Friendship Train in Georgia

Dorothy R. Scheele

The Friendship Train, America’s contribution of food to France and Italy after World War II, was an enormous and unmatchable gift of kindness from the human heart.   The goal of the train was to cross the country to collect food for the starving people in France and Italy.  The Friendship Train’s destination was New York where the foodstuffs would ultimately be shipped to Europe.  Even though the Friendship Train traveled through only 11 states, every state contributed to it.  Georgia was a part this conveyance of generosity and kindness.  A more complete history of the Friendship Train is available on the home page of this site.

Georgians definitely aspired to be part of this unprecedented movement.  An article entitled “Friendship Train Tells Europe Your Food Is On Way” in the Cumming Forsyth County News urged people to think about the hungry in Europe and by so doing possibly be inspired Georgians to relinquish some part of a meal.  

To many Americans, being a part of the Friendship Train was not only a moral obligation but also a good way to have fun.  To acquire money for food purchases, a myriad of games, contests, and other activities were held throughout the nation.   

Alex Miller, President of the Atlanta Lodge of the B’nai B’rith also took part in the campaign.  He wrote to Charles Luckman, chairman of President Truman’s Citizens Food Committee, asking him to try to have the Friendship Train routed through the South.  Mr. Miller declared, “This section yields to no other in generosity and compassion for the hungry people in Europe.”  Similar pleas from other parts of the South had been voiced, but to no avail.  The original plan, formed in five short weeks, for the Friendship Train to cross the northern tier of the country was carried out.

Georgia's full contribution to this singular event is at this time indeterminable even though the citizens were aware of it and definitely intended to be a part of it.  Kenneth Douty, who was Georgia State Director of the Textile Workers’ Union of America, established a Friendship Committee charged to help in the organization and collection of the imperishable food for the Train.  Mr. Douty had written to Mayor Hartsfield informing him that because the Friendship Train was not stopping in Georgia, it was imperative to find a way to transport Georgia's food donations to it.  He suggested Chattanooga as a destination for the donations, adding that Atlanta’s citizenry could easily equal and probably pass Chattanooga's donation of 35 tons.  Volunteers from the Teamsters Union offered to drive the food collection to New York, the ultimate destination for the Friendship Train prior to being shipped to the European ports. Rev. Louie Newton, Pastor of Druid Hill Baptist Church, was chosen to lead the fund drive.

An advertisement in The Atlanta Constitution on November 20, 1947,  urged officials to ship via the Louisville & Nashville.   The advertisement was an imaginary conversation between a person and one of the boxcars belonging to the L & N rail line.  The title of the advertisement is "Home Town Boy Makes Good."  The 'home town' boy was actually a new five month old boxcar, no. 16576, and it 'made good' by being the lead-off boxcar of the Friendship Train when it began its legendary cross-country journey.  This rail line felt enormous pride in this prestigious position.

The uniquely American Friendship Train was not in the least connected with the Marshall Plan or any other government policy or agency. It was a totally a grass roots entity.  Dorothy Thompson, a renown and influential columnist, one of the first reporters to be kicked out of Hitler's Germany, wrote that she believed the Friendship Train would do more to improve relations between the United States and the European nations than any Voice of America program could do.  The residents of the Peach state could hold their heads high for their part in one of the most humanitarian movements in history.

In 1949, France expressed its gratitude to the United States’ donations in splendid form.  This thank you arrived in the form of a train, the Merci Train. This train had one boxcar of gifts for each state.   As the United States’ gifts which came solely from the homes of everyday Americans, the French donations came from the homes of the French people.  The gifts ranged from the ornate and valuable to simpler items such as a comb or a doll and were intended to be displayed in public buildings, such as a library or school.  Almost all of the boxcars are displayed in its respective state.  Georgia’s boxcar is located at Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History 2829 Cherokee Street, Kennesaw, GA 30144.

Bibliography

“Friendship Group Urged to Mayor” The Atlanta Constitution Dec. 8, 1947: 6.

“Friendship There” The Atlanta Constitution Feb. 48, 1943: 43.

“Friendship Train Tells Europe Your Food Is On Way  ”Cummings Forsyth County News:  Nov. 27, 1947 1.

“Gifts From French Gratitude Train On Display At Capitol” Sparta Ishmelite Feb. 10, 1949: 1.

 “Home Town Boy Makes Good” The Atlanta Constitution Nov. 20, 1947: 15.

“Plans to route the Friendship food…” The Atlanta Constitution Oct. 27, 1947: 5. 

 “State Capitol To Show Gifts Sent By France” The Atlanta Constitution Dec. 31, 1948: 2.

“Summary Of The News Throughout Georgia” Butler Herald Dec. 18, 1947: 17.

The author welcomes any corrections or additional information which would add to this state's history.  Her email address is draetrain@gmail.com.