State for meeting the obligations of the United States under the convention for the promotion of inter-American cultural relations, including salaries, traveling expenses, tuition, and allowances for maintenance and living quarters for professors and students in accordance with the provisions of said convention. PAN AMERICAN RESOURCES COMMISSION (Resolution of the Eighth American Scientific Congress, 1940") United States Member: Frederic A. Delano, Chairman, National Resources Planning Board. Resolution I of the section on Agriculture and Conservation, as approved by the Eighth American Scientific Congress, recommended the appointment of an inter-American conservation commission to be charged with the duty of preparing an inventory of world natural resources and of formulating a general policy and specific program of action to promote the mutual conservation and prudent utilization of natural resources for the welfare of all nations. Under the provisions of the resolution, the commission was to cooperate with the Pan American Union and to represent all the Americas. To give effect to this resolution, the Governing Board of the Pan American Union recommended the organization of a Pan American Resources Commission, composed of one representative from each of the American republics. The procedure approved by the Governing Board authorized each national representative to appoint a National Resources Committee of five members with authority to obtain assistance from appropriate organizations within the respective countries and to cooperate with the National Committees of the other American republics in carrying out the purposes of the Commission. The President has approved the designation of the Honorable Frederic A. Delano, Chairman of the National Resources Planning Board, as this Government's representative on the Commission. The functions of the National Committee for the United States have been undertaken by the National Resources Planning Board. PAN AMERICAN SOIL CONSERVATION COMMISSION (Resolution of the Eighth American Scientific Congress, 1940") United States Member: Hugh H. Bennett, LL.D., D. Sc., Chief, Soil Conservation Service, Department of Agriculture. 78 See Conference Series 49. The Eighth American Scientific Congress, held at Washington, D. C., in May 1940, recommended (resolution II, section on Agriculture and Conservation) that the Pan American Union appoint a committee on soil erosion, and soil and water conservation, composed of one representative from each of the American republics, with a view to effecting a coordinated approach to the conservation problem on a continental basis. In pursuance of this resolution, the Governing Board of the Pan American Union recommended that the governments of the 21 American republics appoint one member each to a permanent Pan American Soil Conservation Commission and that this member be either the Minister of Agriculture or his designate. Dr. Hugh H. Bennett was suggested by the Secretary of Agriculture as the United States representative, and his designation was approved by the President. The functions of the Commission are as follows: (1) To urge the governments of all of the American republics to give immediate consideration to the development of soilconservation programs as an important measure of secondary defense of the hemisphere; (2) To maintain a free interchange of information between the American republics regarding procedures and methods for effecting soil conservation; (3) To encourage the interchange of personnel among the American republics in furtherance of the training, research, and action phases of soil conservation; (4) The publication of reports in furtherance of these objects. INTER-AMERICAN COMMISSION ON TROPICAL AGRICULTURE (Resolution of the Eighth American Scientific Congress, 1940 TM) United States Member: Earl N. Bressman, Ph. D., Assistant Director, Office of Foreign Agricultural Relations, Department of Agriculture. The Eighth American Scientific Congress, recognizing that research and technical knowledge are essential for the successful development of tropical agriculture in the Western Hemisphere, resolved to endorse and undertake in all appropriate ways to encourage the establishment and development of an Inter-American Institute of Tropical Agriculture, both for research and the training of technical personnel, and to recommend to the Pan American Union that it appoint a com "See Conference Series 49. mittee of five representatives from the American republics to study the proposal. In another resolution, the Scientific Congress recommended that a committee of five members be appointed to act in all matters relating to the development of rubber production in the Americas. Because of the relationship between the objectives of these resolutions, the Governing Board of the Pan American Union provided for one committee of five members with a twofold purpose: (a) To study all proposals relating to the creation of an Inter-American Institute of Tropical Agriculture, and to make specific recommendations regarding its establishment; and (b) to promote and expedite the production of rubber in the Western Hemisphere. So far as the second function of the Commission is concerned, it is a permanent body. The Commission was originally composed of representatives of the Governments of Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Venezuela; but was later enlarged to 10 members, and Bolivia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Peru, and United States of America also appointed members. Dr. Earl N. Bressman, Assistant Director of the Office of Foreign Agricultural Relations, Department of Agriculture, was designated as this Government's representative. PERMANENT JOINT BOARD ON DEFENSE United States Section: Fiorello H. LaGuardia, Mayor of New York; Director, Office of Major General Stanley D. Embick, United States Army; Commander Forrest P. Sherman, United States Navy; Lieutenant Colonel Clayton Bissell, United States Army; John Hickerson, Assistant Chief, Division of European Affairs, Department of State; Secretary. Canadian Section: O. M. Biggar, K.C.; Chairman; Brigadier George P. Vanier, Department of External Affairs, Ottawa, Ontario; Brigadier Maurice A. Pope, M.C., Assistant Chief, General Staff, Department of National Defense; Ottawa, Ontario; Captain H. E. Reid, Deputy Chief, Naval Staff, Royal Canadian Air Commodore A. A. L. Cuffe, Royal Canadian Air Force Headquarters, Ottawa, Ontario; Hugh L. Keenleyside, Counselor, Department of External Affairs, Ottawa, Ontario; Secretary. The Permanent Joint Board on Defense was set up by the United States and Canada in pursuance of a joint announcement of the President and Prime Minister W. L. Mackenzie King, dated August 17, 1940, at Ogdensburg, New York, for the purpose of carrying out studies relating to sea, land, and air problems, including personnel and matériel, and to consider, in the broad sense, the defense of the northern half of the Western Hemisphere. EMERGENCY COMMITTEE FOR THE PROVISIONAL ADMINISTRATION United States Member: Sumner Welles, LL.D., Under Secretary of The Emergency Committee was established in accordance with the Act of Habana, adopted by the Second Meeting of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the American Republics, held at Habana in July 1940. The Act of Habana provides for the constitution of the Committee as soon as two thirds of the American republics appoint their members. The following 16 countries have appointed representatives on the Committee: Bolivia, Brazil, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, United States of America, and Venezuela. The Emergency Committee is to function only until the convention on the provisional administration of European colonies and possessions in the Americas shall come into effect, at which time it will be superseded by the Inter-American Commission for Territorial Administration. The Committee shall assume the provisional administration of any region in the Western Hemisphere now under the possession of a non-American nation 81 whenever it is in danger of becoming the " Executive Agreement Series 199; 54 Stat. 2491. See ante, p. 1. Territories or possessions which are the subject of dispute or claims between European powers and one or more of the republics of the Americas are excepted. subject of barter of territory or change of sovereignty. The purpose of the Act of Habana in establishing this Committee was to give immediate effect to the main provisions of the convention, also signed at Habana, regarding the setting up of a provisional administrative regime over any possessions of a non-American state in case of their attempted transfer to another non-American state. The establishment of such provisional administration is to be exercised in the interest of the security of the Americas and for the benefit of the region under administration until such time as the region is in a position to govern itself or is restored to its former status. It is also provided that, should the need for emergency action be so urgent that action by the Committee cannot be awaited, any of the American republics may act individually or jointly with others in the manner which its own defense or that of the continent requires. The country or countries taking such action must place the matter before the Committee immediately in order that it may adopt appropriate measures. INTER-AMERICAN COFFEE BOARD (Established by the inter-American coffee agreement, 1940 62) Offices: Washington, D.C. United States Delegate: Paul C. Daniels, Assistant Chief, Division of the American Republics, Department of State; Chairman of the Board. The Second Meeting of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the American Republics,83 held at Habana in July 1940, adopted a resolution entrusting to the Inter-American Financial and Economic Advisory Committee the study of steps to be taken to promote the orderly marketing in international trade of commodities of primary importance to the economic life of the countries of the Western Hemisphere, with a view to assuring equitable terms for both producers and consumers. As a result of months of study on the part of representatives of the United States and the 14 coffee-producing American republics, the inter-American coffee agreement was signed at Washington, D.C., on November 28, 1940, to ameliorate the abnormal and distressing situation which had arisen with regard to coffee, one of the most important commodities in the economy of this hemisphere. As a result of hostilities abroad, European markets for coffee had been shut off or greatly curtailed and surpluses had |
