Remembering a relief effort

"It is no light matter to be in the midst of a starving population and to be only able to feed about 10% of them." So said a relief worker during the effort to alleviate a widespread 1921 famine in Russia.

The worker's words were quoted by Stanford author Bertrand M. Patenaude in his 2002 book "The Big Show in Bololand: The American Relief Expedition to Soviet Russia in the Famine of 1921." They are far from the only dramatic element in the book, which is filled with stories of dark days and humanitarian deeds, and striking photos of those struggling.

Next month, the book premieres in a new format: It's been made into a documentary film that will be shown on TV as part of PBS' "American Experience" series. "The Great Famine" was written and produced by filmmaker Austin Hoyt and will be broadcast nationally on April 11.

Closer to home, a free public screening of the film at Stanford is planned for Wednesday, April 6, at 7:30 p.m. at Lane History Corner, Building 200, Room 2.

The famine-relief campaign, led by Herbert Hoover, lasted two years and included the efforts of many former World War I doughboys, Patenaude said. For his part, Patenaude took 14 years to research and write the book, delving into documents in Stanford's Hoover Institution Archives.