"Tragic Gap"

The sprint between the fat figure of U.S. plenty and the gaunt shape of world hunger still seemed a losing race. Despite record wheat exports--3,374,000 tons from Jan. 1 to May 10--on May 10 the U.S. was nearly 1,000,000 tons behind its colossal goal: 6,000,000 tons before June 30. For the first ten days of May the U.S. had paced itself for 333,000 tons, only 105,000 tons had actually sailed from U.S. ports. And never before had the per capita food consumption of U.S. civilians been higher: 14% above prewar years.

As the wraith of famine forged ahead over the earth, a puffing, overfed nation reddened at the boos swelling from worldwide grandstands. Was the U.S. really trying? Was anybody doing better?

What about Russia? As usual, Russia was a self-aggravated mystery. President Truman had asked Premier Stalin for Russian cooperation in the anti-famine program. And Stalin had replied--but Truman was noncommittal about the nature of the reply. Then the Moscow radio blared an answer of its own: Russia, threatened with drought in the Ukraine, was nevertheless shipping 1,100,000 tons of grain to key spots, France, Poland, Rumania and Finland--where it would also do the most political good.

What about Britain? Stumpy Herbert Morrison, Lord President of the Council, hurried to Washington to explain that his people had already cut the size of their bread loaf, might be forced to ration bread. Before departing, he agreed to a second 200,000-ton cut in the allocation of North American grain to Britain.

What about the rest of the grain-producing world? Washington food experts estimated that Canada would exceed its June 30 goal of 3,500,000 tons, Australia would meet its 1,000,000-ton commitment, and that Argentina, by including grain other than wheat, would make its 1,500,000 tonnage.

The Specter. Could the U.S. do more than it was doing? Back to Washington came Herbert Hoover, after a 35,000-mile tour through 25 food-short countries. After reporting to the President, he broadcast to the nation what he had seen: "The grimmest specter of famine in all the history of the world. . . . Hunger hangs over the homes of 800,000,000 people . . . over one-third of the people of the earth."

Even after whittling diets to a "bedrock" 1,500 daily calories, after stringently paring allocations of food to a subsistence minimum, Herbert Hoover conservatively figured that there still remained a "tragic gap" of 3,600,000 tons between world needs and world surpluses of exportable breadstuffs. This, said he, is "the whole amount necessary to save 40,000,000 people."

Could more food be taken from the beaten enemy? Said Hoover: "There are Americans who . . . believe in an 'eye for an eye,' a 'tooth for a tooth'.. . . No one is the enemy of children . . . [and] to keep 500,000 American boys in garrison among starving women and children is unthinkable."

Was rationing the answer? Herbert Hoover thought not. "If we can succeed in persuading every man and woman, every nation to do their utmost, we shall master this famine." His familiar suggestions for closing the gap without rationing: 1) voluntary reduction in diet by every U.S. citizen; 2) get every grain of cereal to market.

At the President's request, Food Ambassador Hoover would continue his famine mission by a trip to South America to spur contributions there. But the hope of the world was still the vast U.S. granary. Would the U.S. keep its promise to win the race? Or was it too fat?

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