The Manual of Inter-American Relations here published had its origin in Resolution XXVII of the Third Meeting of Foreign Ministers at Rio de Janeiro in 1942. This resolution called upon the Inter-American Juridical Committee to study the coordination of the resolutions, declarations, and other acts of previous meetings of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs. In the course of this study it was found desirable to extend the work of co- ordination so as to include not only the three meetings of Foreign Ministers but the regular and special inter-American conferences that have been held since 1890. While the inclusion of the acts of inter-American conferences has greatly enlarged the scope of the work contemplated by the resolution of 1942, it has made it possible to place in the hands of a delegate to an inter-American conference a complete record of the action taken at pre- vious conferences with respect to the particular subject in which he has a special interest. The compilation should also serve as a convenient rec- ord of the activities of the Union of American Republics and of its suc- cessor, the present Organization of American States, and thus be of great assistance not only to the governments themselves and to associated organi- zations, but to students of international law and international relations.