294 HUMAN LIFE IN RUSSIA
was based for the most part hold good to-day. They were
published at the time in various newspapers and periodicals
in many European states.1
Thus the question of the actual situation of millions of
starving people in the Soviet Russian agricultural regions, and
with it the question of a general relief action, has been under
discussion since the summer of 1933. There followed soon
afterwards various manifestations in favour of a general relief
action on humanitarian lines. Above all should be mentioned
an appeal issued from Lvov (Lemberg) by the Prince Metro-
politan of the Ukrainian Unified Church, the aged Count
Andreas Szeptyczkyj. Then, on August 20th, came an important
event. The Archbishop of Vienna, Cardinal Theodor Innitzer,
addressed to the world public an appeal to join in a relief
action for those starving in the Soviet Union, and announced
at the same time that an interconfessional and international
committee, to embrace the representatives of all the creeds and
national groups in Vienna, would be formed by him in the
immediate future.
This manifestation in Vienna in favour of comprehensive
action to bring help to the people in the Soviet Union then
1 They were set out as follows in the Vienna Reichspost of July 15, 1933:
1. The work must be of a purely humanitarian character.
2. It must on principle exclude all political factors and considerations.
3. It must be instigated by the humanitarian organisations.
4. An international relief committee should be formed on its initiative.
5. The whole of the work in Russia—importation, transport and distri-
bution of the supplies of corn, etc.—must be done under the supervision of
the relief committee. It must be carried out by the representatives of the
relief organization in co-operation with the officials of the Soviet Government.
6. The work must be international and interconfessional.
7. Public opinion must be in a position to exercise complete control of
the relief work.
8. The relief work must in all events be facilitated and promoted by
consideration of the economic factors; above all, advantage should be taken
of the^ circumstance that the grain-producing areas overseas have long been
suffering from an economic crisis owing to overproduction and are them-
selves interested in getting their surplus grain taken off their hands and
utilized by the relief action. International shipping has an equal interest
in the setting on foot of the relief work.