International > Proceedings of the second General conference of national committees on intellectual co-operation, Paris, July 5th-9th, 1937

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The essential object of the former being to further the cause of peace, it has very wisely
realised that one of the surest means of arriving at such a result is to encourage exchanges betwe
thinking men of different races and countries. It was with this in mind that the Carnegie
Endowment ” organised, as far back as 1913, a study tour to South America by ^ Ro^rt Bacon
a former Secretary of State and Ambassador at Paris. His visit followed that Paid in 19°^
the great American statesman, the late Mr. Elihu Root. In 1913, the tatter was President o e
“ Carnegie Endowment ” and himself drew up a letter of instructions for Mr. Bacon. In a
interview published by the New York Evening Post (December 13th, 1913), Mr. Bacon made the
following statement : '• The object of my visit to South America is to fo™ national socmtms of
international law ; to organise affiliated associations of the Association de Conciliation
internationale de Paris ’ of which the President and founder is the Baron ^
to organise an exchange of visits of representatives from the Latin Republics to the United States,
and from this c“yS to South America, and an exchange of professors and students between
their universities and ours.” The results of Mr. Bacon's visit were very satisfactory
The “ Carnegie Endowment ” continues to be extremely active, especially as regards the study
of the most important international problems, which it looks on as questions that are capable
°f b?hU.PKfeS "0“ y remarkable work. It has granted
scholarships to a considerable number of students from the other American countnes has given
material Assistance to scientific and cultural institutions, and, even in th« cf" “f'f
activities (health and other campaigns), the work is done in close c°! ab“r^'f1^iAn intdAntific
technical experts and those of the country where it is carried out. This collaboration in scientihc
research, thuf accomplishment of great tasks together, efforts made and Slde
bv side do indeed form solid bonds, even between men of different countries and tongues.
y This is not the place to give a detailed history of the Pan-American Union We shall however
refer to certain points particularly relevant to our subject. The Union is the result of the
International Conference of the American Countries, which was held at Washington m 1889.
To start with, its object was simply to co-ordinate commercial and statistical information. In
1889, its organisation was transformed for the first time, and the Executive Committee took on
a definitely international character. The first director of the new bureau realised that t
services of the T 'nion might be very largely extended, and proposed a general scheme for mtel
^^TlirfecondTlernational Conference of the American Countries which was held in Mexico
in 1901 had already been prepared by the bureau of the Union, and it was then decided that
International technical conferences should be held as well as the main conferences The
development in the bureau's activities gave rise to the need for a permanent establishment and
this was made possible in 1910, thanks to a sum of money given by Andre'V Cjrneg^e and
contributions from the American countries. Internationa] conferences were held reguMy-
In 1906, there was one at Rio de Janeiro, and, in 1910, one at Buenos Aires. It was at the latter
that the Bureau was given the definite name of “ Pan-American Union . .
Between the fourth Conference at Buenos Aires and the fifth, which was held at Santiago
(Chile) there was a long interval, the chief cause being the great war. The Santiago Conference
was held in 1923. However, it was after the sixth Conference, held m Havana in 1928 that the
Pan-American Union organised its activities in connection with intellectual co-operation on a
new basis. In the course of the general reorganisation of the Union, a special Co-operation
DlV1The sixth Conference^at Havana, had adopted a resolution that an Inter-American Institute
of Intellectual Co-operation be established. When this Institute was being organised in 93 ,
people wondered what its real significance would be, and whether it might not represent a
movement of separation tending towards an independent and exclusively American system of
intellectual co-operation, outside the great international movement. A short historical sum y
of t^ffi^stion knowledge and co-operation between the American coirntnes
was far too limited twelve years ago, as it still is to-day. The idea of an active ^d efficient
cultural organisation was in the air, but it only took shape after a vigorous campaign in Brazd
led by M. Xavier de Oliveira, who is now a deputy m the Brazilian Federal Chamber. I he Bress
of most of the other American countries gave him support. Professor Austregesilo, m 192b,
placed before the Chamber a draft scheme for an Institute for the exchange of university professors
and professors and intellectuals of all American countries gave their unreserved approval to the
^“FfrXTtlhe Havana Conference in 1928, the delegate of Uruguay, M. Callorda, proposed
that the Institute should be founded. The general rapporteur appointed was the Argentine
delegate, M. Garcia Arias. , , T ±.‘±. +
The resolution passed at the Havana Conference clearly defined the object of the Institute
in the following words : “ To co-ordinate and systematise the activities establishing intellectual
co-operation between the nations of the American continent in science, arts and letters. it
decided that the official languages of the Institute should be Spanish, English, Portuguese and
French ; and it proposed that a general meeting of rectors, principals and educators stiould oe
held for the purpose of drawing up the statutes of the Institute. ^ , riioT.T7 _ncin
The Congress of Rectors, Principals and Educators was held at Havana m Febru > 93 •
With the exception of the Republic of Honduras, all the American Republics were represented.
The Congress decided on the final plan of the Institute, which was subsequently approved by tne
seventh Pan-American Conference at Montevideo.
The following main features of the plan may be mentioned. The Institute was to be compose
of a Central Inter-American Council of Intellectual Co-operation, and each country was to have a