From JDC archives
Copy
Kischineff, 20th March 1922.
Translation from the German
Dr. Bacilieri
Suisse Legation Bucharest
Preliminary report of Dr. Bacilieri regarding the conditions in Tiraspol and Odessa.
Today the 20th of March 1922 I returned from Tiraspol. The authorities of Tiraspol received me very friendly and were very obliging in every respect. During my stay there I was entirely free in all my actions and movements.
On the day of my arrival in Tiraspol, I had a conference with the authorities and explained to them the purpose of my mission• The following day the authorities of Tiraspol notified the officials in Odessa of my arrival and arranged a conference whereby I was to confer directly with the commissaries of external affairs in Odessa.
The condition in which I found the population of Tiraspol is something horrible. The prices for the most necessary articles are outrageously high and the things most necessary to life are accessible only to a very small part of the population.
Corn-flour is not for sale on the market and only Indian-Corn flour is to be found.
The children are the worst sufferers and are in a horrible condition. They are all very weak and look emaciated from hunger. They walk about the streets, or on the market place in hopes of finding something to eat.
I saw a child about 8-10 years old searching in a dust heap looking for something to eat. I saw another child about 10-12 years old frying the skin of a dog for food. Many children do not return home at night but sleep under a fence or on the streets so that they may be in a position to get something to eat.
The entire population is disgustingly dirty and full of lice. On account of the unsanitary living conditions and the continuous hunger of the population, typhus has spread all over the district. The death rate in Tiraspol alone is about 30 to 40 persons daily. It is very expensive to bury one and very few are in a position
to allow themselves such a "Luxury", therefore the dead who cannot afford a regular funeral are simply thrown on the street until they are carried off the next day and buried in a common hole with the other dead. Sometimes the dead lay about the cemeteries for some time before they are buried and one can see how the dogs and crows feed on them.
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I saw in1 Tiraspol children whose parents are in America and who even have all the necessary documents.to go away. These children suffer continuously from hunger. They will have to be fed for some time before they will be able to undertake the journey to America.
Two thousand hungry children from the Wolga district (in which a considerable number of Jewish children were included) are in the German colonies in the Department of Kiew. I visited one of these colonies (Andreasdorf, Dresden), and found the general condition there are not better than in Tiraspol. Everywhere the need is the same and the cry of hunger .is heard all around.
I remained in Tiraspol until the 12th of March and then went to Odessa.
Part of the trip, Tiraspol and Rasdelnaia (railroad line Odessa - Kiew) was made by wagon and part by rail. The trip was very difficult although the authorities did all they possibly could to make it comfortable. In Rasdelnaia I took the train which brought me to Odessa in 2 & l/2 hours. This train made a very disagreeable impression upon me. It is impossible to describe the dirt in which the people are compelled to travel. The train was overflowed with passengers from Odessa who were on their way to the districts of Podolia and Kiew in order to obtain some food. All the travelers were very dirty, exhausted looking from hunger and full of lice.
I arrived in Odessa on the 13th of March where I was received by the representatives of the Government. I received a room in the Hotel du Peuple on Gogolstrasse. I was given permission to use the Radio telegraph and to wire to Bucharest that I arrived here. They also put an automobile at my disposal.
The condition of the population in Odessa Is just as bad as that of Tiraspol. The hunger is more visible on account of the larger population. The waterworks are out of condition and the people run about the streets with pails in search for water to do their housework.
The people are just as dirty, hungry and needy as else-where in Russia. The epidemic of Typhus has done its work. It is interesting to note that very often after the typhus exenthematic the recurrence fever follows, the sick has not had time to recover from the typhus when he has a relapse by the recurrence fever.
In the hospitals no assistance is given as the most necessary medicaments, food, linens and antiseptics are missing. Food cannot even be mentioned.
The sick lay in their own clothes.
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In Tiraspol for instance a doctor told me that they make injections with needles used for veterinary purposes. The hospitals are in a terrible condition. In the hospital for chronic diseases nursing is done away with, the patients are left to die one after another.
The number of dead, including Jews, is very high and a burial costs about 2 million Roubles. The dead are buried in a hole of 10 meters length, 2 l/2 meters width and 4 meters deep. I personally saw such a grave. Ordinary wagons bring the dead to the cemetery, where they are then thrown into the hole without any identification or order and then the grave is covered up with earth about 50 centimeters high. Since it is very expensive to bring
the dead to the cemetery, the people take the simple measure of throwing the dead out on the street where they are picked up and carried away the next day.
Besides all this unhappiness, there are people who live well, they being mostly speculators and profiteers. They control the coffee houses, restaurants and theatres which are all open and doing a very good business. Some shops are also open and with money you can get anything from white bread up to chocolate.
While in Odessa I had conferences with the representatives of Dr. Nansen — Mr. Karl Hahn - and the President of the Ukrainian Red Cross — Dr. Danischewsky. The latter is also the attorney for Captain Quisling from whom he receives different products which he distributes to the population. I made arrangements whereby all transports which are destined exclusively for the hungering refugees and the civilians of the left Dniester border, are to be taken over by the Ukrainian Red Cross. The question of the transportation of the children to Roumania was also discussed and will be settled later.
At the present time we are especially interested in the transportation of matzoths, of which 25,000 kilos are already on the way to Tighlna, Rezina and Ataki. According to the contract closed, the transport will be forwarded to Dr. Danischeski with instructions that same is to be distributed to the Jewish population.
Our duty is to see that the matzoths is given exclusively to the Jewish population. We would also like to send a certain quantity of matzoths to Odessa, but I doubt very much if this will be possible as transportation on the left side of the Dniester is very difficult. It is more practical to forward the transports to Odessa from the Roumanian ports, which should be borne in mind for our future work.
I shall return to Bucharest in a few days and while there shall take up, by Radio, the question of further relief. Tonight a session of the Committee is to be held to discuss the further relief to
be undertaken.
(Signed) Dr. Bacilieri