The Dumbarton Oaks Conversations and the United Nations, 1944-1994

In 1944, as the end of World War II approached, an important series of talks was held to plan the formation of postwar international institutions. The site for the conversations was Dumbarton Oaks in Washington, D.C., a research institute administered by Harvard University. In a spirit of optimism, Secretary of State Cordell Hull said that the purpose was "to create the institutional foundations for a just and enduring peace," while Soviet ambassador Andrei Gromyko spoke of an international organization that would "guarantee for the peoples peace, security, and prosperity in the future." The meetings, which included debates on a variety of issues, were a first step toward the creation of the United Nations.< P>