Frienship Merci Trains HI

In 1947 Drew Pearson, a popular radio host, sent a call to the American people to help the starving people in war ravaged Europe and America answered the call. From CA to NY the train stopped all along the railway line as families brought bags and cans of food to fill the train. By the time the train reached New York it was 270 boxcars long filled to the brim with merchandise worth $40 million. Every package on the train was labeled with the same message:
“All races and creeds make up the vast melting pot of America, and in a democratic and Christian spirit of good will toward men, we, the American people, have worked together to bring this food to your doorsteps, hoping that it will tide you over until your own fields are again rich and abundant with crops.”

When this demonstration of brotherly kindness arrived in Europe on December 18, the people were overcome with gratitude. The French people were so moved they organized a gratitude project—the “Merci’ Train.” Forty-nine boxcars were filled—one for each of the 48 states, the 49th shared between Washington, D.C. and the territory of Hawaii. The people of France had very little after the war, so they gave what they had—precious pieces of their lives.

Despite their dire circumstances, over 6 million families contributed some 52,000 gifts which included things like children’s drawings, hand crocheted doilies, and 50 rare paintings. Also included were a jeweled Legion d’Honneur once presented to Napoleon, a Louis XV carriage and the bugle which signaled the Armistice signing.

By 1948 the boxcars were filled to capacity and loaded onto the ship Magellan. When the ship sailed from France, 9,000 gifts had to be left on the docks because there wasn’t enough room for them. When the ship arrived in New York, it was greeted by waves of Air Force planes, and a parade of boats, with the Magellan boldly displaying the message, “Merci, America!”

In the next several weeks, each state held parades and ceremonies as they welcomed their designated boxcar. Many of the states who received these beautiful gifts of gratitude still have their box car, and the items it carried, lovingly preserved and on display.