The Report of the Secretary General

SIR: I have the honor to submit herewith a report covering the Second Pan American Scientific Congress, held in Washington, December 27, 1915-January 8, 1916, of which, at the request of the Department of State and the executive committee of organization, and by permission of the governing board of the Pan American Union, I served as secretary general.

In the preparation of this report I have been greatly aided by the assistant secretary general, Dr. Glen Levin Swiggett, late professor of romance languages in the University of Tennessee, who resigned from that position to devote his time to this congress, and I wish to take advantage of this opportunity to express my appreciation of his faithful and efficient service.

I desire also to emphasize that the success of the congress was largely brought about by the excellent advice and unremitting cooperation which I constantly received from Hon. William Phillips, then Third Assistant Secretary of State and chairman of the executive committee; Dr. James Brown Scott, secretary of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace; and the other members of the executive committee, who were ex officio chairmen of the different sections of the congress, as follows: Dr. P. P. Claxton, Brig. Gen. W. H. Bixby, Surg. Gen. William C. Gorgas, Dr. William H. Holmes, Hennen Jennings, Dr. Leo S. Rowe, George M. Rommel, and Dr. Robert S. Woodward.

The particular interest which the President of the United States manifested in the congress from the time that he was first approached on the subject by the Secretary of State was a strong and permanent factor in making the congress an occasion of historical and international importance. He manifested his interest through advice to the committee, the selection of high-class delegates on behalf of the United States Government, and his own participation in the proceedings and in the social entertainment of the delegates. The address he delivered at a plenary session of the congress was epoch making in its significance, and the

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morgun which he gave, graciously assisted by Mrs. Wilson, at the Why Home was the most brilliant function of the entire social side of SA UREKA

The Latin American diplomatic representatives in Washington were al waja milling to take any consistent step that would lead to the success of the congress and they played a part in working it out which was important and effective.

It is not possible in this brief introduction to go into detailed reference to all those who were in some way associated with the making of this extraordinary gathering one to be long remembered, but due mention has been made in some part of the general text of the report of all those connected with it. There are, however, a few additional references which I desire to include. The first is the help which the congress and the executive committee received in the active and practical cooperation of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in inviting a large number of Latin American statesmen, scientists and scholars to attend the congress as its guests. Credit is due to Mrs. Robert Lansing, Mrs. Charles R. Crane, Mrs. Louis F. Post, Mrs. Glen Levin Swiggett, and a considerable group of women from Washington and elsewhere, who either took a deep interest in the Women's Auxiliary Conference, of which a special report has been made by Mrs. Swiggett, or assisted in the entertainment of the Latin American guests during their stay in Washington.

The secretary general will always feel indebted to the public-spirited group of young women and men who acted as social aides to the Latin American delegates. They were untiring in their efforts to care for the foreign guests and had much to do with the success of the social entertainment.

The Washington newspapers and the press associations showed a helpful and practical interest in the congress, which was proved by the large amount of space which they daily gave to its sessions and by the number of men they detailed to cover the various meetings. The interest manifested not only in Washington but throughout the country in the Congress and the desire to show hospitality to the Latin American delegates was most gratifying.

The Latin American delegates to the congress were nearly all quartered at the New Willard Hotel, where were also the chief offices of the congress. During this occupation of the hotel, the manager, F. S. Hight, and the members of his staff were unremitting in their efforts to make both the delegates and the staff thoroughly comfortable.

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