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Location

New York, United States

Year

1944

Item Detail

Near East Relief Consummated, Near East Foundation Carries On: A Supplement to "Story of Near East Relief," Prepared upon the Expiration of the Congressional Charter, August 6, 1944

Context

This commemorative booklet, prepared by a committee of Near East Relief trustees under William E. Doughty as the organization's congressional charter expired, is Near East Relief's own account of its closure. Issued as a supplement to James L. Barton's 1930 "Story of Near East Relief," it carries the record forward from 1930 through the charter's expiration on August 6, 1944. It divides NER's history into three periods—the founding of 1915–1917, the great achievements of 1917–1930, and the transfer of assets and responsibilities to the Near East Foundation from 1930 to 1944—and records the trustees' final decisions: the 1928–1930 survey that reorganized the work, the incorporation of the Near East Foundation as "successor and heir" on February 18, 1930, and the last meeting of the trustees on May 16, 1944, at which they voted an orderly liquidation.

The booklet states NER's summary figures in the organization's own words: more than $116 million contributed for relief through June 1930, more than 132,000 children cared for, over a million people saved from starvation, thirty American workers who died in service, and more than 1,500 workers enlisted and trained. It closes with the Near East Foundation's founding principles and wartime work, and with a roster of every trustee and officer who served across the charter's twenty-five years. A companion dinner program, printed for the commemoration at the Cosmopolitan Club in New York on October 24, 1944, is bound with the booklet.

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  • Holding Institution

    Rockefeller Archive Center

  • External Link
    https://dimes.rockarch.org/objects/ap4EeriSBbwDet4VFuEyLi

  • Attribution

    Rockefeller Archive Center, Near East Foundation records

  • Rights

    No known copyright restrictions. Based on available information, NERHS is not aware of copyright restrictions on this material. Items are presented for non-commercial research and educational use. Users are responsible for determining rights status and compliance with applicable law.

  • Notes

    Excerpted from the 1944 board docket. Authorship: committee of NER trustees, William E. Doughty, chairman; supplements Barton's "Story of Near East Relief" (1930) but is not itself by Barton. Confirms the charter term ("granted by Congress on August 6, 1919, with the definite condition that it expire at the end of 25 years," p. 5) and the final trustees' meeting (May 16, 1944, p. 13). Includes the "Orphan's Grace" sung in NER orphanages and "Faith of Our Fathers" sung by the trustees, led by Cleveland H. Dodge, at the special meeting of July 31, 1923, "during the darkest hours of Near East Relief." Full trustee roster 1919–1944 with charter members marked; NER and NEF officer lists. Primary source of record for the NER-to-NEF succession and for the $116,146,211.04 total (as given on p. 5).

  • Document Contents

    * Dinner program, Cosmopolitan Club, October 24, 1944, with the "Orphan's Grace" and "Faith of Our Fathers"
    * "Consummation and a New Beginning" and a three-period résumé of NER history
    * The 1919 congressional charter and its 25-year term
    * Summary figures: $116 million raised, 132,000 children, one million saved, thirty workers lost, 1,500+ workers trained
    * Coolidge and Vickrey appraisals of NER's work
    * The 1928–1930 survey, the $5,000,000 final campaign, and the three questions facing the trustees
    * Incorporation of the Near East Foundation, February 18, 1930; officers and directors
    * The last trustees' meeting, May 16, 1944, and the vote for liquidation
    * NEF founding principles, first-decade achievements, wartime changes, and postwar planning
    * Complete NER trustee and officer roster, 1919–1944