3. - usaid

donated by them wNch in most instances were transported by air to Nigeria.
Beginning in January the procedure was changed and funds were allocated to
the Voluntary Agpncies Division of the Office of Private Resources for this
purpose and also for assisting with the JCA alrbridge costs fYom Sao Tom.
Total allotment to PMAD from the contingency f'und through June 30, 1969
was $1.9 million.
In mid-smr of 1968 USAID representative Edward Marks and an ICRC convoy
of landrovers and trucks with seven team members and medical supplies went
from Lagos to bugu to Uyo via Ikom. For one week MF. Marks and the team
went to relief centers at Nsukka, Enugu, and Aqwu in the East Central State,
and Uyo, Babk, Nwaniba, Ikot Ekpene, and other areas in the Southeastern
State. Mr. Marks observations and reports from UNICEF, CRS, and ICRC
recorded the ever increasing numbers of peonle in need and gave proof that
the starvation death rate in the federal cofitrolled area was steadily
clin~bine;. All indications pointed to the urgency for a massive relief
undertaking .
In August of 1968, Ambassador C. Robert Moore, Deputy Assistant Secretary
of State for Af'rican Affairs, flew to Geneva for urpnt consultations on the
relief operations. He was acccmpanied by Mr. Ramone Eaton, Vice President
for International Relations of the American Red Cmss, Mr. Frank Sieverts,
Special Assistant to Ambassador Averell W. Hamiman, V!. Stephen R.
Tripp, AID Disaster Relief Ccordinator. During this period of two weeks,
the team met with officials of the ICRC and with representatives of other
govemnts and organizations who shared the U. S. concern over the stanrim
victims throupJ?out Nige~ia. One of its purposes was to find an effective
system for distributing foods and supplies to the victlms in Nivria and
Biafra, and to urge both sides to accept daylight flights ard a land
corridor and a cease fire for humanitarian reasons.
At that time, the USG in response to an ICRC request sent an FAA airport
expert to kneva to advise on the feasibility op completing an alrfielc! in
Biaf'ra to be used solely for delivery of food and medicines. This turned
out to be the Obilago alrstrip which was captured by the FMG less than a
month after it became operational.
The U. S. Public Health Service, National Communicable Disease Center began
work with ICRC in September 1968 on a nutritionhealth survey plan. By
June 30, NCDC had sent 12 doctors who worked four at a time generally for a
period of three months each on this program. Cetalls on this are given in
the next section under ICRC. AID/W desipted $620,000 of the funds donated
to ICRC for measles/smallpox campaips in Biafra and also maintained its
ongoing measles/smallpox program in Nigeria.
October 1, 1968 a group of State/AID officials arrived in Lagos to make
a first-hand study of the relief situation and Nivriats need for reconstruction
and rehabilitation =sistance. Leading the pup was Assistant
Secretary of State for African Affairs Joseph Palmer 11. He was accompanied
by W. Haven North, Director of AID'S Office of Central and West African
Affairs and Mr. Tripp. Mr. Marks and William B. Wheeler, Assistant Mrector
hgmms for USAID in Nigeria, made up the rest of the study pup.