o Belgian time, which is
one hour behind Berlin.

Brand Whitlock, the American Minister to Belgium, who runs a strong risk
of having a statue erected to him some day by the grateful Belgian
people, is quite the happiest, most relieved-looking person in Brussels
since he heard the good news that all America was hard at work
collecting food for the Belgians and that England would not prevent its
delivery. Soon after the German occupation of Brussels a committee was
organized to give food to the poor here, of which Mr. Whitlock and the
Spanish Minister were patrons. Three weeks ago the Ministerial allies
discovered that the situation was exceedingly grave, not only here but
all over Belgium. Committees came to see Mr. Whitlock from Louvain,
Liege, Namur, Charleroi, Mons, Dinant, &c., and the people, I was told,
were within four weeks of absolute starvation. Mr. Whitlock got the
German Military Governor of Belgium, Field Marshal von der Goltz, to
give the Spanish Minister and himself a guarantee in writing that any
food sent in for the poor Belgians would not be requisitioned for the
German Army.

The next thing was to get the permission of England; so two weeks ago
Secretary Gibson was sent to London with Baron Lambert, a banker, and M.
Franqui to get England's permission as well as a first shipment of food.
Two weeks ago Mr. Whitlock sent a long letter to the State Department
and to President Wilson, asking them to do something. At least one
phrase of Mr. Whitlock's coinage has been going the rounds here. In the
various preliminary discussions as to whose responsibility it was to
take care of the Belgian people there was considerable talk about Hague
conventions. "Starving people can't eat Hague conventions" was his
answer.

Minister Whitlock also feels vastly relieved that he has got practically
all non-official Americans out of Belgium, the twoscore still here being
mostly resident business men, with a sprinkling of the boldest tourists,
who are staying "to see the fun," in spite of Ministerial warnings.

Mr. Whitlock believes he has broken the world's record by being eight
Ministers at once. At one time he was representing Germany, Austria,
Great Britain, Japan, Servia, Denmark, and Lichtenstein. When he told a
German officer that he represented Lichtenstein--which is said to be a
small sovereign State somewhere, dependent on Austria--the officer
laughed and said: "Theoretically, Germany is still at war with
Licht