wenty-one American republics, including the United
States, maintained by their annual contributions, controlled by a
governing board composed of the diplomatic representatives in Washington
of the other twenty governments and the secretary of state of the United
States, who is chairman _ex officio_, and devoted to the development and
conservation of peace, friendship, and commerce between them all."[9]

Modestly housed at first, the success of the Union required larger
quarters for the performance of its work. Advantage was taken of this
need to erect the building which was to be the visible and worthy symbol
of Pan Americanism. Mr. Andrew Carnegie, a delegate on behalf of the
United States to the first Pan American Conference in Washington,
contributed $950,000 towards the construction of this building, the
United States contributed the land, and the other American republics
their respective quotas.

The circumstances under which the funds for the erection of this
building were obtained appear in the records of the Governing Board of
the Pan American Union, from which the following resolutions and
correspondence have been obtained:

_Resolution of the Third International Conference at Rio de Janeiro,
adopted August 13, 1906_

The undersigned, Delegates of the Republics represented in the Third
International American Conference, duly authorized by their Governments,
have approved the following Resolution:

The Third International American Conference _Resolves_:

1. To express its gratification that the project to establish a
permanent centre of information and of interchange of ideas among the
Republics of this Continent, as well as the erection of a building
suitable for the Library in memory of Columbus has been realized.

2. To express the hope that, before the meeting of the next
International American Conference the International Bureau of American
Republics will be housed in such a way as to permit it to properly
fulfil the important functions assigned to it by this Conference.

Made and signed in the City of Rio de Janeiro, on the thirteenth day of
the month of August, nineteen hundred and six, in English, Portuguese
and Spanish, and deposited in the Department of Foreign Relations of the
Government of the United States of Brazil, in order that certified
copies thereof be made, and forwarded through diplomatic channels to
each one of the Signatory States.

For Ecuador.--Emilio Arevalo, Olmedo Alfaro.