Figure 1.-- America at the onset of World War I set out to save Belgium after the Germans seized the civilian food supplies. America had, however, no way to get food to the Eastern Front even as a neutral. As a result, the food situation was desperate by the end of the War. The Soviets at first rejected American aid, but the Poles in desperate need welcomed it. Poland had been one of the major battlefield of the War and the new country was in terrible shape. The photograoh here was taken by an American arelief worker. The caption read, "Polish family waiting their mid-day meal from American Relief commisary." We are not sure what was meant by commisary, we think it was a mobile kitchen. The photograph was taken in 1920.

No country in history has so used its agricultural bounty to save so many lives as America. That bounty results from both fertile land, but an agriculture based on individual initiative --family farming and corporate agriculture. America has saved hundreds of millions of people in Europe and the Third world from starvation. America’s food assistance programs actually began soon after the creation of the American Republic. The Fourth American president, James Madison, dispatched emergency aid to earthquake victims in Venezuela (1812). This began in a major way with World war I (1914-18). The first recipient was German occupied Belgium. The Germans seized the civilian food supply. Starvation was only prevented by American Food Relief. Herbert Hoover became a revered figure in his non-stop efforts to save lives. American Food Relief often worked through the Red Cross. Serbia and Russia proved impossible to aid because if the difficulties of shipping food and Central Powers opposition. America supplied allies like Britain. American food aid also went to the Middle East where the Ottoman Turks had launched the Armenian Genocide (1915). America did what it could to save the Armenians through Near East Relief. The War substantially reduced European agricultural harvests. Even before the War ended, food supplies in many countries plummeted, including Austria-Hungary. Germany, and Russia. After the Armistice (1918) famine and mass starvation threatened Europe. This was only prevented by American food aid. Russia was racked by Civil War (1919-22). The Bolsheviks wanted to use food as a weapon, this delayed a food program to save starving Russians. Finally an American Food effort saved millions of starving Russians. America was unable to aid the victims of Stalin's Ukrainian famine. Stalin kept his killings in the Ukraine a secret from the West. As part of his Collectivization program he ordered the NKVD to murder most of the best farmers in the country. The result was that the Soviet Union from that point on changed from an important food exporter to country that had trouble feeding itself, eventually having to import grain from America. Despite the Depression and Dust Bowl America again mobilized its agricultural bounty for World War II. The Axis starved millions of [people to death. The NAZIs even concocted the Hunger Plan to murder people by the millions. The Japanese caused famines in many countries they occupied. American in contrast saved people by the million through Food Aid. Food delivered through Lend Lease kept Britain in the War and millions of hard-pressed Russians from starving. Much of American aid was distributed through UNRAA. And again famine was prevented after the War, in both countries victimized by the Axis as well as the Axis countries themselves. The Japanese prevented American food aid from reaching China, but food delivered after the Japanese surrender prevented millions more from starving (1945). American Food Aid continued during the Cold War. President Eisenhower launched what became known as the Food for Peace Program (1954). America dispatched emergency food supplies to the victims of virtually every major disaster around the world. And America not only shipped food and other relief supplies, but also launched the Green Revolution which enabled Third World countries to substantially increase food harvests.

Comparisons

No country in history has so used its agricultural bounty to save so many lives as America. Food aid was at first an almost uniquely American action. In something like five millenia of recorded history, we do not know of a country that has provided huge quantities of food to not only friendly countries, but to people in countries that hae unfriendly governments and defeated enenies. Even in the 20th century, the nore common nation; p;ocy was to use food as aeapon to destroy people for a vriety of reaon, bith people in your own country and people in forign countries. Only after world war II and the European recovery did other countries begin food aid programs. But no country has come close to the quantities of food destributed or the lives save as America. It is one of the kmodst notavle achievements of the American Republic and one of the achievements of American exceptionlism/.

American Agriculture

The American agricultural bounty results from both fertile land, but an agriculture based on individual initiative -- family farming and corporate agriculture. There are many aewasaround the world with fertile agricultural land a approprite climatic conditions. Many of the other areas, however, have not had economic and political systems which enabled induviduals to take advantage of the full potential of the land. Russia/Soviet Union had enormouly fertile land. But backward Tsaeist technology and supression of the peasantry resticted productivity. The Soviets modernized agricultute, but collectibization destroyed thepeantry and ruined producivity. South American production was impaire by the Spanish/Portuguese colonial system anf then goverment policies aftr independence. Chinese productivity was impired by backward methods. War and climatic evens also affected productivity. Only America has consiently mintained huge harvests and offered low-cost grain to the world market since the early-19th century.

Food/Relief Programs

America has saved hundreds of millions of people in Europe and the Third world from starvation. The Left and Islamists have attempted to hid this, but the simple fact is that no country in all of history has come even close to saving the number of people America has saved. In fact, more often inhistory, countries have been nthe bsiness of waring and enslaving other countries then in eeding them. The United states began this humanitarian effort at a time for which there was no predeent. No country have ever set out to save an ebtire country vefore, let alone an entire continent. This egan in Belgium and the onset of World war I. It continued during the war, although the war impeded efforts to reach much of Europe. It continued after the war on on even larger scope. This includes both frienfly countries as well as countris that have waged war with America (incluing Germany, Austria, Hungary, the soviet Union, Japan, and others). And it did not end withWorkd war I. It continued after the war and hasnever ended . Since world wr I, Ameica has delivered food and relief tooeople all over the world threatened by conflict, plague, famine, and natural disasters. Incredably whille left wig up groups and Islamists dream up imagined deaths they attribute to america, there is not a word about the hundreds of millions that America has saved. Communists often can not produce even enough food to feed their popultion in time of plenty, let alone aleviate famine. And Islamists despite charity being one of the pillars of Islam are noticable absent in interntional relef efforts, even when Muslims are endangered. Europe today is active in these efforts, but it was America who establishe the precedent of such efforts. We are going to list American food aid and relief programs along with the program of the great totalitarian powers to use food as a weapon to kill people who for social or racial reasons they want to kill. There is no country on earth that has a record even rempotely close to the Unites States in poroviding food to starving people around the world.

Created: 1:41 AM 8/14/2015
Last updated: 6:53 AM 3/7/2016