[1] This episode brought Hoover and his organizational talents to the attention of the American ambassador, Walter Hines Page, and several other key people in London, who came to him in late October with a request for his help with a much larger problem: In 1914, after being invaded by Germany, Belgium suffered a food shortage.

The civilian population, in addition to the demoralizing effect of being occupied by Germany, faced imminent starvation unless a large quantity of food was quickly brought in.

The commission's task was to obtain foodstuffs from abroad and ship them into Belgium, where CRB monitors supervised distribution by members of the Comité National de Secours et d'Alimentation (CNSA), the Belgian organization headed by Émile Francqui.

The food imported by the CRB remained the property of the American ambassador to Belgium, Brand Whitlock, throughout the distribution process and right up to the point of being placed on a plate.

The Germans resented the presence of the Americans in the country and were bitter about the British blockade, which they saw as the reason for Belgium requiring foreign aid in the first place.

[3] The committee chartered ships to carry the food to Belgian ports under safe conduct terms arranged by Hoover in meetings with the British and German authorities.

As a result, the empty flour sacks were carefully accounted for and distributed to professional schools, sewing workrooms, convents, and individual artists.

The completed flour sacks were carefully controlled and distributed to shops and organizations in Belgium, England, and the United States for the purpose of raising funds for food relief and to aid the prisoners of war.