Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1939-11-09
|Pan-American
Moves Urged
By We||es
Puts Responsibility
For improvement
On Educators

Undersecretary of State Sumner
Welles warned today that the flow
of iedas. publications and spokes-
men has thus far not been ade-
quate" between the 81 American
republics.
He placed responsibility for i'm
provement squarely upon the edu-
Gators of the United States and Of
fered the good Offices of the State
Department to help them out.
Mr.. Welles was the opening speak,
er before some 400 educational lead
ers from all over the country called
to a tWo-day conference at the May
flower Hotel to consider improved
lnter-American cultural relations.
The conference is under auspices of
the State Departments Division of
Cultural Relations.
The delegates were to hear Sec
rotary OF State Hull in a luncheon
address this afternoon.
In a ballroom hung with the flags
OF the American republics, Herbert
E. Bolton of the University of Cali.
fornla, James T. Shotwel, chair
man of the National Committee of
the United States of America on
International Intellectual Cooper
alton, and Harold Benjamin of the
University of Maryland provided
background for discussion of what
mas been done in the field of cul-
tural relations.
Exchange of Students Stressed,
In emphasizing the responsibility
OF educators for improvement of Gull
tural relations, Mr.. Welles declared
That although Government interest
IN the field is necessary and increas-
ing, 1t would supplement and not
supplant the work of private aeen-
cles. He pointed out that the vari.
GUS consulates and embassies of the
United States foreign service might
De very helpful in this connection.
The undersecretary mentioned
specifically the need for greater ex.
change OF students between the
countries. Relations along this line.
ne said, are not as close as might be
desired.
He added, however, that the de-
velopment of an Official culture" i,
alien to the department.
Prof. Bolton emphasized that if
cultural relations are to be improved
between the United States and the
Latin American republics. a num-
Der OF historical misconceptions that
have often prevailed must be done
away with. He mentioned, for ex-
ample, frequently presented his
torlcal picture of ever-victorious
Engnsh conquest of the Americas
Tor colonization purposes with the
| Span1ardS and Portuguese APPEAR
ing IN the light of gold seekers and
transient explorers.
Children are often taught, he said
that the Spaniards landed in Amer
lea and killed all the Indians. But,
ne added, about the only place to-
DAY where there are any Indians
alive is in the Latin American coun-
tries.
People, he continued, are now
coming to realize that Harvard was
not the first college founded in this
hemisphere. but that there were a
dozen older ones in the Spanish
and Portuguese-speaking countries
to the south.
DR.. Shotwell Speaks.
DR.. Shotwell urged getting awav
from nationalistic principles pointing
to "catholicity" of culture. AS an
example of the work being done bv
his committee. he cited the compile
ton OF guide to American music
70 be made available to interested
foreign countries. He described the
guide as complete and unique"
he also reminded the delegates
that the movement represented by
Inc conference is ito educate our
selves as well as others.
Dr. Benjamin spoke briefly on a
compilation of the activities now
under way for improving cultural re-
iatlons between the Americas, which
mas just been completed. He said he
was Impressed with the wealth of ac-
tlvities and even more impressed bv
the wealth of potential activities.
Discussion followed, under the
leadership of Charles A. Thomson.
assistant chief of the Department Of
Cultural Relations of the State De-
partment. Tomorrow's program will
be devoted to group discussion of
specific problems and proposals. An
informal banquet will be held at the
hotel tonight at o'clock.