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The '''Greek War Relief Association''' (sometimes '''Greek Relief Association''' or abbreviated '''GWRA''') was a [[relief organization]] for Greek civilians created during World War II. Founded by prominent Greek-American businessmen, along with railroad tycoon [[Harold Vanderbilt]] and film industry executive [[Spyros Skouras]], the association provided economic relief to Greeks following [[World War II in Greece|Italian and German invasions]]. Aid was especially focused on food and medicine to mitigate the [[Great Famine (Greece)|severe famine]] of the winter of 1941/42.<ref>{{cite web |title=Greek War Relief Association |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6d6QlR_kGs |website=YouTube |publisher=British Movietone |access-date=30 March 2021}}</ref>

Films such as ''[[Fantasia (1940 film)|Fantasia]]'' and ''[[Gone with the Wind (film)|Gone with the Wind]]'' opened with gala premieres with proceeds benefiting the Greek War Relief Association.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Pappas |first1=Gregory |title=When Hollywood Came to Greece's Aid |url=https://www.pappaspost.com/when-hollywood-came-to-greece-aid/ |website=The Pappas Post |publisher=The Pappas Post |access-date=30 March 2021 |date=13 October 2019}}</ref>

In a multinational agreement which included [[Nazi Germany]], the GWRA continued to deliver supplies to Greece following [[Occupation of Greece by Nazi Germany|occupation]] in 1942. Three neutral Swedish-flagged ships were chartered, along with Swedish and International Red Cross workers to distribute the cargos. Between 1942 and 1944, roughly 75-million [[USD]] in aid was sent to Greece from abroad (according to Skouras).<ref>{{cite web |last1=Stavridis |first1=Stavros |title=The Greek War Relief Association and Its Efforts to Save Greece in World War II |url=http://hellenicgenealogygeek.blogspot.com/2018/07/the-greek-war-relief-association-and.html |website=Hellenic Genealogy Geek{sic} |publisher=The National Herald |access-date=30 March 2021}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Greece during World War II}}
[[Category:Greece–United States relations]]
[[Category:Greek-American history]]
[[Category:Humanitarian aid organizations of World War II]]
[[Category:Axis occupation of Greece]]


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