Dear Miss Addams
We hear that there is some anxiety on the score of getting on with preparations for the Congress after the war & we entirely agree that such arrangements as are possible should be made. We understand that one of the proposals is that you should appoint <some additional> temporary committee <members who> that would be free to take active steps & we would heartily concur in your doing so. We wish however to suggest that any such appointment should be referred for approval to the National [Organization] in the country to which the proposed member belonged. Our experience has [shown] that a person adjudged suitable by an international committee may [page 2] sometimes be for national reasons extremely distasteful to the [organization] of the country to which she belongs & may gravely injure the work of the national [organization]. One does not want to approach these great matters parochially, but it is difficult enough to work in war-time & the success of the International must depend largely on the strength of the national [organizations]. It is most important therefore that the national [organizations] should feel confidence in any member of their own country doing international work which will commit them & only the national [organizations] can know all the difficulties peculiar to their own country. With warm regard,
Believe me very truly yours
H. M. Swanwick.
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