Freedom From Hunger Stamps
In 1963 FAO commissioned a series of stamps to promote the Freedom From Hunger Campaign. The stamp campaign was timed to coincide with the World Food Congress in 1963 and was designed to spread the FFHC message as widely as possible. The stamp issue was a success, but FAO later determined that this media did not reach millions of people who would seldom or never encounter postage. FAO later undertook a coin campaign where the issue was in low-denomination coins and meant for use as common currency.
The stamp campaign was modeled in part on a successful stamp campaign undertaken by the International Refugee Organization. FFHC staffer Raymond Lloyd was determined that the FFHC stamp issue be the biggest ever, that every government be involved, and that the issue be for postal, rather than philatelic (collecting) purposes. FAO hired Robert Stolaf [Robert Siegel?] (New York Stamp dealer) to guide FAO/FFHC on how to negotiate with countries about the stamp issue and was instrumental in the campaign's success. Weitz recalled that the greatest "block" to the stamp issue was the United Kingdom. The Postmaster General assured Weitz that the United Kingdom would only issue postal stamps for "Royal purposes." Weitz, however, was determined. He recalled,
"I dogged that man for six months. I turned up every place he was, every meeting...every time he looked up, there I was. Have you reconsidered? We've got now 55 countries...and finally, at a meeting of the Universal Postal Union in Bern, he said to me...'if for no other reason than to get you out of my sight, I am so sick of seeing you, that I am moved to put a Cabinet Paper on this. I will do it.' And what do you know...the government changed its mind after 280 years of issuing stamps, they issued stamps for a non-Royal purpose. And once the British did, every single British dependency and colony came in."
The result was that 153 countries issued Freedom From Hunger stamps, and 51 of these were commonwealth countries.
The sale of the stamps raised more than USD two million dollars that supported six regional and national farm broadcasting seminars; a portion of the fund was later used for publicity efforts.
[1] Charles H. Weitz, Interview, 5 October, 2006.
The stamp campaign was modeled in part on a successful stamp campaign undertaken by the International Refugee Organization. FFHC staffer Raymond Lloyd was determined that the FFHC stamp issue be the biggest ever, that every government be involved, and that the issue be for postal, rather than philatelic (collecting) purposes. FAO hired Robert Stolaf [Robert Siegel?] (New York Stamp dealer) to guide FAO/FFHC on how to negotiate with countries about the stamp issue and was instrumental in the campaign's success. Weitz recalled that the greatest "block" to the stamp issue was the United Kingdom. The Postmaster General assured Weitz that the United Kingdom would only issue postal stamps for "Royal purposes." Weitz, however, was determined. He recalled,
"I dogged that man for six months. I turned up every place he was, every meeting...every time he looked up, there I was. Have you reconsidered? We've got now 55 countries...and finally, at a meeting of the Universal Postal Union in Bern, he said to me...'if for no other reason than to get you out of my sight, I am so sick of seeing you, that I am moved to put a Cabinet Paper on this. I will do it.' And what do you know...the government changed its mind after 280 years of issuing stamps, they issued stamps for a non-Royal purpose. And once the British did, every single British dependency and colony came in."
The result was that 153 countries issued Freedom From Hunger stamps, and 51 of these were commonwealth countries.
The sale of the stamps raised more than USD two million dollars that supported six regional and national farm broadcasting seminars; a portion of the fund was later used for publicity efforts.
[1] Charles H. Weitz, Interview, 5 October, 2006.