To Whom It May Concern
For the past five or six years brethren have been receiving requests for used clothing from the Basmadzedes family of Salonica, Greece. They claim they are destitute, the father is 54, the mother is 42, and the girl's age ranges from 12 to 18. On February 27, 1953 the daughter was 12, but on December 14, 1963 (in a letter to Brother Howard W. Reagan of Bremerton, Washington) she was 18. As I noticed appeal after appeal being fulfilled by various congregations, I became suspicious, and wrote to the Ambassador of Greece in Washington requesting his help in finding out if conditions were as bad in Salonica as Basmadzedes said they were. The ambassador wrote back and said if I would send him the name and address of the family I had heard from he would have the local authorities check into the matter to see if they were worthy of help. The following is the report which I received.
Royal Greek Embassy
Washington, D. C.
No. 1141/ST/7
March 17, 1954
Mr. James E. Cooper, Evangelist,
Church of Christ,
Valley Station, Kentucky
Dear Sir,
Following my letter No. 4997 dated December 9th, 1953, I wish to inform you that, according to information received from the local authorities, Mr. Basmadzedes is not destitute and is therefore not in need of assistance.
Sincerely yours,
(Signed) A. G. Politis Athanase a Politis Ambassador of Greece.
I am sending this report to the papers that brethren in various parts of the country might be forewarned about any future requests that they might send. Since Mr. Politis does not say if he found why they were sending out these requests, it will be left up to each individual to make your own opinions.