The East Hartford Gazette

LETTERS

SAVE THE CHILDREN

Dear Editor:

After an entire year of continuous war in which Korea has been the battleground for freedom against communist aggression, the appalling record of children orphaned, maimed, without clothing or shelter, has grown to terrible proportions.

Dr. Y. C. Yang, the new Korean Ambassador to Washington, who is a distinguished surgeon and educator, writes us:

"One of the cruelest and most tragic aspects of the carnage and savagery of the communist war is the plight of the children who have lost their parents and become separated from them in the whirlwind of destruction. Thousands of them are homeless, with no food and no clothing, and no way of knowing whether their parents are alive or dead."

Nothing, of course, can be done to replace the parents. And it will be a long time until normal conditions can be established for the war waifs. The Save the Children Federation, however, has developed a plan that will help in large measure to alleviate their presently intolerable condition.

The Federation has created a School Rehabilitation Unit, under the guidance of our American-Korean committee of which Dr. George Paik, the Republic of Korea's Minister of Education, is honorary chairman. The unit contains reconditioned and serviceable clothing for children, shoes, classroom essentials and school materials.

The cost of such a unit is $50. We are appealing to the public to contribute to the aid of Korea's children in one of two ways: (1) either by sending a gift that will pay the cost of a School Rehabilitation Unit; or (2) sending a contribution in any amount to the Federation's general fund for the aid of these children.

General contributions to this fund will help the Federation to complete shipment of its pledge of 100,000 pounds of clothing to Korea, at the request of our own Government authorities. Two thirds of the amount pledged has already been fulfilled.

The Save the Children Federation, with national headquarters at 80 Eighth Avenue, New York City, operates in disadvantaged rural areas and on Indian Reservations in the United States, and maintains regular programs overseas in Austria, Finland, France, western Germany, Greece, and Italy.

The Federation is a member of ARK (American Relief for Korea). Cognizant of the security of our own children, we hope that your readers will respond to this urgent appeal of the helpless and homeless children of Korea.

Very sincerely yours,

John R. Voris, President,

Save the Children Federation

80 Eighth Avenue New York 11, New York.