June 9, 1927
Dear Madam:
In view of the fact that your name has been selected by the Institute of Intellectual Cooperation of the LEAGUE OF NATIONS for inclusion in "The International Who's Who," now in course of preparation, and as I have accepted the associate editorship of the work, I take this means of calling your attention to a few salient facts not mentioned in Mr. Wilberforce's letter.
The "Institute" is one of the constituent bodies of the League of Nations. It is a [nonpolitical] branch of the League -- like the drug control in which the government of the United States participates. The object of the Institute is to facilitate intellectual contact and cooperation, and the officers and governing body of the Institute have experienced great need of a dependable biographical reference book pertaining to the leading people of the various countries.
I have long known that such a work is demanded, but not until the world-wide contacts of the League were created did I feel that it could be undertaken with assurance of completeness and accuracy. The governing body of the Institute, which you will find listed elsewhere, was selected from recognized intellectual leaders of the world. As you will notice, the American member is Dr. Robert A. Millikan, 1923 Nobel prize winner, and also in this country the National Research Council cooperates actively with the Institute.
All names to be included in the book will be selected by a group appointed by the governing body of the Institute, a logical apportionment being made between the different nations. It is estimated that not less than 15,000 sketches will appear in the book.
Having personally visited those in charge of the undertaking abroad, and having consulted with persons in this country in a position best to judge, I am confident that "The International Who's Who" will possess great intrinsic worth and I am assured that there is an urgent demand for it from many parts of the world. I believe the book will serve a most useful purpose and I have been happy to align with it the technical facilities of "Who's Who in America," to the end that its physical characteristics may be all that many years of experience dictate.
Yours very truly,
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