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exchange of persons active in the fields of education, science and culture, and the exchange of publications, objects of artistic and scientific interest, and other materials of information; " By initiating methods of international co-operation calculated to give the people of all countries access to the printed and published materials produced by any of them." The Organization came into official existence on 4 November, 1946, the date on which the twentieth country accepted the Constitution. The first country to join UNESCO was the United Kingdom, her membership dating from 20 February, 1946. New Zealand was the second member. Our acceptance was notified on 13 February, 1946, and the Instrument was deposited at the Foreign Office on 6 March, 1946. THE LONDON CONFERENCE, NOVEMBER, 1945 The constitution of UNESCO was framed at a Conference convened by the Government of the United Kingdom in association with the Government of France, and held in London in November, 1945. In setting about this task the Conference was greatly helped by the preliminary work that had been done before the meeting actually took place. In particular, the members were able to build upon the work of another Conference, the Conference of Allied Ministers of Education, a body set up at the end of 1942 on the initiative of Mr. R. A. Butler, President of the Board of Education, at the time when many of the Allied Governments were in exile in London, At first the Conference was mainly European in character, but its membership was later widened, and in 1944 a strong delegation was sent from the United States, under the leadership of Representative, now Senator, Fulbright. In this way its focus of interest, which was at first sharply concentrated on reconstruction in Europe, was broadened to cover permanent international organization in the educational and cultural field. Very soon the Conference had produced a first draft of a Constitution for a United Nations educational and cultural organization. At San Francisco general approval was given to the idea of an educational organization of the United Nations, and a few weeks after the Charter was signed the draft proposals of the Conference of Allied Ministers of Education were published and circulated to Governments. These proposals, together with an alternative set submitted by the French Government, formed the basis for discussion at the London Conference. From the beginning, the London Conference showed a keen desire to bring its work to a successful conclusion, and the general atmosphere of the gathering was friendly and conciliatory. Delegates were very much aware of the great urgency of the task of repairing the educational ravages of the war years, and of the plight of the educationally backward countries. It was revealed, too, that many countries were not only ready and anxious to engage in cultural