Atlanta Daily World

U. S. Renews Help Offer To Poland
WASHINGTON (INS) - The U. S. renewed its offers Monday to supply free food to relieve hunger in Communist Poland, where riots rocked the city of Poznan 10 days ago.

Renewal of the offer was made in a letter from Acting Secretary of State Herbert Hoover, Jr., to Harold Star, general counsel of the American Red Cross. The letter was sent Saturday and made public Monday.

A previous American offer to send large amounts of surplus wheat, flour and other food to Poland was curtly rejected by Polish authorities last week as "propaganda."

The offer was made after workers in the industrial city of Poznan rioted for three days demanding "bread and freedom."

President Eisenhower is known to have personally approved the food offer, which was made by Hoover and transmitted to the Warsaw government through the International Red Cross.

In his letter made Monday, Hoover said he "deeply appreciates" the cooperation of the American Red Cross in transmitting the U. S. offer of assistance.

Hoover added that when the U. S. first made its offer, "we stood ready in all good faith to be of help to the Polish people."

He then said: "Our offer to be of assistance in relieving the distress in Poland remains open."

There was little hope that the Communist authorities ruling Poland would reverse their stand and accept the American aid.

The Polish ambassador to Washington, Romuald Spasowski, said last week that Poland does not want "charity and gifts" and added that his country is willing and able to pay for the food and needs from abroad.

At the same time, Spasowski conceded that "to a certain extent" food shortages had been responsible for the Poznan uprising.

Poland has applied to buy American agricultural stocks but under the law, Communist countries cannot purchase food from the U. S. on the same basis as free world nations.