An international relief commander amid famine
In October 1921, Haskell cabled Hoover that starvation would peak in winter and strike sixteen million people.
William N. Haskell was a U.S. Army officer who combined military command with postwar international relief administration. Appointed by Herbert Hoover, he directed the American Relief Administration’s operations in Soviet Russia from 1921 to 1923, organizing the large-scale distribution of food and medical supplies during the famine. His task required negotiating both the controls and the cooperation of Bolshevik officials while sustaining the speed and administrative accountability of relief. He later held senior commands in the New York National Guard and directed civilian-defense work, extending his career across military and state administration.
Activities and affiliations
Career Timeline
- 1901Graduated from West Point; cavalry officer
- 1905Graduated from the Army Staff College
- 1906–1907Served in U.S. operations in the Philippines
- 1916–1917Temporary colonel, 69th New York Infantry
- 1918–1919Field artillery with the AEF; temporary colonel and Distinguished Service Medal recipient
- 1919–1921Chief of the ARA Armenia Mission
- 1921–1923Director for Russia, ARA; directed famine relief
- 1926–1940Major general and commander of the New York National Guard
- 1944–1945Director of the U.S. Office of Civilian Defense
Related historical events
Relief control and public image during the famine
The agreement concluded at Riga in August 1921 made the American Relief Administration (ARA) pay for shipping food and administer distribution through kitchens and warehouses staffed by local committees selected and supervised by Americans. Soviet officials pledged transport and other cooperation. The arrangement reflected a clash between Herbert Hoover’s promise to American donors that the United States would control its food and Soviet concerns about independent ARA activity. The ARA nevertheless promised not to use relief politically and to distribute it without regard to class, politics, or religion.
As the ARA’s director in Russia, Haskell also intervened in public debate over the meaning of relief. In the winter of 1922, he decided to launch a propaganda campaign against rumors among Soviet citizens that American aid had malicious purposes. He arranged mass production and distribution of posters designed by Moscow artists, presenting ARA food and medicine as a gift from the American people to everyone suffering and in need. Public image-making for Soviet residents and American supporters thus accompanied the operational commitment to politically impartial distribution.
The campaign rested on a substantial network of feeding stations and warehouses. At the height of operations in the summer of 1922, 199 American organizers oversaw food provision for more than ten million adults and children. Moving supplies over long distances required hiring and supervising Russian employees, negotiating with Soviet officials, inspecting field offices, and maintaining accounts. Haskell’s publicity work was not separate from the administration of this extensive distribution system.