Pan-American Conference, 1923

Contents: Correspondence, speeches, agreements.

The Pan American Conference subseries contains material related to Saulsbury's appointment by President Harding to be a U.S. delegate to the Fifth Pan American Conference Santiago, Chile in 1923. The devastation wrought by World War I was fresh in people's minds, and many thought that devastation was largely caused by the alliances and secret treaties between the various Great powers. The Pan American Conference was part of a series of post-war agreements and conferences aimed at increasing communication and cooperation among countries as one of the ways to ensure that there was no repeat of the Great War. The delegates to these conferences generally were among each nation's most distinguished elder statesmen. Saulsbury served in a party of delegates which included Ambassador Henry Fletcher and Senators Frank Kellogg and Atlee Pomerene. The Background file includes biographical information on some of the delegates which Saulsbury had collected as part of his preparation.

Saulsbury served on the Juridical Committee and the Communications Committee. Two important topics discussed at this conference were the linking of railroads into a transcontinental system, and the simplification of passports and common recognition of identification papers among the American nations. In addition to relevant speeches and agreements reached on these topics, the files also contain the secret instructions provided to Saulsbury as to the U.S.’s official position on these issues.