Cooperative for American Remittance to Europe/Council of Relief Agencies Licensed for Operation in Germany

Both the Cooperative for American Remit­tance to Europe (CARE) and the Council of Relief Agencies Licensed for Operation in Germany (CRALOG) were founded after World War II. Their primary task was the collection of donations in the United States for the purpose of distributing hu­manitarian aid to Europe.

CRALOG and CARE used different methods to attract and collect donations. The organizations that participated in CRALOG collected food, clothing, and medication independently of CRALOG and transported the aid to the designated U.S. port, from which it was shipped to Germany. CRALOG was responsible for organizing the transport from these U.S. ports to Germany. In the case of CARE, U.S. citizens could order and pay for aid packages that CARE would send in their name to a specified receiver in Europe. Only a small number of CARE packages did not have a specified receiver and could therefore be distributed among Germans in need at the discretion of the welfare organizations.

American donations sent to Germany by CARE and CRALOG were distributed by nongovernmental social welfare organi­zations in Germany, most of which were af­filiated with churches: Caritas with the Catholic Church and the Hilfswerk der Evangelischen Kirche in Deutschland (Aid Organization of the Evangelical Church in Germany) with the Protestant Church. The Deutsche Rote Kreuz (German Red Cross) and the Arbeiterwohlfahrt (Workers Social Welfare) did not play a major role in this distribution of American donations. Dona­tions were delivered to social aid institu­tions, such as asylums or refugee camps, and to local donation centers. In the case of the donations provided by CRALOG, local authorities and representatives of the social welfare organizations and the church de­cided how to distribute the aid.

From the beginning, CRALOG was established as an aid organization exclu­sively for Germany. CARE was responsible for all of Europe, although Eastern Euro­pean countries did not receive or often re­jected such help for political reasons. Nev­ertheless, far more than half of all CARE packages were destined for Germany. This geographic imbalance was due to the high number of German Americans involved in ordering CARE packages for their relatives in what was left of Germany.

In the two years from summer 1946 to summer 1948, CRALOG alone organized the shipment of more than 40,000 tons of aid to Germany. In this period, more than 3 million CARE packages were sent to Germany. When CRALOG closed down its operations in Germany in 1962, it had brought more than 300,000 tons of aid to

CARE packages for Reichsbahner. American donations sent to Germany by CARE and CRALOG were distributed by nongovernmental social welfare organizations in Germany, ca. 1945—1947. (Deutsches Historisches Museum, Berlin)

Germany. CARE, which shut down its op­erations in 1960, was responsible for hav­ing sent about 83,000 tons of aid to Ger­many. Although U.S. governmental aid in food and privately sent packages surpassed the donations given to Germans by CARE and CRALOG, both organizations played a decisive role in providing assistance for the people in need. In the beginning, large segments of the population received sup­port from CARE and CRALOG. Later, after the foundation of the Federal Repub­lic of Germany and the beginning of Ger­many’s economic recovery, refugees from the former East Prussia, Pomerania, and Silesia as well as prisoners of war returning from Russian captivity received most of the aid.

Although CRALOG sent much more aid to Germany than CARE, it is the latter that is still remembered by Germans. The individualized approach to helping people in need provided the basis for personal re­lationships across the Atlantic. This was something that CRALOG could never achieve. Nevertheless, CRALOG and CARE contributed a great deal to the im­provement of the relations between West Germany and the United States. From a German point of view, American help aided the emergence of positive feelings toward the former enemy among broad segments of West German society. Unfor­tunately, American aid also helped en­shrine an attitude according to which Ger­mans viewed themselves as victims of

National Socialism and avoided any dis­cussion of guilt and responsibility. From an American point of view, the delivery of aid helped change the perception of Ger­many among Americans. Immediately after the war, a majority of the American population was in favor of harsh retribu­tion. Reports about the desperate situation of the German population provided by CARE and CRALOG helped to change this attitude and were partially responsible for the reemergence of a positive percep­tion of Germany as the new ally in a worldwide struggle against communism. The outbreak of the cold war led to in­creased pressure by the American govern­ment on nongovernmental aid organiza­tions. Since the number of private donations decreased throughout the 1950s, CRALOG and CARE relied more and more on governmental financial sup­port and thus became dependent on polit­ical decisions by the government. The American government continuously at- tempted—rather unsuccessfully—to use aid provided by CARE and CRALOG as a political weapon in the cold war.

Gabriele Lingelbach

See also Reconstruction of West Germany References and Further Reading McSweeney, Edward O. P. Amerikanische Wohlfahrtshilfe fur Deutschland, 1945—1950. Freiburg: Caritas Verlag, 1950.

Sommer, Karl Ludwig. Humanitare Auslandshilfe als Brucke zu atlantischer Partnerschaft: CARE, CRALOG und die Entwicklung der deutsch-amerikanischen Beziehungen nach Ende des Zweiten Weltkriegs. Bremen: Selbstverlag des Staatsarchivs Bremen, 1999.