Christina Merriman to Jane Addams, May 20, 1920

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LEAGUE of FREE NATIONS ASSOCIATION
130 WEST FORTY-SECOND STREET, NEW YORK CITY

May 20, 1920

Miss Jane Addams,
Hull-House
800 South Halsted Street,
Chicago, Illinois

My dear Miss Addams:

Mr. McDonald has left for the Conference at Clark University on Mexico and the Caribbean and will not return until Monday.

I will ↑want to↓ let you know at once that Graham R. Taylor was in town last Monday and attended a conference held in the office to talk over the best way as to the publicity of the Russian volume into the Chicago papers. He is going to get together -- probably at the University Club -- a number of the newspaper men and go over the material with them, pointing out the [highlights] and the new matter. We are now promised pages by Friday, the 28th, and the publishers will mail them to Mr. Taylor at once.

We are asking Bruce Bliven, now with the New York Globe, who has shown a very liberal attitude toward Russia, to prepare a half page newspaper story to be released to the press June 5th. It was, I believe, through Bruce Bliven that Isaac Don Levine was sent to Russia. At any rate they published all his correspondence.

In regard to the appeal from Völkerbundliga; we also received a copy here. The Executive Committee decided that it had no right to divert funds which were specifically subscribed to the general work of the Association. However, we printed copies of this appeal in our last Bulletin with the announcement that we would forward at once any funds designated for this specific purpose. So far we have received nothing, but the Bulletin has not been out very long.

The enclosure is a full ↑four↓-page reprint containing our new program and Mr. Kellogg's plea for ↑an↓ international conference. [page 2]

I am returning the appeal, as you asked. You might try the "rich" League to Enforce Peace but I had better brace you for a shock by telling you that they have had such difficulty raising funds that they have practically gone out of business. I believe they have two stenographers and Mr. Short, the Secretary, has taken to selling National Thrift Bonds. We are sorry to have it so, for they reached many people who considered us too radical.

I wonder if by any chance your Bulletin failed to reach you. I think I will enclose ↑send↓ you another copy.

Sincerely,

Christina Merriman [signed]
Executive Secretary