Thirteenth Global Studies Conference

Abstract

In November 1943, the allied nations created the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UNRRA) to solve the agricultural, industrial, and refugee crises that WWII had created. Also in November 1943, a famine was ravaging Bengal. Although WWII caused the famine, UNRRA never aided Bengal. This essay explains this omission by examining the activity of low-level personnel of the American, British, and Indian governments. Documents from the mostly-untapped UNRRA archive in New York City show how agents attempted to relieve famine victims despite orders from their superiors. UNRRA provided the channels through which these officers interacted and broke from their nations’ executives. These breaks changed the relationship between the United States and British India, allowing the two countries to have closer diplomatic and economic ties outside the purview of British diplomats. UNRRA deserves attention in the history of international affairs, as do the low-level employees that drive the world’s organizations.