![]() ![]() CRB vehicles drew cheers from Belgians, which annoyed the occupiers, as did the Americans' casual confidence. The CRB never violated its neutrality pledge, but that didn't matter. But in Belgium, that tolerance wore thin. Berlin tolerated the CRB as a means to keep Belgium placid and for public-relations value. The Commission for Relief in Belgium, which fed the country throughout the war, placed American delegates in major towns and cities, mostly collegians on leave of absence.ĬRB delegates were essentially glorified accountants who pored over cargo manifests and inventory sheets while having to fight their way through red tape and withstand hazing by German soldiers convinced they were spies. In Lonely Are the Brave, my novel due out in April, a war hero warmly recalls parading through Brussels in December 1918 to celebrate the city's liberation from four years of German occupation.īelgians had a soft spot for Americans too. ![]()
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