Town affiliation conference to open at Shorewood on Friday

Do the Dunkirk plan and similar international town-to-town programs offer a sufficient hope for world peace to warrant being expanded and promoted on a large scale?

The answer to this question will be sought by over 75 delegates from towns and relief organizations throughout the United States at the three-day town affiliation conference which will open here Friday morning.

Delegates to the conference were beginning to arrive here today, but the major influx of visitors is not expected to come until shortly before the sessions start at Shorewood Country Club Friday at 11 a.m.

The meetings are being jointly sponsored by the Dunkirk Society and Operation Democracy, Inc. Of New York City.

In the two years since Dunkirk�s citizens showed the way with �Dunkirk-to-Dunkerque Day,� the idea of direct contacts between towns in America and towns in Europe has spread rapidly.

The Dunkirk Society itself was an outgrowth of that relief campaign for a stricken-sister city in France. The unexpectedly great amount of publicity spread the idea throughout the nation.

Actually, Dunkirk was not the first to come to the aid of a war devastated city. Several well-to-do West Coast families �adopted� small communities. Thousands of Americans had undertaken similar obligations for families in Europe.

1st big scale effort

Dunkirk-to-Dunkerque, however, is believed to have been the first large-scale city-wide effort at obtaining and sending relief. Out of it grew the idea that there was a need for a direct exchange of information and ideas between the people of the nations. An exchange of letters, visits and pictures would lead all people toward a better understanding of each other and might, if conducted on a wide enough scale, improve the chances for lasting peace.

Operation Democracy, Inc., which came into existence early this year, is largely the creation of its president, Mrs. Martha Breasted, Mrs. Isabella Greenway King, former congresswoman from Arizona and Charles L. Todd, former Dunkirker, who is now executive secretary of the organization. It is not a relief organization in itself, but functions as a clearing house and information center for American towns which have affiliations with communities in Europe. Thus far, it has served more than 180 communities which are working or have expressed a desire to work with a �sister� cities.

Delegates from Santa Barbara, Calif., Worthington, Minn., Glenn Cove and Locust Valley, L.I. Chanute, Kan., Brooklyn and Albany, N.Y., Meadeville, PA., Cincinnati, Middletown and Granville, O., are either here or on the way.

In addition, several European relief agencies and world citizenship plans will be represented.

Starts on Friday

Friday�s program at Shorewood Country Club is scheduled to open at 11 a.m. with the Very Reverend Leslie F. Chard, president of the Dunkirk Society, as the presiding officer.

Mayor Walter F. Murray will extend the greetings of the city of Dunkirk and Mrs. King will welcome the delegates in behalf of Operation Democracy.

Wallace A. Brennen, editor of the OBSERVER and first president of the Dunkirk Society, will make the welcoming address, outlining the purposes, plans and hopes for the conference after which Mr. Todd will describe the growth of the town affiliation program throughout the United States and Conference Chairman Charles O. Repert will give the delegates an outline of the procedure which will be followed during the three day session.


10 June 1948
Dunkirk Observer