies as well as individuals can learn more about their faults fro-
their enemies than from their friends. That is the reason the writer
chose the World War II veterans to fill out the questionnaire. It
was assumed by the writer that they were the group who had the most
complaints about the Red Cross. Another assumption was that most
veterans have, at some time in their lives, had some contact, good or
bad, with the agency. The writer also assumed that the feelings of
the veterans of Ingham County are representative of veterans' feelings
all user the United States.

The writer's hypothesis is that most complaints about the
services of the American Red Cross are due to lack of understanding
of the policies and functions of that agency;

The second chapter will be devoted to the historical back!
ground of the American Red Cross with a greater concentration put on
the Home Service Department than any other. There will also be in
this chapter, a review of the literature pertinent to this project.

In the third chapter will be found a description of the methods used
in carrying out this project. The fourth chapter will be concerned
with the analysis of the data obtained from the questionnaires. Tables
~will be found which will help in understanding the text. In the fifth

chapter, the reader will find the conclusions which the writer has

\v

drawn from the data. How the oanclueions can be used in improving
Red Cross public relation. and procedures will be found in the sixth
chapter. The appendix contains the bibliography, copies of th.
questionnaire and cover letter. There are also letters and other

material referred to in the text.

UHAPTEB II

HIJTORICAL BAJKJnJUKD, BUBLIC EQLATIONS, AND CUKHLNT OJINIOB

The beginning of the movement, that brought about the organi-
zation of the Red Cross, took place during the Crimean War. Florence
Nightingale and her small group of nurses from England went to Scuteri
where they proceeded to care for the nick end the wounded and to clean
up the hospital.

Five years later, in 1859, Henri Dunant, a young Swiss

banker and philanthrooist, was traveling in Italy duri the
were of Italian Unification. A witness to the carnage at
Sclferino, Dannnt was shocked to action. Forty thousand
deed, dying, and wounded men were scattered over the field
and heaped in ravines, their suffering increased by a lack
of supplies and medical care. Eunant did what he could to
aid the wounded by organizing the local women into a corps
of nurees, by enlisting'boys to carry water, by buying and
distributing sugplies. He himself worked as an attendant
and nurse.

What Dunent had seen aypalled him. His pamphlet, "i Henory of
Solferinc," so aroused public opinion that relief societies were formed
to aid the wounded during were. he a direct result of Dunent's pam-
phlet, an international conference was called at Geneva in 1863. Be-
cause delegates to the conferencc had no authority.tc bind their gainzne
mente, a second conference was called in 1864. The Geneva Convention
was the outcome of this conference. The following things were written

into international laws ambulances and hospitals were neutralized,

together with their personnel; civilians, bringing aid to the wounded,

__‘_* A . .__-

w— .—v w“ v.

1The in r c He ' se- ri to (Washington: The American
National Red Croce), p.3

10

nationality; the rounded and sick soldiers of all belligerents were
to be cared for; the red cross emblem was adopted for erbulsnces,
hospitals, and neutralized personnel. Later the treaty was eXpandcd
to include sen warfare, to establish standards for the treatment of
war prisoners, and to provide for the protection of civilians in time
of war.

During the Geneva Convention, the groundwork was laid for the
international Red Cross organization. A nucleus of five Swiss citizens
became the present-day International Committee of the Red Cross. This
committee acts as intermediary between belligerent nations, protects tho
principles of the Red Cross movement, grants recognition to national Red
Cross societies, and engages in certain types of humanitarian vcrk.

The delegates to the Geneva Convention returned to their ro-
spective countries and started various volunteer societies. In 1919,
the national societies Joined to form the League of Red Cross Societies.
The highest deliberative body is the International Red Cross Conference
which meets every four years.

The Geneva Convention was not ratified in the United States
until 1882. Clara Barton became the first president of the emerican
Red Cross. In 1905, a congressional charter was granted and the Ameri-
can Notional Red Cross was recognized as the only voluntary agency with
official permission to work with the armed forces in wartime. The

charter provided for the auditing of Red Cross accounts and the Secre-

\v

tor: of War was required to tranenit en amal Red Cross report to
Congress. The following reeponeibilitiee were assigned to the inericen
Red Cross by the charter;

To furnish volunteer aid to the eiok and wounded of
arniee in tine of war...

To perforn all the duties devolved upon a lational
Society by each nation that has acceded to any “(fine
treaties Of Geneva)...

To eet in nattere of voluntary relief and in accord
with the. military and naval authorities as a medium of
communication between the people of the United Statee
and their Anny and Navy...

To continue and carry on a system of national and
international relief in time of peace and to apply the
same in mitigating the sufferings caused by pestilence,
famine, fire, floods, and other great national calami-
ties, and to devise and carry on measures for preventing
the same.

In the years that have followed. there has eoarcely been a tine
when the Marion Red Croce has not been active in giving relief during
doaeetie tragedies and calamities. Thie hae necessitated a great deal
ef expaneion not only in the number of local agenciee but also in the
number of fields of endeavor. Because of the basic need of nursing dur-
in;a wars, the nursing cervioe was the first and lost inediate depart-
ment to receive attention. The Red Croce Public Health lureing. started
in 1912. was an important service until 1950 when it was taken over by
the Public Health Nursee. During thie tine Firet Lid instruction and
Life Saving were started no part of the Red Cross program These two

functions are still carried on in the present day progru.

 

1mg.

 

 

 

\V

12

Heme Se 0

The services of the Red Cross during both Wcrl Wars have
filled many books. is far as the history of the organization is con-
cerned, the first World we: saw the beginnings of two additional de-
partments. They were the Junior Red Cross and Home Service. The
latter was designed to carry out the obligations stated in the charter
which were that the Red Cross would serve as a medium of communication
between the people and their servicemen. Communications was the pri-
mary function but Home Service also provided an agency that could be
used to help straighten out marital difficulties and home situations
about which servicemen worried. After the war the biggest Job that
Home Service performed was the assistance of veterans in their orien-
tation to civilian life. Hany'problems had been created by the war
as far as family and employment were concerned. Counselimg and
guidance were given in these areas. Home Service gave information
about and aided sveterans in developing claims for government bene-
fits. All these functions necessitated the growth of Home Service
Departments. This expansion saw the Red Cross in a much better posi-
ticn as far as services were concerned, when World War II started.

is the years have progressed, the areas of emphasis in Home
Service have changed. With the standing Army, however. many of the
same services are needed as during wartime.

Hospital Serviog
Hospital Service is of particular interest to social workers

\U

13

for it was in this department that professional social workers were
first used by the Red Cross. I

Recognition of the problems facing the United States
in the rehabilitation of the sick and wounded resulted in
1918 in official requests by the Army and Navy that the
Red Cross utilise medical and psychiatric social workers
in Hospital Service. These workers helped the doctors by
assembling social data necessary for diagnosis, treatment,
and military disposition; by helping adjust personal and
family worries that were retarding the patients' response
to medical care; and by helping disabled men in planning’
for their return to community life. Later the United
States Public Health Service and the Veterans Bureau aiked
the Bid Cross for the same kind of service in their hospi-
tale.

The need for recreation workers to supplement the work of the
social workers resulted in the addition of these people to the heapi-
tal staffs. The staff, however, could not possibly carry on all of
the necessary work, so the Hospital and Recreation Corps and the Gray

Ladies came into existence as volunteer groups.

The Rational Blood Program

During World War II, the National Blood.Progran came into
being. This program resulted in the saving of untold numbers on the
battlefront. As the years have progressed with the constant experi-.
nentation that has been going on, there have been a number of deri-
vatives that have been discovered and there are many more, no doubt,

to be found.

*‘4

The-constant need for blood supplies to be kept up necessi-

H HA

1I troduct to C s (Washington! The American
Rational Red Cross , p.25

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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tates much publicity. It is interesting to note the enormous amount
of blood contributed by the various prisons. They vie with each other

to see what institution can give the largest percentage.
Civilian Defense

Since its beginnings the Red Cross has been dynamic. Where
needs have arisen, some means has been found by the organization to
meet the new need. It has not been the policy, however, to supplant
any other organization. When a problem is presented that logically
comes within the function of any other agency, the client is referred
to that agency.

The Red Cross, at the present time, is very much absorbed in
the problem of Civil Defense and is working in.conjunction with other
agencies to protect the general populace in case of mass-disaster.
Civil Defense involves almost every welfare agency in the United States
for each has its particular function in an emergency situation.

In all of the vast Red Cross organization public relations
play an important part. In the next section of this chapter public
relations in general will be discussed and how they apply to social

welfare agencies.

Public Relations

There is a vast amount of literature in the field of public

relations. Probably there has been more written on the subject in

16

the field of industry and management than in any other area. N.
matter in what type of endeavor public relations are viewed, the
same general principles apply. Rex'F. Harlow has this to say about
the subject:

Public relations work is here presented as a science
through which an organization can consciously attempt to
fulfill its social responsibilities, and so secure the
publicvrecognition and approval necessary for success...

The Golden Rule is the key to all good public rela-
tions. Whether fully recognised or not, it is the basis
of all successful efforts to improve the public relations
of any business, any educational institution, department

of government, or economic or social organization...
- Honest and genuine service deserves and holds respect.

1
.Public relations in.a social welfare agency should enter into
all of the organization's activities. The telephone call that starts
the contact with the client certainly reflects the spirit of the
agency. Starting with the intake interview with the client, and
through subsequent interviews, the client gets certain impressions of
the agency. His primary impressions come through the acceptance which
he receives from the staff. The staff may reflect a number of things.
They may have warm personalities, they may be hurried and preoccupied,
or they may reflect tensions and animositiss which are hard to hide.
The physical aspects of the agency are important. Are the decorations
in good taste? Is there a crowded look about the agency? Are the
floors and furniture clean and polished? Are there many interrup-

tions during interviews? Are appointments with clients kept on tile?

 

, 13s: 1r. Harlow, Public Relati ns War and Peace(Hew York:

Harper and Brothers, 19 , pp. 1, 5, and 59. Ltfi

  

Is there an effort to make clients happy and comfortable while they
are waiting for an interview? Are caseworkers’ desks piled high with
material? Continual re-evaluetion of agency actions and contacts
should be made. Public relations are an cnpgoing process and not
something that an agency can take off and put on.

Training volunteers is an area where an agency's good public
relations can make an impression. The recognition of the fact that
these people are doing an important Job is the only recompense that
an agency can offer. Respect for the time of volunteers is para-
mount. If training courses are held, the people taking these courses
should.be offered fine instruction so that they will feel that the
time involved has been well spent. Times set up for instruction courses
should be rigidly adhered to so that volunteers who, as a rule lead
very'busy lives, can plan their time accordingly. Use of volunteers
after training courses have been completed is important and their place-

ment in the organization should be made with an eye to making than
comfortable in the group in which they are placed.

Local agencies which are members of a national agency have their

broad functions and policies prescribed. These are usually set forth
in a manual which sets limits on what a local agency can do. In the
case of the American Red Cross, not only is it a national agency but an
international one as well. There are broad policies to which each na—
tional agency is expected to adhere. Another way that the Red Cross

differs from host agencies is the fact that it is a quasi-governmental

18

agency. In setting up functions or changing policies involving service
personnel, the military decision must be adhnred to. This leads to
changes that may hcve for-reaching effects am for as public relations
are concerned. A good illustration of this effect is a recent change
that has taken place in the communications policy. Home Service has,
for many years, been authorized to send messages for facilica in came
emergency leave were recuocted. In April, 1953, Home Service was
directed to no longer cona this type of message. The explanation is
that the military is anxious that young men and women regatd their
military service as they would any other job. The militany wants

than to become career-minded. So if emergency leave is to be requested.
the family'must communicate with the serviceman directly. He then

goes to the nilitany and make: his own request. The military, if thay
authoriga leave. send u communication through the field diractor at

tho has. to the local Red Cross requesting verification of the lacr-
ccncy situation. Tho local Red Cross verifies the facts through the
cttending doctor or the funeral parlor and wires these facts to the
field director. at the scrviccman'c bane. who in turn, communicates
with tho military. messages not concerned with laavc can still be sent
by the Red Cross. The new procedure in only in effect when emergency
leave is requested. This new policy will need much interpretation.
Last month a family was able to put through a request for cmcrgoncy
leave. How they cannot do this. Rod Crous workers will have to go to

great lengths in interpreting this new directive or public relations

19

will suffer.

When the functions of an agency are misunderstood, then pub-
licity plays a part in keeping the public informed. Even with good
publicity, misunderstandings do arise. In the next section, some of
the areas of public misinterpretation.will be discussed, as far as

the Red Cross is concerned.

Functions of the Red Cross Whigh.hig§t Have Been Misunderstood

One of the most often heard criticisms about the Red Cross is
that the organization charged for food and lodgings in overseas clubs
during the last war. This was true of the stationary units but not
true of the mobile units and the Clubmcbiles. The reason for charging
was that the military requested the Red Cross to do so. One reason
that the military asked for this was that the soldiers of other coun-
tries, who received much less in pay, were required to pay in their
own clubs. It seemed unfair for the American soldier to receive so
much better treatment than the soldiers of other lands.’ The followb
ins letter from Secretary of War Stimson regarding the charges made
in Red Cross clubs substantiates thisu

ms. Norman E. Davis, Chairman

American Hational Red Cross
Washington, D e c 0

1’.“ Hr. Davilt

United States military authorities in Great Bri-
tain have requested the Red Cross to establish clubs in
certain cities in that area with a View to providing, as
circumstances dictate, sleeping accomodations and meals
in addition to the usual recreational facilities. The

yrovieion 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 Crose officials appear to be
reluctant to provide these acccncdaticns, 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 to be impractical, un-
necessary and undesirable that food and lodging be
furnished frec...It is believed advisable that Amer-
ican soldiers be required to pay at least the actual
cost of meals and lodgings furnished for their con-
venience and benefits while on furlough. Such pro-”
cedure is considered a sound business arrangement
and conforms to local practice. It is therefore be-
lieved that each procedure should be adepted because
of its merit rather than because the local military
commander requests that charges be made for the pro-
posed services.

The War Department recommends that Red Cross
authorities in the British Isles be authorised to
provide these services at such cost as they deem

appropriate. Sincerely yours,

Henry L. Stimson
Secretary of War
A.copy'of this letter sac placed on club bulletin boards but
sue overlooked by the vast majority of servicemen.. The Red Cross was
accused of makingrnonqy on servicemen's clubs even though charges
failed to cover expenses.
In a statement released to the press on April 10, 1946,
General Dwight D. Eisenhower ssida
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 scale. In some communities. however, I understand
the campaign is lagging, and I an surprised to learn that one

of the reasons given is that complaints are being levelled
at the organization's oversees operation by returning ser-
vicemen. For the most part these criticisms have grown out
of a Red Cross policy of making nominal charges to our
forces for food and lodgings in fixed Red Cross installa-
tions 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.

Thus it can be seen that in this particular case the Red Cross
was not at fault; however, could it be shown that exorbitant charges
were node for food and lodgings, such complaints would be valid.
Allen 3. Center makes a statement about this very situatiOn in the
following excerpt.1

The American Red Cross was plagued by a wave of unfcunded

complaints, rumors and misunderstandings about its World War
II services to members of the Armed Forces and their families.
Steps were taken through every available means of communicap
tion to make the true facts kncvn to everyone. One of the
most successful devices was a smell questionpand-enswerl pomp
phlet entitled, "Since You Ask Me.” .Millicns of copies were
used by Red Cross chapters throughout the country. Res ts
rumors, criticisms, and misunderstandings were lessened.

Since July 1, 1946 a new policy has been in effect as for as
club: are concerned. The Army supplies the quarters for the service
clubs and the personnel to operate the club canteen while the Red
Cross provides the trained staff to carry on recreational programs.
Refreshments that the Red Cross serves on special occasions are soap

pletely free.

Another often heard complaint has been that the Red Cross sold

 

‘~¥illen E. Center, Public Relations Ideas in Action (Nev'Yorkn

roomy-H111 Book Company, Inc., 1957), p. 11

22

cigarettes. Selling cigarettes in against not only the Red Crcll policy
but also against the regulations of the Bureau of Internal Revenue.
There were times when Red Cross shipments got mixed up with military
shipments and some Army poet sold cigarettes marked ”Gift of tho Ameri-
can Red Cross.” The Army chiymcnta which had been mistakenly cent to
thd Red Cross, however, were given awny. Thcrc were also cases whet.
Red Cross shipments ware stolen and the supplies were cold on tho
black market. One Red Cross worker wan discovered selling cigarette.
and'was court-martialod for this offense indicating that the pcliqy
was strictly enforced. There were times whcn Red Cross personncl
purchased articles for patients with mcnqy that the patients had pro~
wided; Tlece purchases may have included cigarettes. The aervioo
rendered, however, was in doing' tho purchasing. In cases like this,
people might have misunderstood and thought that tho Rod Cross was
selling cigarettes which was not the case.

Thorn were many swectcrs knit by women on the home front.
comiort articles were also packaged. It was the Red Cross policy to
give these things where they were most needed in the Armed Forces.
Sometimes these commodities fell into unauthorized hands and war.
said. Then too, servicemen might have received sweaters while ata-
tioned in a cold climate and, on being'novcd to a warm climate, might
have sold them. Even though an.articlo might have been marked with 3
Red Cross insignia, it was not proof that the article was purchased

from the Red Groom.

25

Many enlisted men have complained that the Red Cross women were
"Brass happy." There was about one Red Cross woman to every 15,000 men
overseas. These women had assimilated officer's rank in case they were
captured and taken prisoner. In some areas, particularly in the Poole
fic Theater, the freedom of Red Cross women was restricted for their
bun protection. A Red Cross pamphlet1 asks this question which is very
apr0pos. ”Is it fair to tarnish the work record of the thousands of
women workers who volunteered for overseas service and did a megnifi-
cent job because a few women workers forgot their mission to the ser-
vicemen in pursuit of personal goals?" ZMany actions can he mieccn-
atrued particularly in a situation like this. There were numerous
cases where the Red Cross women and the Clubmohiles were right up in
the front lines with the soldiers serving doughnuts and coffee. These
women were in just as much danger as the soldiers and suffered the
lame hardships.

There have been complaints that the Red Cross sold blood plasma
during the war. This could not have been so because the Red Cross
acted only as a collection agency. The plasma was sent to the military
and it was administered free of charge by army doctors. Surplus plasma
was returned to the United States where it was distributed to various
hospitals. In these hospitals there was no charge for the blood itself.
only for administering it. This has always been the Red Cross polio:-

The complaint that the Red Cross did not give a furlough to a

1Answers to 6.1. Complaints (Washington: The American national
Red Cross, 1947

 

24

serviceman, of course, is true. The Red Cross cannot grant a furlough
to anyone. Only the military can do this. Home Service can verify
facts such as severe illness in a family or death.' These facts are
verified, in most cases by the doctor or in the case of death by the
funeral home. In the case of illness, the doctor is asked to give his
diagnosis and life expectancy, if possible. The latter is difficult
in a great many cases for doctors to determine and they are very apt
to refuse - to make a positive statement. The doctor can state whether
or not he feels that it is advisable for a serviceman to be called home.
The Red Cross supplies the facts for the military and then they make
the decision. In case of death, the Home Service Department either
verifies the death with the doctor, funeral home, or in a few cases
with the hospital. The time and place of the funeral is obtained from
the family and this information is sent to the field director at the
serviceman's base. The field director passes on the information to
the man's commanding officer who has the final say as to whether a man
gets emergency leave or not. The local Red Cross chapters have no
direct communication with the military. All of the messages go
through the field director at the various bases and installations. In
turn, the military goes through the field director at the bases in
order to communicate with the families through the local Red Cross
chapters.

Red Cross loans have been the object of some criticism. De-

finite policies have been set up by the Red Cross as to when and how

loans shall be made to servicemen and their families. “he American
Red Cross never charges interest on loans. When a man goes into ser-
vice, his allotment checks for his family do not start coming through
immediately. fhe Red Cross makes loans to families in this interim
period. fhe loans are very often changed to grants or are made as
outright grants in the first place. The Red Cross does not pay back
debts contracted by a servicenan. Budgets are figured on figures out
up by the emerioan National Red Cross. There is an adjustment from
time to time as food prices rise. If a serviceman is on emergency
leave and needs money to g t to his destination, the Red Cross Can
get in contact with the military and make the loan if the military
authorizes it.‘ The servicemen is expected to repay this type of
loan if possible. There can be a wide interpretation of the loan
policy and,in this area,the Red Cross can come in for criticism.
Communications, Which have been mentioned before in the study,
were the cause of some criticism. As long as the human element is
involved, there are bound to be some mistakes in Just the transmiar
sion of messages. ihs name may be wrong. The address may be garbled.
The message may be sent to the wrong chapter. Though these mistakes
can be corrected, they are time consuming. If mediCal confirmation
is necessary, it is sometimes impossible to obtain because of the cn-'
availability of the doctor. Raking contact with a family may be im-
7 possible because they may not be at home. These are a few of the

reasons for delays in communications on the home front. There are

26

many more reasons for delays on the service front. Foremost is the
fact that Operational messages take priority over Red Croce mecccgco.
The Red Cross has long been snare of the afore-mentioned
criticisms and many more. The organisation.hnl issued 1 number of
pamphlets designed to educate both the servicemen and the gonerol
public. These without a doubt have helped the Red Croce as for on
public relations are concerned. Wherever prejudice has been finly

rooted, this approach would seem to bo-cluoct uselooo.
Pcrtinc it c

There were many newspaper and.ncgueino articles concerns!
with Red Cross public relations during the tar and shortly afterwards.
Robert Hurray conducted c poll to determino'vbct the specific criti-
oilnl were that soldiers had about the Red Cross. This was published
in.panphlot form under the title, “Public Opinion in Relation to the
American Red Cross”. This poll plus the one made by George Gallup,
cecmo to have produced the most specific complaints of any of the
various poll: taken.

Most of the books written about the Red Croce, and there have
been many, have otrcccod the good points about the crguniuction and
havo‘bcen biotoriccl in nature. Though this literature has been 119
formative to the triter, it has had little bearing cn/tbio project.

Willard Waller, in his book, "The Veteran Comes Book", has
tried to analyze the feelings of veterans about civilians and their

adjustment to civilian life. He says:

The soldier is likely to find himself unintentionally act-
ing with some heatility toward civilians, behaving on the un-
spoken and perhaps unrecognised premise that civilians are not
quite human and do not matter very much. hith the greatest of
good will on both aidee. the soldier is likely to discover that
there is much in hie life and attitudes- whole systems of values
that he cannot share with civilians. And he may fell into the
habit of saying, again and ‘qain, 'Gf course a civilian would
never understand each a thing, but-oo' Or perhaps just think-
ing it, and not eyeoking at all of these incomnunioablo matters.

The acquired-value system creates-a gulf betweofi‘the soldier him_
self and the civilian. This gulf tehee yours to bridge and in Some in-
stenoes there will never be comglete approval of the men who has not
undergone the war eXperienco. While in the service, there has to be u
certain way for a soldier to vent his hostility. The military comes in
for its sharo of ‘beefing' and likewise the Various voluntary eervice
organizations hut are working in the war areas come in for criticism.
hoonteins are made out of molehills. This exaggeration grows as it is
passed along and in the ené the etory has almost no truth to it. After
the servicemen has been reesaimileted into the civilian population, he
can look back on his war experiences and 13 able to juige things from
a different perayeotive.

Another book which given a good deol of insight into the effect
of the our algorionoe is ”lamilies Unier Streeo" by houben Hill. It is
one of a series of exploratory studies on family life. The findings of
tLie etudg seem imgortaht to the writer because they ehoa the effects

of war on the Iihily. Because so many fauilj problems come to the at-

1Willard Weller, Veteran Comes Hose (flew York: The Drydeh Frees,
Inco. 1944). pp- 51-52

27

28

tention of the Home Service Department. findings of the study should con-
tribute to a better understanding and therefore better public relation...

A series of articles, first published in The Saturday Evening

 

2333 and later in book form, under the title of ”I Knew Your Soldier,”
by Eleanor ”Bumpy" Stevenson and Pete Martin, give a thoroughly inter.
esting account of.women Red Cross workers and their role during the ear.
The book gives a good deal of insight into the feelings and attitudes
of soldiers on the battlefront. The book also gives a good picture of
the various types of services that the Red Cross women overseas contri-
buted in the way of uplifting morale.

Many of the war novels have given a realistic picture of the
soldier in the trenches. Heat of them have been written from first-
hand knowledge. Many of these books have been made into movies. Al-
most always the Red Cross has played eome part in the story. It 1.
interesting to note that this year's academy award winning picture,
”Bridge on the River Kwai,“ showed the Red Cross at work.

There are numerous newspaper and magazine articles, too many to
mention, that have been written about various Red Cross functions. One,
written by Bob Considine, appeared in the Lansing State Journal on
February 26, 1958. It is particularly related to this project. ‘Consi-
dine says: ‘

The American Red Cross needs money as never before. Its

goal for the Harsh campaign is $95 million. Last year it went
'all out by disbursing 3101.274.124.
This land of ours has been lashed with an unprecedented

number of floods. tornadoes, and hurricanes in the past two
and a half years.

29

The strain these catastrophies has placed on the Red Cross-
the first hand that reaches out in such cases- could hardly be
de tail ed e

I saw a dramatic part of it last year when Hurricane Audrey
smashed Cameron, La., as effectively as might an H-bomb. I flew
into that ruined place by helicopter, before the roads could be
cleared or the dead removed from the debris, as a guest of Gen.
Al Gruenther and Val. Peterson. Gruenther heads the Red Cross.
Peterson then was civil defense chief...

show she needs money, but still hardly more than 50 cents a
head. One thing is certain, calamity isn't going to wait very
long to strike again.

One of the touchiest facets of Red Cross work, and a rap
against the organization each year as it starts out to fill up
the tank, is the accusation that it profited during World war
II. It has put out a booklet that answers that and other ques-
tions. is for that one, it goes:

Q9 Did the Red Cross charge servicemen for food and lodging
in clubs during horld War II?

A— Yes. During world War II, allied soldiers, whose pay
was far below that of Americans, were required to pay in their
clubs and canteens. For this reason the military authorities
decided it would be more equitable to charge American service-
men for similar services. it the request of the War Depart-
ment, the Red Cross established a below-cost charge in off-
post clubs and hotels. Refreshments served fron.mcst Club-
mobiles and in many cn-post clubs and canteens were free. All
told, $105 million was spent by the Red Cross on World War II
club services over and above receipts from the nominal charges
that were made.

in article from the final issue of "flhe.Audrey Reporter”
Official Report of Hurricane Disaster Operations, September, 1957, was
”Bitterness Transformed.” This was an editorial written.by Kenneth L.
Dixon, a former war correspondent and now editor of the Lake Charles
American Press.

These may be harsh words but in recent years the United Lp- a
peels fund drives here have succeeded in spite of the American
Red Cross being one of the participating agencies.

This year, United.ippeals leaders are convinced the camp
paign will succeed- because of the Red Cross!

That, in.a nutshell, tells the story of the total trans-

50

formation in the attitude of Southwest Louisiana citizens
toward the agency which administers the generosity of the
American people.

Perhaps my own attitude is a good example. When I came
home from World War II and found my wife in a Red Cross uni-
form, to say that I was unhappy about it would be the under-
statement of the year. Like many of you, some isolated er-l
periences overseas had left me pretty embittered at the Red
Cross. that I didn't stop to realize was that when the war
broke out, in a matter of months, the Red Cross Jump erg: from
a few hundred career workers to many, many thousands of war-
time staffers and millions of volunteers. It was inevitable
that they would get some bad apples- as did the Army, the
navy, the USO end even the correspondents! 7

The miracle was that they didn't make more mistakes than
they did. But the tragedy was that too many of us let iso—
lated blunders be exaggerated out of all proportion until
they blinded us to the magnificence of the overall Job being
dCHBe 4

Usually it isn't easy to admit when you’ve been wrong,
but it's a pleasure for me to report that today my wife can
wear her Red Cross uniform any time, any place, anywhere-
with my blessing!

It was the aftefmath of deadly Hurricane Audrey that
Opened our eyes...

Another article which was reprinted from the Fort Polk, Loui-
siana Dragoon, March, 1956, by Private Robert A. Smith had wide circu-
lation. It was entitled, "A 0.1. Speaks on Gripes- Brother, You're
Lucky.”

Haybe you've really missed out. The Red Cross has plenty
of services to offer. Which one of these would you like to
have them perform for you?

Bring you a notice of a death in your family? This is
one of their servicee--feel bad about never having received
one?

Or along the same line; how about having them verify a
serious illness in.your family so that you may go on emer-
gency leave.

You say you haven't had the Opportunity to use the recre-
ational facilities they provide? All you need is to spend

Lg

1The full editorial will be found on page 87 of the appendix.

31

some tine in the hospital. Then if you're able, they're there
for you to use.

The Red Cross loans money, why haven't you gotten any?
If you have need to go on emergency leave and can't sfford
it. they'll help you financially. We all vent help like
that. don't we?

Never been saved from drowning'by a person who has had a
Red Cross life saving training? as? Hov'unfortunatel

The Red Cross blood progran.msy have been one you've
missed. 1hanks go to those that give blood, but aren't you
unlucky in not having to receive some of it.

Again you missed the boat in not having to receive Red
Cross disaster relief. If only e flood, tornado or hurri-
cane had come along and carried your house away you might
have been given money to re-oetsblish your home.

Too bad.you've never had an accident that required some—
one to give you first aid. i person with Red Cross first aid
training might have been the only one to administer it.

Red enough? Keep in mind that the Red Cross side those
who need help, but most of these services are rendered at
time of emergenoy'or family trouble.

If you've never had need to cell on the Red Cross-
brother you're lucky!

Just ask someone who has.

Widely read columnists can do a good job in correcting misinp
formed people and more and more articles are being printed all of the
time in an effort to correct misconceptions about the Red Cross. The
columnists themselves must first be convinced of the effectiveness of
Red Cross services. When disasters have been well-handled by the Red
dross, the(organisetion has changed man people's feelings.

General Gruenther, Chairman of the American Red Cross, has
travelled extensively, of late, all over the world where American
troops are stationed. Hie tour has been primarily to improve public
relations and to shoe servicemen that griping about the Red Cross to
their parents and friends in their letters hone really has the effect

of cutting their own throats. In e speech.mede in Toledo on.February

32

28, 958, General Gruenther said among other things:

One of the great problems faced by our organization is
that of having its story and its problems preperly‘under-
stood. I.can well understand why this is true. Heat folks
are simply too busy to keep posted on such matters. Thus,
in my own case, after 58 years of service as an officer in
the U.B. Army, during which time I had extensive opportuni-
ties to see the Red Cross in action, I found that there was
much that I did not know about Red Cross service. For ex-
ample, it was not until about January 10 of last year that
I learned that the Red Cross spends approximately 856 million
a year in service to the Armed Forces and veterans.

Paradoxically, some of the greatest misunderstandings
exist in the minds of ex-members of the Armed ?orces, whose
"3.1. gripes" often cause the Red Cross considerable harm.

In an endeavor partially to correct this attitude I
spent 17 days in July in Germany, France, and England visit-
ing 23 U.3. Red Cross installations which serve our men and
women in the Armed Forces in those areas. In the numerous
meetings I conducted I encouraged everyone from private to
general to criticize the Red Cross service and to offer
suggestions for its improvement. However, the 1ea?ers were
unanimous that the Red Cross is doing a fine Job for e
services and there were very, very few suggestions...

in can be seen, the Red Cross is not only interested in improving
_pghlio ggletigng and services but is doing something constructive about
the situation. In answer to the writer's Queries to the American Ee-
tional Red Cross, a very informative letter from Harry Eartin, Director,
Office of Public Relations was returned. In this letter Er. Hartin..’
states:
Of those queried ”Have you given money to the Red Cross?,
96 percent answered Vyee.” When asked "If you had some money
you wanted to contribute,~which organization would you prefer
to give your money to?", Red Cross led the list with 39 percent.
Among reasons for this answer were the following:

1. Ferthest reaching organization, most universal services,
work covers largest field.

 

1The full text of General Gruenther's speech will be found on
page 79 of the appendix.

g.
5‘.”

4.
5.
6.
7.
e.
9.

33

Would do the most good.

Help in any @i Pits? help soldiers and families in war
and peace.

Well established and welldmanaged charitible organization.
Help all peeple regardless of race, color and creed.

Can use the money to the best advantage.

The most active. .

it front in war work.

Help injured soldiers- only one that does actual hospi-
talization.

The above answers would seem to indicate that the public relations of

the American Red Cross are very good.

dtx II.

‘rhe letter from Harry Martin «111 be found on page 75-76 of Appen-

sierrrfl III
METHODS AND PROCEDUfiis ZE‘LOYED IN THIS H?UDY

The $5 estionnaire

A questionnaire1 was compiled to be used as the instrument for
obtaining information in this stndy. The first three questions of tho
questionnaire were used to cbtain such personal information.as, tho
branch of the service in which the veteran he: carved, the rating of
the servicemen, and the area or areas in which the servicemen had been
stationed. The first question was included because complaints in one
branch of the service might be more frecuent than in another branch.
The rank of the servicemen might have some bearing on the type and tho
number of complaints or praise of the emericen Red Cross. Certain cal-
bat areas were known to have been better served by the Red Cross than
other areas. For this reason the third question was asked in order to
give the servicemen the opjortunity to state where he had served during
the war.

The writer was interested, primarily, in getting specific in, .
formation.ee to complaints about the American hed Croce which were thc‘
result of nersonal experiencc.l The greater percentage of the question-
vero designed to get this first-hand information. .Qnestione were beau!
on complaints that, from peet experience, the Red Cross has identified

as being moat prevalent.

a *A copy of the questionnaire and the cover letter will be found
on pasts 71uand“]2 of Appendix I.

34

 

 

35

The third thing that was of particular interest to the writer was
finding out how much the average veteran knows about the current Red Croce
progran and how he feels about this program. Five questions were need to -
obtain thie intonation.

Finally, there was an open-end question where the veterane were
invited to give specific and detailed experiences with the American Red
Creel. This question gave room for a good deal of latitude and the
writer hoped would point out feelings which had not yet been identified.
The intonation obtained from this question, it was hoped. might prove to
be nore fruitful then an: of the rest of the queetione.

The Smile

The confidential fileelof the Inghan County Chapter of the heri-

ean Red Cross were Opened to the writer for this etudy. There were
eeveral drawbacks to using these as a source for information and for ob-
taining veterene' names. The" drawbacks are discussed more fully on
‘pece 36 e It was suggested that the Veterans Administration might have
current names and addresses of veterans of World War II. The writer con-
tasted Ir. Stanley Peck of the Veterans Administration. Though he showed
nueh interest in the project, he felt that getting permission to use the
names from the various local veteran groups would be a long involved pro-
eeee. He referred me to Mr. Humphrey who is chairman of the Council ef

Veterane Organizationa. The writer contacted Mr. Humphrey, who alee

v—fi w '1'
o .

l"'L'hemletter giving permilssion‘to use the Red Cross files will be
found on PBS. 73 of the appendix.

‘ .
. 4
e
O I
. .-
l .
.
I
. e

‘-w

 

#_l

 

36

showed much interest in the study. He agreed to ask the various dele-
gates to take the matter up with their own groups. This would have to
be voted on by each organization. The method would be tine-consuming.
He felt that there must be some easier way to obtain names and suggested
talking to one veteran group.

i suggestion from a faculty member, at thie'point, changed the
writer's direction. Some years ago a bonus was given to all‘World War
II veterans by the State of Michigan. These names might still be '
available. A visit was made to General George 0. Koran in the Adjutant
General‘s Office. He said that it would be almost a physical fllpoesi-
bility to obtain the names fron‘the veterans file because the names
were 1911.6 alphabetically for the whole state." a. suggested that the .
Red Cross might have the most current files of veterans' names and felt
that the writer should pursue this source further.

The writer talked with her supervisor, Kiss Marion harks, about
the various contacts that had been made and discussed the drawbacks to
using the Red Cross files. Some years ago, the cases had been screened
and only the ones remained which were still active. However, the file
cards on cases had been saved with the information on the cards that
the case had been destroyed. in examination of the remaining cases re-
vealed that the case numbers ran from approximately 10,000 to 20,000
for the World War II years. In some cases there was no way of knowing
whether the cases were military or civilian. As a very large percentage
of cases, even in peacetime, are military, the writer felt that the

57

chances of getting a civilian nsae were very small and would be a risk
that she would have to take. There was no way of ascertaining, in nest
eases, whether a servicemen had been stationed outside of the United
States. This would not sake too such difference as servicemen were
served both at home and abroad.

The writer took a trial run through the a file cards picking
out every fifth card between the numbers 10.0% and 20,000. If the
card did not indicate that the veteran was dead, it was drawn. The
name was locked up in the 1956 (the last available) city directory-

If the name and address were in the directory, they were used. After
finishing the is, there were far too many names, so in continuing
through the Bs, every tenth card was used and every other name was
crossed out in the is.' On finishing the Be, there were about twice as
any names as would be needed so the writer narrowed the number down

to every twentieth card. Thus, 96 names and addresses were obtained.
There were five names extra that had possibilities. These had not been
used because there were two or more names alike in the directory and no
way of knowing which was the right one. It happened that there were
cases available on two of these names so that more data was available
as to address. This completed the sample of. 100 names. is these names
came from the 1956 directory, there was no way of knowing whether or not
these men were still alive. The file card name was also checked by the
telephone book, as that this possibility was almost eliminated. 0b-
taining the names required counting out each twentieth card from a total
universe of 23,400 cards.

58

After the names were obtained, the questionnaire was sent out
with a return envelope addressed to the School of Social Work, Michigan
State University. A box at the school was assigned to the writer“ - i
that she could pick up the returned questionnaires at her convenience.
In this way, not only the veterans remained anonymous but also the
writer whose name might be familiar to some of the er-eervicemen.

Thirty%4uestionnaires were-returned; There seasons returned,
saying the veteran was deceased. There was one returned statins'that
the person was a civilian and that the questionnaire was meant for a
veteran. There were seven returned which the post office could not de-
liver because cf the lack of a forwarding address. This accounted for
39 questionnaires in all.

After waiting about a month, it was felt that an effort should
be made to see if people could be contacted asyno more of the ques-
tionnaires returned. All telephone numbers were found and each number
was called and an inquiry made regarding the questionnaire. About 50%
of the names were reached. Twelve people had destroyed the questionnaire
but agreed to fill it out if the writer sent them another. Twelve more
were sent out; Only three were returned. This gave the writer 5}
questionnaires from which to obtain data.

Every means for obtaining'names was checked for Obtaining a fair
sample. The fact that the war took place so many years ago made all
sources rather unreliable. Veterans' organizations do not include all

veterans and if this source had been used, there would not have been a

39

good croas-aection of servicomen. While this last statement might also
apply to the Red Cross files, these had the added fact that the men had
at least had some experience with the agency. The method of selecting
the sample was valid.

After the questionnaires were returned, answers to spacifie
questions were tabulated. Answers to the openpend quostion were ovnlb
nated. Conclusions were drawn from the data obtained and are to'bc
found in chapter five. Implication of the conclusions and the pro-

posals made by the writer will be found in chapter 31:.

CHAPTER IV

PRESEETATION LED ARALYSIS OF DATA

The data obtained frmn the questionnsirc falls into three dis-
tinct categories. One unit pertains to personal experiences that vet-
erans have had with the Red Cross. The second unit, which will be
found on page 48 deals with the knowledge that veterans have of the
cnrrent Red Cross program. In the third unit, which.will be found on
page 52 , the writer attenuate to evaluate the answers given to the '
openpcnd question.

0! the 33 sen who answered the questionnaire. 2 were commis-
sioned officers, 20 were non-connissioned officers, and 11 were en-
listed.nen. In respect to the branch of the service in which the 53
men served. 23 were in the Amy, 8 were in the Navy, 1 :31: was in the
Marines, and one man was in the Coast Guard. The writer had hoped to
use the data indicating the ccnbst cross in which each an served.
’he answers to this question mare so diversified, however. thst they

did not lend the-selves to tabulation.

Igtegggg' Egrsggsl Eageriegggs with the Red Cross

The general attitude of the servicemen during the war toward
the Red Cross was favorable. Only two servicemen felt that the Red
Cross did not do a good job during the war. Both were enlisted men in
the Envy. Both commissioned officers, one in the Army and one in the
Ravi, felt that the Red Cross did a. good Job. One man said that he

had no way of knowing what kind of a Job the Red Cross did because he

41

was stationed in the Aleutian Island for two years and did not see anyb
thing of the Red Cross. lost of the questions on this man's question-
naire wore answered, "I don't know,” and quite understandably. There were
15 nen.who thought that the Red Cross did a good Job occasionally. this
indicates that no matter what their experiences with the organisatiol.loy
have been, they feel that the Red Cross did a good Job sometimes during"
World War II. Sevon.nen felt that the Red Cross did a good Job nest of
the time. This indicates that they had had some contact with the agency,
that they felt they could not praise. Table l and Table 2 show how eerb
vioemen felt about the Job that the Red Cross did during the war. Table
1 shows their feelings according to rank and Table 2 shows their feelings
eooording to the branch of service in which.they served.

TABLE 1

VBTJRANS’ OPINIONS AS TO WHETHER RED CROSS DID
GOOD JOB DURING WORLD WAR II,ACCORDING TO BARK

 

 

Responses Total Commissioned Ron~Commiesioned Enlisted
Officers Officers Ibo

T0tal......... 35 2 20 11
Did 800d 10b. V
(no reservations).. lO 2 8 0
Did good Job
nest of tine....... 7 O 5 4
Did good Job
009331038113 eeeee-e 13 0 6 5
Did not do
800d. 30b eeeeeeeeee 2 O 0 2
m.‘ m0'eeeeeeee-e1 1 O 1 O

 

 

 

 

 

1
o
w
‘ v
.-.
t
(
t
V n-
.0...
I .
o
u
- O.
.'
I
.0"0
1
.en‘e
‘
.
1 . 0e09-
.
,, . --\.

)a.

 

TABLE 2

VE'I‘L-JMS' canons as T0 WHBTKSR nan caoss on: soon
Jon mmxwo wow) us 11, woonmsc 1o annual

 

 

 

Responses Total Army Navy Other ,

Tataleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeo )3 23 8 2
Did good job . .
(no reservations).......... 10 8 0 2
Did good job
”3t Of tm............... 7 5 2 0
Did good job
occasionally“.............. 1} 9 4 0
Did act (10 800d. JObsseeeeee 2 0 2 O
D0n" m" OOOOIOOOOOOOOOOO 1 1 o o

 

 

 

 

 

There were two non-comissicned officers who thought that the Red
Cross workers were overpaid (hiring the war. There were two enlisted see
who thought that they‘wsre overpaid. Of the whole group. 16 felt that
Red Cross workers were not overpaid. ”Don't know” was the answer of eight
of the sen. Three gave no answer and. two felt that use Red Green workers
were overpaidt/dnring the war and some were not. The latter two non were A
both non-comissioned officers. Neither of the couisaioned officers
felt that Red Cross workers were overpaid- Table 3 on page 4} shows
how the service-ten felt about Red Cross wages according to rank and
Table 4, on page 44 shows how the veterans felt about wages according
to branch of service. .

c
C O 9
I ' ‘
O C I
C Q s
O O

O I I‘

o C
o C
‘ C
.

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a e'
Q

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c

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u ‘
0 w

 

 

 

43

TABLE 3

VnThhific' FJSLIHGS AS TO flahfflix RED CROSS $03K333
wean UVhRPAID in death WAR II, ACCOHDIIG to fill!

———v-"- “V v—vfi—ww— V v

Responses Total Omissioned lon-Oonissioned Enlisted
Officers Officers Ken

Mr

 

 

TOt‘l eeeeee 5’ 1 2 2° 1 11

Feel Red Cross
Iorksrs were
O'Crpaideeeeeeeeo ‘ 0 2 2

Feel some Red
Cross Workers 4
were overpaid ... 2 ‘ O 2 0

reel Red Cross
Workers were

act overpaid sees 16 2 B 6
Don‘t an' eeeeee 8 O ' 7 1 1
'b ‘nIWCr eeeeeee 5 0 ’ 1 2

 

 

 

 

 

The feelings of the servicemen. as to the contribution that Red
Cross wosen workers made to the morale was quite varied. One commissionod
officer in the Army felt that their influence on morale was. “minimal-but
good." A Envy non-commissioned officer made the statement. "they did son-
dors for the commissioned officers. Others no.” A Saval enlisted man made
the statement that the women contributed to the ”morale of a limited few.“
in Army non-commissioned officer made the statement, ”Anything looked good
out in the Islands. Some wanted to make money.” One enlisted man in the
fiery said that he “never saw any” Red Cross women. A Envy enlisted man

asked the question.”ihat kind of sorsle?“ A total of 15 non felt that Red

44

TABLE 4

VETJAANS' FLELINGS AS TO WHETHER RED CROSS WORKERS WERE
OVERPAID 1! WORLD UAR II. ACCORDIIG»!O SERVICE [

i

_ ____. A L #—

 

w-w

4 ?

Responses Total

 

Army [any fOthers

TOtBleeeeeeeeeeeede 35 23 4 8 V 2
Feel Red Cross
Wortere were .
overpaid eeeeeeeeeeeeeeew 4 2 2 " 0
Feel some Red
Cross Workers ;
'ero overpaid oeeeeeeeeed 2 O 2 0

Feel Red Cross
Workers were

HO‘ overpaid eeeeeeeeeeew 16 12 2 2
Don't Know eeeeereeeeeeei 9 7 0
NO answer eeeeeeeeeeeeeei 2 2 0

 

 

 

 

 

Oroee women did contribute to norele and 5 felt thst they did not. 0! the
15 who did feel that Red Croce women helped morale, one wee e connieeicled
officer, 15 were nonpccnmissicned officers and 1 wee en enlisted Inn. Of
the 15 giving positive enewers, 11 were in the Army, and 4 were in the levy.
There were 5 veterans who felt that women Red Croce workers did not contri-
bute to morale. Of these, 2 were nonpccnniesioned cfficere and 5 were en-
listed.nen. The brenches of service of the 5 who gave negative enewere
were 1 in the Army, 3 in the thy; and l in.the Cceet Guard. There were

7 men who wrote no enswer et all. The men who had eerved in the Aleutien

Islands gave e ”don't know" answer. Five of the nen.hed not been cvoreeee

45

TKBLE S
VETEfiANS' FE:.LINJS AS TO' ”mkHIR WOMEN RED CROSS

NURKLKU CQh1nibU1AU LU mQuALb DUthu WVRLD hfifi 11’
A3CORDING TO RANK

 

 

Responses Total Commissioned Honnccmmissioned Enlistod
Officers Officers ‘ch
Total 000.003 55 2 20 11
F653 1ELJtL
con rlsu ed
”IA-10133153000000.0001 15 1 15 1

Feel "om en did
not contricute
to moral. 0000000001

Hat mreeafi 0000001
Don't kDG'N 0.000000!

-4 pd \n \n
F‘ c: C) (3
\u +4 ha a:
VIC-bu

HO “8'93? .ooaraomond

 

 

 

 

 

to they Could nofi give an answer to this question. fiable S ahpws thn tor-
vicemen'a feelings regarding female workers according to rank. Tall. 6
on page 46 gives their fa “linra 9,. th resaect women workers according
to branch of service.

It is intelesting 0 note tn: 'ri‘f.‘i.n:.-;-~ tive ansmers as to whethar
women lied Cross workers contri‘ Juted to mor.--1e duri n5 u rid war II con-
tained a lot of sarcasm which can be interpreted in many ways. kany'of
the affirm3t ive answers 12d MO 9 qnelifWing statemeLt.

Only one veteran had pvrsonally gurchased cigaxe Utes marked "Gift
of the American Red Cross." Be was a non-com:ieaion;d :fficer in tho Army.

He purchased the cigarettes in Africa. A Naval enlisted man said that in

46

TABLE 6

V!“ ".4. .a-'U‘.i\S' F ...;on IN‘VS AD T0 $112.1 "BEL? 0.'- "JCEZIJ F .3 Guess
"ORKLRS CONTRIBUT.$D T0 HOBALE, ACCORDING
TO S"‘IICE

 

w ' Vi fi

 

Responses Total Army Nevy Others
TOtEloooooooooooo 33 23 8 2
Feel women contri-
bthed to morale oooooooooooL 15 11 4 0

Feel women did not
OOntI‘i‘U‘J'EB to morr'llaoooooOo

Rat OVE’FSQEZB oooooooooo_oooo

Don’t know oooooooootooocoo

-4 rd \» \n
C) C) rd \»
pa :3 C) r4

ax F‘ 4- +4

K0 ”18"61' 0.000000000000000

 

 

 

 

A A; A

 

had "Paid for at R.A.S. Honolulu, cigarettes marked Donated by General

" which is of interest but has no epaoial connection

Rotors Corporation,
with this study.

Sweetera or comfort articles h:.d been purchased by three navy
personnel. Two were enlistei men and the other was a non-commissioned
officer. One Said that he had purchased such articles in New York,
another said that he had purchased a sweater on Guam, and the third had
bong t a sweat 3r at Camp Pelke, Construction Battalion Recruit Depot,
Balifornia..

One Army.Air-Force non-o ommissioned officer said that he had

heard in Aluska in 1945 that the Eed Cross sold blood and plasma, how.

ever, this was later proved false and was strictly a rumor.” An Army Air

47

Force private said that he had heard rumors that the Red Cross sold blood.
An Army enlisted men said that his understanding was that the blood cost
$25 a pint or that you had to get some friend to donate a pint and get
two more friends to donate. This statement doesn't make much sense but
it is what the servicemen wrote on the questionnaire.

No servicemen had ever paid interest on a loan obtained from the
Red Cross. One Navy enlisted man has applied for a loan and hed.becn
denied. Four men in the Army had obtained loans from the Red Cross. Two
of these men were enlisted personnel and two were non-commissioned officer!-
One Navel enlisted men had obtained a Red Cross loan.

Of the 13 men those families applied for emergency le"ve eijht
had been granted the leave and five had been denied leave. Leave had
never been requested by 18 families and two men did not answer this
question.. Five veterans of the Army had asked for and been granted leave.
- Three Hsvy'veterans had been granted emergency'leaves. 0f the five 1!!!
men who obtained emergency leaves, two were enlisted men and three wort
non-commissioned officers. One of the Army enlisted men had applied for
emergency leave twice. One leave he had been granted. Be had been denied
a leave to be with his wife during childbirth. One of the Navy veteran-
who was granted emergency leave was an enlisted men and two were nous
commissioned officers.

There were five veterans who were denied emergency leave. Four
of theee men were in the Army and one was in the Navy. Two of these mun

were enlisted personnel and three were non-commissioned officers. The

48

reason given for not being granted leave, in one case, was that the “Ingp
hon Chapter sent incomplete information." Another man said that the fined
Cross took two weeks and still no leave so the doctor obtained it." in
Army private said that the ”Red cross here would not agree on leave.“
This man went on to say. ”I asked for leave due to my brother's death.

He was killed overseas. my mother broke down, due to the fact that I

was in the hospital also. Also my step-father was in the hospital. my
00 at the time did work out a leave for me.” This man's story indicates
a misunderstanding of Red Cross policy. He has the impression that the
Red Cross has it in their power to grant leave. All they could have

done was to get the information needed by the military and then it was

up to the military to grant the leave. One man stated that the infernan
tion was "too darn slow getting through." linother man said that he was

denied leave because he was needed in combat. In the three cases where

leave was denied, it appears that the Red Cross may have been partially

to blame.
Veterans' Zeeligg! About 3Q! gaggent Red Qggge grogggg

In th. first inn of this chapter, we considered how the veteran
felt about the Red Cross during the war. It is interesting to note. by
comparison. how they feel about the Red Cross now. We find that 19 no:
feel that the Red Cross is doing a good Job now in comparison to the ten
who felt that the organization was doing a good job during the war. This
is an increase of nine men who have changed their Opinions about the Red

Cross. By a comparison of Table l on page 41 and Table 2 on page 42 with

49

Isble 7 on this page and Table 8 on page 50 one can see some of the changes

that have taken place in servicemen's attitudes toward the Red Cross.

TABLE 7

VETERANS' OPINIONS AS To WHETHER THE RED 02035 13'
DOING A GOOD JOB now, ACCORDING TO mm

 

 

 

6
Responses Total Commissioned RoanoInissioned' Enlisted
Officers Officers lhn
Tom eeeeeeeeeeL 33 2 20 11
Doing good Job
now (no reserva-
tione)................ 19 2 10 7
Doing Fair Job
110' eeseeeeeeeseeeeeee 3 0 5 0
Hot doing good
305 eeeseeeeeeeseseees 2 O 2 0
Don't “0' eeeeeeeeess 7 0 5 2
Other answer! eeeeeeee 2 0 0 2

 

 

 

 

 

Both commissioned officers still feel that the Red Cross is doing
a good job. Ten nonpoommissioned officers feel that the Red Cross is
doing a good job now in comparison to eight non-commissioned officers
who felt that the‘Red Cross did a good job during the war. So two noe-
commissioned officers have changed their minds about the Red Cross sinoe
the war. The servicemen in the Harines and in the Coast guard both felt
that the Red Cross did a good Job during the war and are doing a good Job

now. it. changes that took place in attitudes toward the Red Cross were

among non-commissioned officers and enlisted men. The greatest change in
attitude took place among the enlisted men. Where none of then gave a
positive “yes” as to whether the Red Cross was doing a good Job durilg
the war, seven enlisted men feel that the organisation is doing a good
Job now. Where two of these men felt that the Red Cross had not done a
good Job during the war, none of these men feel that the Red Cross is
not doing a good Job now. Both non-commissioned officers and enlisted
men have shown an increase in the "I don't know" category with reference

to the Red Cross now.

TABLE 8

VETERANS' OPINIONS AS TO WHETHER THE RED CROSS
IS DOING A GOOD JOB NOW, ACCORDING TO SERVICE

 

 

Responses Total Am levy . Others

Total eeeeeeeeeeeeeb 33 2} 8 2
Doing good Job now ' _
(n0 reservations) eeeeeeee 19 14 3 2
DOing fair 30b no. eeeeees 3 2 1 0
not doing good Job '
110' eeee‘eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee 2 1 1 0
D01!" 1010' eeeeeeeeeeeeeee 7 6 1 O
Other WWO" eeeeeeeeeeee 2 0 2 0

 

 

 

 

 

In examining the same data, as to branch of the service in which
the men served. we find that light Army men gave an unqualified ”yes”

when asked if the Red Cross did a good job during the war. is to the pre-

e I. s.
'0

4

e -.-.se09

OOOO‘IPOO

see...

0

sees.

 

 

51

sent feelings, 14 Army men give an unqualified “yes" when asked if they
felt that the Red Cross sas doing a good Job now, indicating that fire
men had changed their minds about the Red Cross since the war. In the
Ravy, where nebody had given a Eyes" answer, now three men feel that the
Red Cross is doing a good Job. Both the Marine and the man in the Coast
Guard gave fires“ answers both times. The man.who sas placed in the :
"other category said that the Red Cross was not doing as good a Jab as
for the money they collect.” Another Navy enlisted man marked both Eyes"
and ”no ”. I

There were 17 veterans who answered Woo. to the question, “In the
area served.by the Ingham County Chapter of the American Red Cross is
there any charge for the blood itself?” There was one man who gave no
answer to this question. There were lZ‘men.that answered, "I don't klfl'qw
Of the three men who said that there was a charge for blood, one said,
”Have heard of people paying for'blood. Another said, "If not, has case
so much charge for administering?“ Another said, “That the blood had te
be replaced or paid for." Of the 35 men that answered, half of them do
not understand the Red Cross blood policy.

All of the veterans indicated that they had contributed to the
Community Chest. One said that his contribution should have gone to ts.
Polio Foundation.

Helping to disaster was the area that was most often mentioned
by the veterans as the function where the Red Cross did the most good.

There were 12 veterans who indicated this area of service. The Blood

Program was mentioned by 10 veterans as the nest important Red Cross
function. Other areas that were mentioned were Civil Defense, hospié
tal facilities, and helping someone who needs help. Another nan said
that the most important function was fproviding services at a minimul
cost.”

The writer was interested in knowing’how'msny services the
veterans knew that the Red Cross performed. Table 9 on.page 53 will.
give the reader an idea of the veterans' knowledge of Red Cross funeb
tions. All 35 veterans knew that the Red Cross collects blood. This,
however, may not have been a fair question.because the Bloolerogrsn
was mentioned twice before in the questionnaire.

It can be seen from Table 9 that the service that Hone Service
performs, namely, helping servicemen's families, does not seen to be an
area that veterans know much about. Only half of the veterans knew that,
the Red Cross helps servicemen's families. Host of the men are not aware
that the Red Cross has a youth progran. This'youth progran is the Junior
Red Cross.

 

The last question on the questionnaire was an open-end question.‘
The son were asked to express any feelings about, or experiences that
they had had with the Red Cross. Fourteen of the questionnaires were
left blank as far as this question was concerned. The other answers of
these 14 men showed a.positive feeling toward the Red Cross, indicating

that they had nothing critical to state. One Navy non-commissioned officer

53

 

 

 

 

 

a 3 3 . ....... 833.3. .3958 .33.
O *N m .0000. ccccc é gfl¥£0= a
o E m 83350 3 3.. 338-5,“ .38
H R m ....... .333- 2335 a :3
O a V 00000000000000 .003 00““ IUHQN
O a Q 0... ooooo go. .003 ad.“
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had the following to eayt

I personally have never actually had a real need for an
agenqy like the Red Cross in war or peace, however, it see-e
like all of the stories you hear of people that have had oo-
oaeion to use their facilities never say anthing good about
it.

I believe it would be advisable in many of the varioue'
departments of the ARC if they would copy the Salvation Army‘s
operation. For actual value to humanity. dollarwiee, I ine-
gine the Salvation Army and othere get twice as much done
with their money as the ARC. Apparently there are too many
highly paid chiefs running the few volunteer Indians for the
Bed Croce to accomplish.nuoh with their money. I think e
lot less social work and plenty of real hard work would put
this organization on the level that ite originator intended.

An Army nonsconmieaicned officer.nade this statement which is
in nuoh the same vein and the writer quotes as it was written:

Their is to much eooial life and in political affair.

They should be more concerned about putting eight hours
work aday with no free rideing in there delay routine.

Their is an old saying do unto eithers as you wish
eithers to do unto you.

Both of the above statements indicate that neither man known
too much about the Red Cross program. In the first statement the nan
feels that there are many paid workers and a few volunteere which.ie
not the case. There is a very small, overworked staff, as a rule.
coordinating the large group of volunteers. The second nan’e etate-
nent does not agree with the facts. Red Cross station wagons may be
eeen quite frequently but they are usually driven by'volunteere who
are in the Motor Corps, performing ecne mission of mercy or they are
being'used to transport Red Cross nurses to and from areae where

blood donations are heing'nade.' Very seldom are the staff seen In

any of the Red Cross vehicles. Most of the eight hour day, the staff

55

is engaged in work at their desks.
A Navy nonpcommieaioned officer had this statement to make:

Oertainly I heard rumors of shennenigans in the program
during the national emergency but then.where human beings
are involved there will always be something amiss. Who can
point the finger of perfection at anyone else's backyard no
matter what program is involved.

I presume about the closest any of them come is the church
and Salvation Army programs for a minimum.of error. Heck who
is perfect?

Another remark along the same vein was made by an Army co-is-
sioned officer. He said, "There is roo- fer isprovement- but this is
true of any'organigation.' An.Arny private states, "Sane places the
Red Cross is doing a good job but as a vet I don't agree." in Army
Air Force corporal made this statement, ”During the war I found the
chapters in the West and Southwest doing a better Job than in the
Lansing Area.” in Air Force private had this to say, "The Red Cross
program is good or bad depending on the local staffs or individuals.“

Three of the veterans made quite positive statements about
the Red Cross. in Army Air Force Sergeant made this statement:

On the whole, a splendid organisation; much maligned, but

mostly without adequate proof. My loan and emergenqy leave
tn 1945 were well handled and my own contacts with the Red
Cross were very good. Sowever, there were always vicious
rumors about the Red Cross, which I can see were just a part
of the general griping in the service.

An army sergeant said the following:

In Africa, after being discharged from the hospital,

while awaiting shipment to the United States, I had the
good fortune of working for the American Red Cross. At-
tached to the unit at Canastel Oran, North Africa, I first

was connected with the Snack.Bar guiding Italian prisoners
who worked in the kitchen and also assisting with the oper-

56

ation of the Snack.Bar. Later, I was working in the field
director's office as a personnel consultant, assisting*men
who were new to combat. I felt that in helping these men,
I was doing my small bit even though I was no longer fit
for combat. These experiences left me with a warm feeling
toward the Red Cross. They did a swell Job over there.

This man signed his name. as was a person who had ample op-
portunity to see that the Red Cross really did during'the war. His
statement seems to support the findings of George Gallup who found
that the soldiers who had had the lost experience with the Red Cross
were the ones who were the least critical of the organisation.

Another Army sergeant made this statement:

I found the Red Cross helpful both in the Pacific and

at home during World War 11. Have had no experience with
them since, but Judging from the press, they are doing a
good job on the domestic front.

Another Army sergeant said, ”after contributing to the Coup
sanity Chest by salary deducticn- got no financial help when therapy
treatments were needed for my wife who has a rare nerve disease.“
Giving financial help in a case such as this is not a function of
the American Red Cross.

The statement that this Army Air Force sergeant makes may'be
a legitimate gripe. ”The only time we asked the Red Cross for help'
was after the war when my wife, a GI bride was very despondent and
worried. She wanted someone to come and talk to her. We were put out
of our apartment and practically no warning because the owner moved
out and he wanted the new owner to take over. The Red Cross worker

refused to come.” Evidently this was handled undiplonatioallyt If the

sen had been home and was a veteran, he would no longer have case under

the helping jurisdiction of the Red Cross. This case might have been ro-
forred to the Veterans Administration or the County telfare. fihatevcr
the referral, an explanation should have been made as to why the agency
could not handle the case.

One man, who was vehement on all of his other answers. said, “A:
far as I‘m concerned the biggest share of it stinks!” This msn had two
disappointing experiences with the Red Cross. Ho had applied for on
emergency loan and it had been deniod. His family had applied for oner-
genoy leave and he said that the Red Cross took two weeks and still no
leave, so the doctor obtained it. This man was a seamen first class in
the Envy. his not getting the loan is understandable. The Red Cross
policy is to wire the field director to see if the military will autho-
rizo a loan. Except in very extenuating circumstances, the Red rose
cannot make loans to servicemen without military confirmation. It is
more difficult to understand why he did not get emergency leave. Thor.
must have been circumstances of which the men was not aware. Whatever
tho situation was, the interpretation given must have been very sketch:
to have left the man with such a negative feeling toward the Red Cross.

A naval enlisted man had his to say about the Red Cross. ”The
American Red Cross is poorly managed, unconservative, ani over-exagger-
ated in its usefulness. The Salvation Army performs the same services
(with the exception of blood gathering) with a sincere purpose in mini."

An Army sergeant gnie a lengthy summiry of his feelings about tho

Red Cross, most of which the writer will quote as it has some interesting

58

points relevent to the project.

I worked in trooy movements and when a bunch of follows
were transferred from one camp to another, the Army gave them
tickets to the new camp. If you lived on or near the route
that was taken. going to the new comp, you could stop off and
have your furlough at home. fhese two fellows lived in tho
other direction. The two fellows went to the Red Cross to
get money for train fare to their home. They were told to
get it through the Army. They lost a day and a half of their
furlough time.

I don't like the half-truth that was shown in the movies
(we were told these were real Red Cross films in action) that
we saw in the defense plant to get us to donate money to tho
Red Cross. I was foolish enough to give a day's pay after
seeing one of these films. I had two brothers in the service
at this time. Here I one field workers right up near the
battle lines getting information from fellows for their loved
ones back home. When I lost one of my brothers in the Army,
my sister went to the Red Cross to get added information and
she got no satisfaction. 50 I went to the Red Cross and
asked the woman if she could get me additional information
about my brother. She said that all hat could be done is
what the government has done which was only a telegram telling
of his death. Then I asked the woman if she could let my
other brother, who was aboard a ship, know about the death of
my brother. I gave her the information she said she needed.
:Ivevenoffered to pay for the expense. She said that the Rod
Cross performed this sort of service free. my brother never
did receive any notice from the Red Cross. He found out
about his brother after he hit flew York Port and picked up
his mail which was forwarded to this port and laid there one
til his ship cans in.

While I was in the service, my wife took my two small
children down to the Red Cross to get shoes for them. They
asked my wife if she had relations living here in town. She
said, "Yes," and then she was told to go to them and get the
needed help.

To be fair to the Red Cross, they did help me once. my
daughter was in the marine Corps in California. It was some
time my daughter didn't write and my wife was worried sick.
We sent a telegram.and special delivery letters and there was
no reply. I called the local Red Cross and they, in turn,
called the local Red Cross office in California and they
checked on my daughter and found out that she was 0.x. and
this was no expense to me.

Tho above is what happened to me personally and not hear-
say. I will always wonder about the Red Cross.

This man has some very negative feelings about the Red Cross that
neem'very Justified in his eyes. In the case of the two friends asking
for trwsyortation money, the Red Cross would have gone against military
orders if they had given the men money. as emergency leave was not in-
volved, the Red Cross would not have lent the money as a general policy.
The method of giving this information probably caused the antagonis-
toward the agency. There could have been any number of reasons why tho
brother did not receive word about his brother's death. There is no
doubt in the writer's mind but 3¥¢43the Red Cross sent the message.
There iould be no way for the local Red Crone to knov whether the loo-
sage had been delivered because with that sort of masses there would
be no reply necessary. This circumstance evidently took place in tho
middle of the war and the man was at sea. It is understandable why
the message did not get delivered. This was probably not the fault
of the Red Cross, however. The shoe incident might have been handled
in a more diplomatic way, by referral to the Volunteers of America,
for instance. The worker may have ascertained that the family wec'

well able to assist and suggested that logical resource. With bottor

h
\

interpretation, on the part of the worker, all of these experiences
might have been gone through without leaving the man with such a
feeling of animosity.. The difficulty of getting messages through to
a ship during wartime, with the exglanation that the Red Cross could
only send the message and hope that it would get through,would have

helped the no; accept the almost inevitable outcome in this case.

60

One can't help but admire this man's fairness toward the Red Cross when
the agency did do him a service.

Moat cf the remarks made by the veterans have ehown that per-
sonal animoeities toward the Red Cross have been.caused, for the most
part, by lack of interpretation, on the part of the worker, of the
agency's function. As is indicated in Table 9, some people believe
that the Red Cross does everything. As long as some people do believe
this, there are bound to be misunderstandings when occasions arise to
use Red Cross services.

In the following chapter, the writer draws several conclusion.

from the analysis and evaluation of the data.

Uifl‘i‘fil V
SUIEAEY AND CGYChUcIONS

In this chapter, the writer will summarize the general nature
of the whole study and will give the conclusions drawn from the data.
The hypothesis is: most of the complaints and criticisms of World War
II veterans about the services of the American Red Cross can be traced
to a lack of understanding of the functions and policies of the organi-
cation.

A sample of 100 World War II veterans was taken from the file.
of the lnghan County Chapter of the American Red Cross. Questionnaire-
were sent to these 100 veterans. Thirty-three men returned the ques-
tionnaire. The questionnaire was designed to give data relevant to the
feelings of veterans about Red Cross services during the war and their
knowledge about, and feelings concerning, the agency's present program.
0! the 53 men who answered the questionnaire, two were commissioned
officers, 20 were non-commissioned officers and 11 were enlisted men.

For convenience in analyzing the data, it was divided into three
units. The first unit was concerned with veterans' personal experience.
with the Red Cross. The second unit dealt with veterans' current feelings
about the had Cross. The third unit was an evaluation of the answer.
given to the open-end question which gave the veterans an Opportunity to
tell any experiences which they had had with the Red Cross. After an

analysis of the data the author draws the following conclusions:

C“
r)

1.

2.

5.

4.

5.

6.

62

A number of veterans have s more positive feeling row toward the
Red Cross than they had while they were in service.

*a

More men feel that they knew more about the ted Croo

02
"fi
*3
.9

when they were in service than they know now about the present
services.

Most complaints and criticisms can be traced to a lock of under-
etanding of the policies and functions of th organization. One
example supporting this would be the men who felt that the Red
Cross was responsible for leave not being granted. Another ex-
ample would be the veteran's opinion that the Red Cross was re-
sponsible for a loan being denied.

Better interpretation of the policies and functions, on the port
of agency personnel, might have made for better public relations
during the war.

There is some misconception, on the part of veterans, about the
Red Cross Blood Program. Some men feel that the organization
charges for blood.

There are some areas of service performed by the Red Cross which
are not well-known by veterans. They are not aware of the {not that
the Red Cross has a youth progrec, namely, the Junior Fed Cross.
About half of the veterans do not know that the Red Cross helps
servicemen's families, which is e function of the Home Service
Department.

The data obtained for this study appears to sawport the hypothe-

‘1
e

sin that world War II veterara' complaints and criticismq have been due

to a lack of understanding of the policies and functions cf the American

Red Cross.

C
\N

1.

2.

5.

4.

ChAPTuR VI

soc culminate

The writer has the following recommendations to make:
The American Red Cross would do well to continue and insist on
continuing» the policy of making no charge for anything where
personnel of the Armed forces are concerned.
A thorough screening should he made of personnel, particularly
female personnel, who will be working in areas where servicemen
are stationed. “he screening should consist of a thorough check
of personality patterns, habits, moral standards, educational
background, work history, and health. (in making the latter
statement, the writer is well aware that the Red Cross did a very
thorough screening job during the war and the statement is not
made in a critical vein.) Should an emergency situation.ariso
again where many new staff members must be hired, hurriedly, it
would be better for the organization to have no service at all
than to have services that are improperly performed.
The use of married couples overseas should be explored. This
would tend to rule out the sex factor, in a great many cases, if
the husband and wife team could be stationed together. Educa-
tional subsidies in the form of scholarships and stipends for
in-service training might encourage young married couples to take
up Red Cross work as a career.

Agency personnel should be encouraged to attend workshops and

64

5.

6.

conferences so that there will be a more equal application and
interpretation of American Red Cross policies all over the world.
Public Relations should be continually stressed in staff discus-
sions with each individual making contributions as to ways ser-
vices can be improved.

Public relations should be a special adjunct of all training

programs for both staff and volunteers.

Ai‘Pnil‘EDIX I

Books
filinsky, Saul 9.‘fig1§§LuLJ:nggggg§1g, Chicago: University of Chicago

Press, 1946

Lllbig, William, Modern Publig Qpinion. flew York; NcGraw-Eill Book
Company, 195 -

Andrews, F. Emerson. Attitudes toward 611355. New York: Russell Sage
Foundation. 1953.

Barton. Clara. ghe Red Cross. Washington: American Historical Press. 1905.

Baruch. Dorothy W. Zen. :03; cgélggea. egg War. New York: D.Appletonp
Century Company, 194}.

Bettolhoin, Bruno, and Janovitz,.lorril. Th3 ngggégg 2f Prejgggoc.

New York: Harper and Brofihere, 1943.
Bioknell, Ernest. P;ogeerigg with fine Red Cross. Rew‘York: The macmillan
Company. 1935

Boardman, Mable T. Unfier the Red Cross Flag. Philadelphia: J.B.Ligpincott,
1915

Bruno, Frank J. '
Preea, 1948.

Burnett, Verne. You and Your Publ;g. New York: Harper and Brothero, 1943.

Center, Allen E. Public Relations Iaeae in Action. New York: HcGral-Hill
Company, Inc., 1957.

Dunant. J.Henry. A memory of §olfr1no. Washington: The American Red Cross,

   

Work. Eew York: Columbia University

1939

Fink. Arthur E. Ege {told of Social W033. Kev York: Henry Holt and Company,
1952

Gall, Alice Crew, In Peace and War. New York: Thomas I. Crowell Comgany,
1941.

Harlow, Rex F. Pubgig Relations 1g‘$§£ ggd Peace. New York: Harper and
Brothers, 1942.

Hill, Reuben. Families Under §t£gne. Row York: Harper and Brothers. 1949.

Introduction to the Red Croeg. Washington: The American National Red Cross,
1948.

Kernodle, Portia B. The Red Cross Nurge in Action. Kev York: Harper and
Brothers, 1949.

68

Kati, Daniel, Cartwright, Darwin, Eldeveld, Samuel, and Lee, Aflred

McClung (eds.). garlic Qpigiggiggd ngpagggda. Her York: The
Dryden Press, Inc., 1954.

Korean, George, At g3; Siée. New York: CowardéKcCann, Inc., 1945

Leevitt, Robert Keith, Common Sense About Fang Raising. Jew York:
American Book-StaffordiPreee, 1949.

Pickett, Sarah Elizabeth. Zhe American Rational Red Cross. New'York:
The Century'Company, 1925.

Rose, Hurray i. Communitz Organization. new York: Harper and Brothers,

' 1955

Sills, Theodore H. and Lesly, Philip. Public Relations. Chicago:
Richard D. Ir‘in’ Inna, 19450

Furnan, Sylvan 3. ”Public Relations in Social Work”. §ggigl Work leg; geek.
New York: Russell Sage Foundation, 1954.

Stevenson, Eleanor'Bunpy, and Martin, Steve. I Knew Your Soldier."aehingten:
Penguin.Booke, 1945. '

Stiener, Jeeee P. Communitz Dragnizetion. Hew'York: The Century Company,
1925.

Stroup, Herbert Hewitt. Comrunitz Welfare Qrgggizatiog. New York: Harper
and Brothers, 1952.

Weller, Willard. Veteran Comes Back. Hew'York: The Dryden Press, Inc., 1944.

Young, Pauline V. 001 Cesar r Natio Defens . New York: Prentice
Hall, Inc., 1941.

Periodicals

Abelman, Josephine, ”Preetment of Marital Problems in a Red Croce Setting."
gourng; 2f 5921.1 Casework, xxxx, No. 6 (March, 1950).

Binder, Gertrude. "Publicize, Interpret or Relate?", Social Work, I, No. 5
(Juli: 1956)° V

Didda, Dicy. "Counselling Uprcoted Persons", Sociol Casework. XXXVIII,
Ho. 10 (December, 1957).

Emery, Marian. ”The Family Agency's Part in International Social Work",
Social Caeework,XXXVII, Ho. 9 (November, 1956).

Hohmen, Elmo P. "Merchant Seaman and the Social Worker", Socigl Cgeework,
XXXVII, Ho. 10 (December, 1956).

Jennings, Daniel E. Jr. ”The Social Worker in a Eilitary Setting", Sggiel
Casework, XXXVIII, No. 5 (May, 1957). . -

69

Krotchman, Herbert F. "Public Relations in Social Welfare", Social W25:
Journal, xxxv. No. 4 (October, 1954).

Kogan, Leonard S. “The Short Term Case in a Family Agency”, Part I,
cciel Casework, XXXVIII, No. 5 (Eng, 1957).
Hogan, Leonard S. “The Short Term Case in a Family Agency", Part II,
Social Caseworg, xxxvxII. no. 6 (June, 1957).

Hogan, Leonard S. "The Short Tern Case in n.Femily Agency", Part III,
50018.; CfiSQWOI‘k,X-¢‘CXVIII’ N00 7 (Julygl957)e

Lorry, Fern. "Ehe Ceaeworker in Short Contact Services", Social Work
gournel, II, No.1 (January, 1957).

Monehan, Fergus T. ”Supportive Casework in an Army Setting", Social
geeework, XXXIII, No.9 (November, 1952).

O'Connor, Basil. "Cam aign.Battleground?”, Survex figd-Monthlz, 65,
No.6 (June, 1947 .

Shyne, Ann W. ”What Research Tells Us About Short-tern Cases in Family
Agencies”, Social Casework, IXXIII, No. 5 (may, 1957).

IPPZILDIX II

Dear Sir:

Your cc-oPsration is naked in filling out the enclosed
questionnaire. The information obtained fro- this question-
naire will be the basis for n study which is being made by
a graduate student of the School of Social Work at Xiohigan
State University under the auspices of the Inghan.Count7

Chapter of the American.Red Cross.

The purpose of the study is to learn how much is known
about the current Red Cross program and how servicemen feel
that the program can be improved. A random sample has been
chosen from World War II veterans. It is felt that you,
as one of this group, can provide some of the information

that we are seeking.

You will be performing a public service in the interest
of community betterment if you will take the time to complete
the questionnaire and return it by February 14. Please omit
any identifying'information as we are interested only in

your answers.
Gratefully,

A Graduate Student

3.

l.
2.
5.
4.

UI
O

U\
0

3o

3.
l.

L.

QDESTIOHNAIRE

In shat branch of the service were you?_fi
What was your rating at the tins of your discharge?
which combat ribbons did.you get?

Iron.your own experiences, do you.fesl that the American Red Cross did a good Job
during the var? Ies no Occasional Host of the time

Do you feel that Red Cross workers were overpaid during the var? Yes so

Some vets have indicated having women workers overseas contributed to the morals.
Do you agree? 'Yes he If no, explain please

w

 

Did you personally ever purchase cigarettes marked "Gift of the American Red Cross?
Yes lo If yes, Where?#_i

There were many sweaters and comfort articles made by American volunteers during
the var. Did you ever purchase such articles? Yes No If yes, please tell
us where.

 

Did you ever hear of the Red Cross selling blood or plasma? Yes Re If yes,
will you please give the details.

In the area served by the Ingham County Chapter of the American Red Cross, do you
think that there is any charge for the blood itself? Yes No Don't Knov .

If yes, why do you think so? I
Did you ever obtain a loan trom.the Red Cross while you were in service? Yes no

 

Were you ever charged interest on such a loan? Yes he

If yes, please give some of the details. when? Where? How much?

 

AL Al.- A
WW .7

Did you or your family ever try to Obtain emergency leave? Yes No

Were you denied this leave? Yes No If yes, please give the details.

 

Will you check the services which you think the Red Cross performs.

Teaches First Aid Helps unmarried mothers.

Holds free dances Teaches hone nursing

Operates a swimming pool Has courses in mass feeding
Collects blood Gives financial help to civilians
Helps burned-out families Helps veterans’ families

Teaches Life-saving Helps servicemen's families
Arranges adeptions Has a recreation pregram

Runs a transient shelter has a youth program

Do you feel that the peacetime American Red Cross is doing a good job? Yes No
If yes, in what ways?

The American Red Cross in Ingham County is a Community Chest Agency. Do you
contribute to the Community Chest? Yes No

Do you have any experiences, criticisms, or comments about the American Red Cross
that you would like to share with us? If so, use the reverse side of the paper
to "it‘s

    

I.) i. 73
AMERICAN RED CROSS

INGHAM COUNTY CHAPTER

AND

REGIONAL BLOOD CENTER
§ § 3

P.O. IOX 31.4

‘LANCING 11. MICHIGAN
PH. IV. 4-7461

 

 

December 2, 1957

Dr. Ernest 3. Harper

Director, School of Social Work
Michigan State University

224 Icrrill lsll

Dear Dr. Harper:

we have revieved the outline of the proposed etch
subuitted by Ire. lone Sweeney sud wish to sdvise
that re heartily endorse it and will suthorise the
use of our files for source uterisl and sense of
those to be interviewed.

It hes long been our feeling that s better underb
standing concerning the basis of eceplsists essisst
the Red Cross will be helpful to us in ensuring
tb- esd in building our public relations. Ire.
Ineney'e study should be entrees): beneficial in
that regard.

Sincerely yours,

I.c.Wilkilsc§
Issuer

THE AMERICAN NATIONAL RED CROSS
Midwestern Area
4050 Lindell Blvd., St. Louis 8, Mo.

March 4, 1958

Mrs. Norma Sweeney
406 S. Pine Ste,
Lansing, Michigan

Dear Mrs. Sweeney:

I was very interested in your choice of subject for your
thesis and have followed every possible clue to try to obtain a
copy of the survey you mentioned by Robert K. Murray, entitled,
"Public Opinion in Relation to the American Red Cross". I am
sorry, but this survey is not recollected by any member of this
staff. I do know a Gallup poll was taken on Red Cross in the
mid-19409, but here too I find no copy is available.

I am sorry I can be of no better help to you, but I would
deem it a very great favor indeed if you could share with us the
results of your questionnaire being sent to 100 veterans. I am sure
we in this office would learn a great deal.

Yours very truly,
S'/Ott0 Jo Brenner

Otto J. Brenner
Director, Public Information

THE AMERICAN NATIONAL RED CROSS
National Headquarters
Washington 15, D. G.

April 9, 1958

Miss Norma Sweeney
406 S. Pine Street
Lansing 35,_Michigan

Dear Miss Sweeney:

Your letter of April 2 to General Alfred M. Gruenther has been forwarded
to me for reply. Your research on the subject of complaints of members
of the Armed Forces against the Red Cross is naturally of interest to us, and

I would like to see a copy of your thesis when it is completed.

As a retired Army officer, General Gruenther has paid particular atten-
tion to the matter of criticism by World War II veterans and men now on
active duty. He spent part of last summer visiting Red Cross installations
in Europe, trying to uncover the reasons for current and former so-called

" In his travels in this country, as well as in the Far East, he has

"gripes.
made a continuous effort to improve relations between the Red Cross and the

men and women in the Armed Forces.

Enclosed is a press digest of remarks made by General Gruenther at a
Red Cross meeting in Toledo, Ohio, and I would like to call your attention

to the topic "Services to the Armed Forces and Veterans," pages 3-5.

Another publication which will be of interest to you is the pamphlet,
"Since You Ask Me - Here Are The Facts,“ pages 5-9. This grew out of a
publication issued shortly after World fiar II to encounter the criticism
entitled, "Answers to GI Complaints." Based on "A Study of Public's Attitude
Toward the American Red Cross" of 1946, made by the Gallup Poll, the following
three reasons were listed most frequently by veterans as the reasons for
criticism against the wartime activity of the Red Cross:

1. Preference shown officers over enlisted personnel

2. Poor management

- 2 _

3. Charge for goods and services which other organizations
did not charge for and for which donations were given
to the Red Cross. An additional complaint registered
by civilians, repeating what had been heard from ex-
servicemen, was "Red Cross never did anything for me."

In addition to the explanation you will find in "Since You Ask Me," I might
point to the affirmative side of the 1946 poll. Both veteran and civilian
response to the question, "In your opinion, which one of the organizations
you have named performs the most useful work in this country?" revealed 67

percent naming Red Cross.

Of those queried "Have you ever given money to the Red Cross?", 96 per—

cent answered ?yes.’ When asked ”If you had some money you wanted to con-

tribute, which organization would you prefer to give your money to?", Red
Cross led the list with 39 percent. Among reasons for this answer were the

following:

1. Farthest reaching organization, most universal services, work
covers largest field

2. Would do the most good

5. Help in any disaster, help soldiers and families in war
and peace

4. Well established and well-managed charitable organization

5. Help all people regardless of race, color and creed

6. Can use the money to the best advantage

7. The most active

8. At front in war work

9. Help injured soldiers - only one that does actual hospitalization

Similar polls taken in 1948 and 1951 revealed essentially the same informa-
tion, only with the added question of separate versus united fund raising.
Since the only copies of these reports are in the archives at national head—
quarters, we cannot send you the survey results. However, if you wish to

have more detailed information about any particular aspect of this situation,

please do not hesitate to write us.

I hope this information will be helpful, and wish you the best of success
in your work on your thesis.
Sincerely,
S/Harry Martin

Harry Martin, Director
Office of Public Information

AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF PUBLIC OPINION

National Weekly Surveys of Public Opinion
Sponsored by America's Leading
Newspapers

Dr. George Gallup Princeton,
Director New Jersey

April 15, 1958

Miss Norma Sweeney
406 South Pine Street
'Lansing 33, Michigan

Dear Miss Sweeney:
In regard to your letter to

Dr. George Gallup, We would suggest that you
write to the National American Red Cross at

their Washington, D.C., headquarters.

They have the survey results
of the poll done by the American Institute of
Public Opinion. Also, they are the only agency
which could give permission for release of the

information.

We hope that this will be

of some help to you.

Sincerely,
5/ Carol McDonough

Carol McDonough
Secretary to the
Editorial Department

APPENDIX III

KJ
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Press Digest of Remarks by

Gen. Alfred M. Gruenther

President, American National Red Cross

Toledo Chapter Luncheon Meeting

Red Cross 1958 Campaign for Members and Funds
Toledo, Ohio

Friday, February 28, 1958

(He will not read from text)

1. INTRODUCTION

Since taking office as president of the Red Cross the first of January 1957,
I have spent a large part of my time visiting our chapters, surveying our nu-
merous disaster relief operations, inspecting our services on military posts
in this country, Europe, and the Far East and in meeting with labor, industry,
and other leadership groups throughout the country. Much of my time with
these groups has been devoted to a serious effort to explain to them the work
of the Red Cross. We depend entirely on public understanding and good will
for our existence.

We are continually faced with the difficulty of adequately tellirg t1.e story
of Red Cross services. The real story, of course, is written in the hearts of
the people giving and receiving these services, ad cold statistics and finen-

v

cial figures can only indicate the tremendous scope of the services.

2. DISASTER AND THE RED CROSS FINANCIAL POSITION

One of the most publicized, but - paradoxically -- least understood of
the services provided by Red Cross is that of disaster aid. Nearly everyone
knows that in time of natural disasters the Red Cross gives emergency aid to
victims, and that this aid includes medicine, food, and shelter. But -- and
I must confess I was guilty of this too before becoming president -- few know
of the long, tedious, and unglamorous rehabilitation task that follows a
disaster, including the rebuilding of homes and the replacing of furniture
to those in need.

For 77 years the American Red Cross has moved swiftly to the relief of dis-
heartened, suffering people when disasters have ravaged American communities.
In the first 75 years of its existence, the organization served in some 6,000
catastrophes, great and small, at a cost of more than two hundred million
dollars. This was money voluntarily contributed by the American people.

For, while responsibility for disas er relief is specified in the congressional
charter under which Red Cross functions, its funds come entirely from the gifts

of the people.

Now, this year the annual Campaign for Members and Funds is critical for
the American Red Cross. Upon its success depends the continued ability of the
Red Cross to act instantly and effectively when disasters crush American
coomunities.

The disaster operations of the past 2fi-years have wiped out our disaster
reserve funds and brought funds available for national emergency to a dan-
gerous low.

Here is how this came about.

From July 1, 1935, to June 30, 1957, disaster expenditures amounted to
more than 51 million dollars. That averages out to about 32,900 for every
hour of every day during the 24-month period.

In the first 6 months of this fiscal year, that is from July 1 to December
31, our disaster expenditures have exceeded 5 million dollars. The major por-
tion of this amount was spent on Hurricane Audrey, which lashed the Gulf
coasts of Louisiana and Texas last June, bringing death to hundreds of un-
fortunate people and destruction to many thousands of homes.

It all adds up to an expenditure of more than 356 million for disaster
relief and rehabilitation in just 2% years.

This 856,000,000 financed more than 659 Red Cross disaster operations.

It provided emergency care for 660,000 people and rehabilitation for 127,000
families. It repaired and rebuilt 60,C00 homes and assisted 5,000 families
with medical and nursing expenses.

Because of our extremely unfortunate disaster experience since 1955, it
became necessary last year to review the whole operating budget of national
headquarters. On my recommendation to the Board of Governors, we reduced
the budget by $2,600,000 for the current year. This meant economies in all
fields, including a reduction of more than 300 positions in the national
staff in personnel serving all over the world.

That reduction was not an easy one to make. I thought it would be when
I started the cutting task, but I found there was the big danger that drastic
cuts would reduce the effectiveness of some of our important programs. I am

not sure now that we did not out too much.

3. SERVICES TO THE ARMED FORCES AND VETERANS

One of the great problems faced by our organization is that of having its
story and its problems prOperly understood. I can well understand why this
is true. Most folks are simply too busy to keep posted on such matters.

Thus, in my own case, after 38 years of service as an officer in the U.S.

Army, during which time I had extensive opportunities to see the Red Cross in
action, I found there was much I did not know about Red Cross service. For
example, it was not until about January 10 of last year that I learned that
the Red Cross spends approximately 356 million a year in service to the Armed
Forces and veterans.

Paradoxically, some of the greatest misunderstandings exist in the minds
of ex-members of the Armed Forces, whose "GI gripes“ often cause the Red Cross
considerable harm. ‘

In an endeavor partially to correct this attitude I spent 17 days in July
in Germany, France, and England visiting 23 U.S.Red Cross installations which
serve our men and women in the Armed Forces in those areas. In the numerous
meetings I conducted I encouraged everyone from private to general to criti-
cize the Red Cross service and to offer suggestions for its improvement.
However, the leaders were unanimous that the Red Cross is doing a fine job
for the services and there were very, very few suggestions.

The appeal which I am making constantly to the leaders in the Armed Forces--
officers and non-commissioned officers alike -- is that they have a responsi-
bility of informing their men -- and I mean all of them, not only the one-
third who may benefit directly -- of the great contribution which the American
peOple are making to preserve a high state of morale in our Armed Forces. I
am certain that this service is of great importance to the military.

Take a specific case that came to my attention a few months ago. A sailor
was with his naval unit in the Far East and his wife had to go to a naval
hospital for an operation. There were three small children in the family and
the financial resources were very meager. So the Red Cross provided a woman
to care for the children for a period of 4 weeks until the mother was able
to resume her duties. Instances of this type take place many times almost
daily.

About one-third of all military personnel, in the course of a year, need
Red Cross assistance in one form or another. The other two-thirds, who do
not need the service, also by and large do not know very much about the job
Red Cross performs. It is from this latter group, the so-called "GI gripes"
come. The ex-serviceman who has never needed Red Cross help says, ”The Red
Cross never did anything for me while I was in service. Why should I do
anything for it now?"

With approximately 2,600,000 men and women in the Armed Forces, Red Cross
services to military personnel and their families require a large portion of

each annual Red Cross budget -- about £33 million.

The Red Cross has a field staff of over 2,000 stationed in this country
and around the world at military installations and hospitals; another 4,400
staff workers and a monthly average of 8,000 volunteers served in chapter
Home Service offices to assist the families of these men and women of the
Armed Forces. These workers counsel them in personal and family problems;
provide emergency financial aid; maintain a rapid communications service in
family emergencies; and provide recreation for hospitalized military personnel
and some able-bodied men at locations designated by the military.

Their record is impressive. During the past year 98,200 servicemen and
women were served at military installations and hospitals each month; 105,700
cases and requests of servicemen and their families were handled by chapters
each month last year.

Along with their services to present military personnel and their families,
Red Cross chapters and the national organization perform services for veterans
also.

Each month last year 128,000 patients in 176 Veterans Administration
hospitals and domiciliaries were given personal service by Red Cross chapter
volunteers, working with VA authorities and with hundreds of other local
organizations.

In a changing world situation necessitating greater and greater dispersal
of troops and machines in smaller units which are constantly mObile, the Red
Uross task of meeting the problems of servicemen and their families becomes

continually more complex and more costly.

4. THE BLOOD PROGRAM

This year the Red Cross Blood Program celebrates its 10th anniversary.
Last year Toledo joined the ranks of the chapters participating in the Blood
Program. Since this chapter has made an outstanding success of its Red Cross
services, I know your county-wide regional Blood Program serving 11 hospitals
has added to the esteem in which Red Cross is held in this community.

From the first regional center which Opened in Rochester January 1946,
the program has grown to 51 regional programs with 1,500 participating chapters.
It collects more than 2 million pints of blood annually and distributes blood
to 3,900 hospitals in all 48 states and the District of Columbia. These
statistics are only a faint reflection of the intrinsic importance of the
program. Blood is used in surgery, in childbirth, serious accidental injuries,
and in the treatment of certain diseases. From out-dated blood, Red Cross

has processed and distributed millions of units of valuable blood products:

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gamma globulin, for the modification and prevention of measles and for
agammaglobulinemia -- a condition in which the patient cannot manufacture his
own gamma globulin and is therefore subject to repeated infection; serum
albumin, used in treating shock, severe burns, and certain kidney diseases;
and fibrinogen, latest in the derivative family, now widely used in cases of
severe hemorrhage, resulting from certain complications of childbirth.
(In the past decade, ARC processed and distributed at Red Cross expense
18,994,900 00's of gamma globulin, 435,000 units of serum albumin and
5,200 units of fibrinogen. These derivatives have a current commercial
value of more than 350,000,000.)

Valuable as all this has been to the health of the American people, the
real significance of the program.lies in the continuing research in blood
which has been made possible largely by the Red Cross Blood Program.

New blood fractions are now being studied; one of these is plasminogen,
which when changed into an active form, enzyme plasmin, is capable of
dissolving blood clots. It is hoped that before long this may be found
useful in dissolving clots formed internally in the blood vessels.
Another fraction is ceruloplasmin, a potential curb for Wilson's disease,
a serious neurological ailment in which there appears to be a partial
absence of ceruloplasmin in the blood. Also, further uses of gamma
globulin are being explored.

In laboratories throughout the country ... at this very moment...scientists
are using Red Cross blood to expand the horizon still farther to find new
fractions and new ways in which blood can be used to save our lives and the
lives of future generations.

Eventually, we will be able to say that this most precious fluid has attained
the ultimate in use, and that everybit of it is 33123.2 it is needed £11.92. it is
needed.

In August 1956, the Red Cross undertook a responsibility that may prove to
be one of the most significant in the history of the BLOOd Program.

At the request of the Federal Civil Defense Administration, it agreed to
develop a national plan for providing whole blood in time of war emergency.
This plan would be carried out by the Red Cross under the supervision of the
FCDA Health Office. The other participating agencies in the Joint Blood
Council -- the American Hospital Association, the American Association of
Blood Banks, the American Society of Clinical Pathologists, and the American

Medical Association -- will all participate in the program with the Red Cross.

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This plan must take into account that an attack with nuclear weapons on
this country would cause vast destruction. Millions would be killed and in-
jured and tremendous quantities of blood and its derivatives would be needed
in a relatively short time to treat the casualties. All surviving blood
collecting resources would have to put forth a maximum effort to meet even
partially the blood needs.

Approximately 814 million is spent each year for the Blood Program.

5. THE oAFETY AND NURSING SERVICES

Year in and year out, Red Cross devotes much time and thought to the
important job of promoting safety and health in American communities. There
is no standing still in these activities. l"‘ew classes must be taught to
keep pace with population growth. The latest approved techniques are adopted
to keep Red Cross training effective and up to date. Several notable steps
forward were taken last year.

The first aid textbook was issued in a completely rewritten new edition--
the first in 12 years. It draws freely on advances in teaching methods and
incorporates techniques for the care of the injured developed by the medical
profession since 1945.

A method of artificial respiration, ages old but now adopted with modern
refinements, is being recommended for use on infants and small children and
for adults whose breathing has been stopped by chest injuries. This is the
mouth-to-mouth technique used in Bibical times whereby the rescuer breathes
directly into the victim's mouth to restore air to the lungs.

Last summer Red Cross issued a new 36-page manual for parents, "Teaching
Johnny To Swim." By following its simple steps, parents can give Junior the
rudiments of swimming instruction.before exposing him to the hazards of pools
and beaches. It permits individual teaching, which is more effective than
mass instruction for youngsters under 9 years of age.

Red Cross nurses served valiantly in the year's disaster operations, in
the Blood Program, and in a wide variety of other community health programs.
There were 2,500 nurse assignments to care for disaster victims. Ninety
percent of the assignments were volunteer and on them nurses gave some 3,000
days of service in helping their neighbors.

When an epidemic of Asian fin-threatened the nation last fall and winter,
Red Cross Nursing Services in communities all over American intensified and

expanded training in home nursing and for nurse's aides.

 

95

6. PREPARATION FOR THE FBTLXE

Through its ten service programs, the Red Cross touches the life of nearly
every American at one time or another. Aside from the direct relief given to
disaster victims, to many members of the Armed Forces and their families, and
to those who need blood, Red Cross reaches millions of families through its
training in first aid, water safety and home nursing, through Junior Red Cross
in the schools, and through direct contact of the public with the tens of
thousands of Red Cross volunteers who serve in our communities.

At our national convention in May, President Eisenhower told the chapter
delegates, "I think that the one great truth we should now get in our heads
is this: this is no time for your country or for the Red Cross to falter,
to hesitate, to think of turning back. The world grows. It grows in popula-
tion, and as it grows in population the complexities of its problems increase."

Since World War II America has been going through a period of explosive
growth. Industries have mushroomed over night and the populations of many
communities have doubled and tripled.

These things all intensify and complicate the job of the Red Cross. There
ars.wider populated areas to cover. There are many more people to serve and,
in any great urban complex, the hazards to human welfare are bound to multiply
as the expansion continues.

There is no possibility of standing still. Red Cross must keep pace with
the tempo of the times. It is estimated that by 1975 our national population
will be 228 million -- a gain of 65 million.

The Red Cross must grow along with our nation if it is to keep up with the
increased demand for its services.

There will be even more Communities to be hit bycthsster, more homes to
be destroyed by tornadoes or swept away by flood, more people to suffer in
such situations. There will be more cars on the road ... more hospitals...
and more patients in them This means a need for more blood and for more
volunteers to supplement the work of the professional nurse, more trained
disaster workers, more food and shelter and medical supplies -- and, of course,
more money to pay the bills.

These are a few of the things we can forecast with some certainty. There
will be other dramatic changes we cannot even dream of now. All together
they indicate that the Red Cross and its chapters will have to accelerate the
pace rather than slow down -- will have to do mg§2_rather than less.

The will to grow -- and to serve the whole community —- is there. But

this will not avail without a dynamic increase in volunteer strength and in
financial support.

The vast population.growth inevitable-in the coming years is in itself a
challenge to every Red Cross chapter to find ways of reaching every citizen
with an urgent and compelling invitation to join Red Cross and to partici-
pate in its activities. We should find some assurance in the fact that while
there will be more people needing service, there will also be more people to
give it.

Last October a new epoch in world history began. Whether we like it or
not, we have entered the space age. And, as in all new breakthroughs in
man's mastery of the physical universe, there can be no turning back.

Every new age presents its own problems and its own special threats to
human welfare. We are in the midst of a scientific and technological re-
volution that will lead us to untold wonders in the next few decades - and
also to untold horrors if social progress does not catch up with technological
achievement. There is real danger that the importance -- and the support --
of our health and welfare organizations may be minimized under the compulsion
to devote a great part of our resources to defense. Sputnik forced America
to raise its military sights. But at the root of all endeavor is the human
being -- the individual -- that Red Cross is pledged to serve. We have to
raise our sights all along the line. We have to prepare for the new age,
not only militarily but also in social understanding and progress.

We have to begin by recognizing that every new threat to human life and
welfare means, potentially, a far bigger job for the Red Cross and all wel-
fare organizations.

The strength of Red Cross lies in the fact that it is not solely an
instrument to bind up the wounds of the suffering. Through its international
missions it has a powerful appeal to people everywhere. It is an avenue to

better understanding between nations that has thus far never been closed.

"8

 

 

 

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Final Issue of "The Audrey Reporter" U1fioial Report of Hurricane Disaster
Operations September 195
BITTRRNESS T -N3FORMED

(This editorial was written by Kenneth L. Dixon, former AP war correspond ent
and now editor of the Lake Charles AKERICAR PRESS).

These may be harsh words but in recent years the United Appeals fund
drives here have succeeded in spite of the American Red Cross being one of
the participating agencies.

This year, United Appeals leaders are convinced the Campaim will
succeed -- because of the Red Cross!

That in a nutshell tells the stor of the total transformation in
9 3

the attitude of Southwest Louisiana citizer 3 toward the agency which admin-
isters the generosity of the American people.

Perhaps my own attitude is a good example. When I came home from
World War Two and found my wife in a Red Cross uniform, to say I was unhappy
about it would be the understatement of the year. Like many of you, some
isolated experiences overseas had left me pretty embittered at the Red Cross.
What I didn't stop to realize we 3 that when the war broke out, in a ma ter
of months the1Red Cross staff j1mped from a few hund: ed career workers to
many, many thousands of wartime staffers and millions of volunteers. It
was inevitable that they would get some bad apples -- as did the Army, the
Navy, the U JD and even the correspondents!

The miracle was that they didn't make more mistakes than they did.
But the tragedy was that too many of us let isolated blunders be exaggerated
out of all proportion until they blinded us to the magnificence of the over
all job being done.

Usually it isn't easy to admit when you've been wrong, but it's a
pleasure for me to report that today my wife can wear her Red Cross uniform
anytime, any place, anywhere -- with my blessing

It was the a1termath of deadly Hurricane Audrey that opened our eyes.

When the tragic storm had come and gone, leaving nearly 600 dead and
damage into the hundreds of millions of dollars the Red Cross arrived.
Most of us were glad to see them paitially because we had mellowed with the
years, but mostly because we rea1ized there was no organization other than
the Red Cross capable of coping with a disaster of this mag1itude. I'm
afraid our attitude was a 501 t of "it's the only game in town" -- and oculdn' t
have been very encouraging to the arriving disaster workers.

From the first day after the storm, you could sense the attitude
changing. Local volunteer workers, (representatives of Red Cross chapter),
during the hectic 1escue phase e, had signed chits for tho wi ands of dollars
of food, clothing, quipment, supplies and the like. The newly-a arrived
representative of the ARC treasury simply picked up the vouche1s , opened
the oheckb ook and star ted paying bills.

A child was born in Cameron the day the hurricane hit. If it lives
to be a hundred, it can not live long enough to see all the combined
Southwest Louisiana Red Cross drives even begin to equal tle u:oney that was
spent here a1ter the hurricane.

But the tangible things done by the Red Jros 5 here a: 9 listed else-
where in the pages of this rep01t, of H1rriea are Audrey. The ir.t1n»ibles
more difficult to define, often totohod even closer to the heart ...

Career case workers from all parts of the country took the proud but
shattered people of Cameron pa1ish to their hearts ... They overcame the
difficulty of the Cajun dialect ... They worked ten, 12 and 16~hour days,
in lOC-d egree heat ard amidst the smell and desolation of the disaster area...

Says a priest: "They transformed hopeless bitterness into hope and
faith again -- faith in their fellow men everywhere..."

SaJ s a merchant, now back in b1sinessz "I lost everytii.g -- was
ready to gii ... Someh<w they gave me back my nerve ... ‘1lmmaie it new."

Multi :ly this by the thousands and you'll begin to understand wh 1y
and how dead cities are coming back to life -- destroyed communities are
pro1dly, bravely rebuilding.

ro

Witho ut the Re d Cr a millions -- your millions -— it couldn't have
been done. But the Fed C1 ross gave them more. It gave them back their pride,
their faith, their hope ... t‘eir reason for living ...

Cf course there were mistakes and misunderstandings, but again the
miracle is that there were so few.
And thousands of mistakes and m'5understandings were corrected --

inoludinr those of this Writer, who will enoeforth always be ,proud to
speak out for tie American Red Cross

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