Evening star., 1949-12-09

Senor Alberto Lleras was host
at the opening Of the Pan Amer
ican Union Administration Build
ing yesterday. The imposing and
very handsome building on Con-
stitution avenue at Eighteenth
street is very fitting addition
to its neighbors to the West-the
Public Health Service Building,
the Federal Reserve and the Ma
tional Academy of Sciences. Built
for Offices the rooms are severly
plain, but will have more warmth
when the furnishings are COM
pleted.
The Secretary General and
Sonora de Lleras with the new
Chairman of the Council OF the
OAS, DR.. Luis Quintanilla ano
the Assistant Secretary Genera.
and Mrs. William Manger formed
an interesting and very gracious
group to greet the 1000 or more
guests. They stood in the hal
before tall palms which filled
the curve of the graceful stair
way to the upper floor. Both
ladies wore black, Sonora dc
Lleras wearing a long string OF
pearls tied about her throat which
matched her off-the-face hat OF
winter white. Mrs. MangeI
lightened the severity of her black
dress with a diamond pin and he1
hat was black with an up-turneo
brim.
Arrangements for the party
were carried out to the maximum
of comfort for the guests and to
the best advantage of the build
ing. Organ music gave an excel
lent background but did not IN
terrupt the hum Of conversation
and Mr.. Paul Murphy. now IN
charge of special events for the
Pan American Union. made sure
that guests saw the interesting
rooms and the exhibit on the up
per floor and found the buffet
He has had much to do with the
success of such entertainments in
the stately PAU building. on
Seventeenth street during the
past quarter of a century.
All of the staff members OF
the Latin American embassies in
Washington. and the complete
staff of the Organization Of
American States including the
Council and the Pan American
Union were included in the invi-
tations. Officials of the State De-
partment and other Federal
Agencies also were included as
well as numbers of Washington
residents who have or have had
close contacts with Latin Ameri-
can republics.
The Assistant Secretary of
State for Latin American affairs
and Mrs. Edward G. Miller, jr.,
who recently returned from South
America, were there and so were
the Chief of Central America and
Panama Affairs and Mrs. Willard
F. Barber.
The Librarian Of Congress and
Mrs. Luther Harris Evans and the
Secretary of the Smithsonian In
stitution and Mrs. Alexander
Wetmore were among those from
other official circles inspecting the
beautiful new building. Mr.. David
Edward Finley, director of the
National Gallery of Art and also
a member of the Commission of
Fine Arts. was there accompanied
by Mrs. Finley. And the retiring
Chairman of the National Capital
Park and Planning Commission,
Maj. Gen. U. S. Grant, III also
looked over the building.
Large baskets of flowers were
in the halls and the rooms, sent
to the Pan American Union by
other organizations and groups
with congratulatory messages and
good wishes. Several of the Of
fees on the main floor were used
for a buffet and a bar. while on
the third floor in the cafeteria
and the dining room there were
other buffets and bars. The re-
freshment. both liquid and more
substantial, offered a very wide
variety, orange juice to cham
paign. and sandwiches of ham,
turkey and chicken salad, as well
as daintier watercress sand
wiches. In addition, there were
dainty cakes and delicious coffee.
The building has Offices for the
Secretary General and the As
sistant Secretary General and the
heads of each of the four depart
ments under the OAS, advisory
services, cultural affairs, economic
and social affairs, and the inter-
national law organization, as well
as the Chairman of the Council.
These rooms have been furnished
in excellent taste and were on
view yesterday. .'
The former United States Am.
bassador to the Argentine ane
Mrs. Robert Woods Bliss were
there. So were the former United
States Ambassador to Chile ane
Mrs. William S. Culbertson ane
the former United States Am.
bassador to the OAS and Mrs
William Dawson as were the for.
mer United States Minister tt
Panama and Mrs. William Jen.
nings Price and the former Civil
Governor Of the Panama Cana
Zone and Mrs. Maurice H
Thatcher. Others prominent ir
resident society were Mrs. D. Blu.
chanan Merryman. Mrs. John AL.
Ian Dougherty, and Mr.. and Mrs
Edgar Morris, the latter enthusi.
astic over the coming information.
al broadcast of children of thi,
and other lands to their foreign
ssexssssgs,ses.ssssee.
3 GIVE HER