Early in the summer, two days after Germany declared war on Russia, there was formed in London The American Citizens' Relief Committee, an organization which took upon itself the work of aiding all American citizens in Europe. Three Harvard men gave active assistance to the committee: J. P. Brown '14, a former editor of the CRIMSON, P. M. Rice '15, and W. W. Kent '16. The latter served as secretary for the organization.

The Committee, organized by the representative of the Bankers' Trust Co., New York City, was immediately placed upon a large scale. In order to carry out its work with the greatest efficiency, it employed 102 people, and had as its offices seven of the largest rooms in the Savoy Hotel. Within the first few days of its organization, $10,000 was raised for purposes of immediate use, and soon after, a daily newspaper was started by the committee for the stranded Americans. During the first weeks of the war scare, when the scarcity of money was most stringent, many were in danger of being evicted from their hotels, because of the managers' refusals to accept letters of credit and travellers' checks. This state of affairs the committee relieved, by becoming directly responsible, and to make things further easier at the time when all English banks had closed their doors, it organized a bank of its own, where all American Bankers' Association Travellers' Cheques to the amount of $40 were immediately cashed. Financial aid was not confined to England, furthermore, as money was cabled to Spain, Italy, Switzerland, and Sweden; while to Germany was sent a special envoy with actual boullion.

Great aid was lent Americans in securing passage home. The act of the Holland-American Line steamer, the "New Amsterdam," in stopping to pick up 500 tourists in England is a good example of what was done in this direction. It is a matter of pride to note the ready participation of Harvard men in the work.