million) were then engaged in raising a fund of ten
million dollars for their co-religionists abroad, and point-
ing to my friend, Julius Rosenwald, added: "There is one
man in this room who individually obligated himself to
contribute up to one million dollars to that fund. And
I have no doubt there are several other men in this room
who could and would subscribe one million dollars to the
Red Cross, to say nothing of the other patriotic Americans
who would do likewise."

When our committee finally selected Harry P. Da-
vison, of the firm of J. P. Morgan & Company, to be
chairman, some of them hesitatingly told him of my sug-
gestion that fifty million dollars be raised, adding that
they thought my proposal was absurd. "You are right,"
he said, "Mr. Morgenthau's proposal of fifty million dol-
lars is absurd--absurdly inadequate. At least one hun-
dred million dollars will be required, and that is the
amount we must determine to raise."

This was an inspiring example of those qualities of
imagination, vision, and daring, which had made Mr.
Davison, while still a young man, one of the foremost
leaders of American finance. His decisive leadership and
fiery energy aroused the enthusiasm of his associates, and
put the work instantly in full swing.

I suggested that the best way to get our campaign im-
mediately and dramatically before the public was to
obtain a proclamation from the President commending
our plan to the nation. "We have a psychological op-
portunity," I declared, "to reach the pockets of the people
through an appeal to their eager desire to serve. At the
most, only a small percentage of the population, and those
the young men, can be active combatants. But every
citizen wants to feel that he is himself enlisted in the
common cause. Active membership in the Red Cross is
such an enlistment, because the Red Cross will be the

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