Due to the presence of many Eastern Bloc writers, Mexican writer Carlos Fuentes later wrote that the PEN conference marked a "beginning of the end" of the Cold War.
Karena kehadiran banyak penulis Blok Timur, pengarang Meksiko, Carlos Fuentes belakangan menulis bahwa konferensi itu menandai "permulaan dari berakhirnya" Perang Dingin.