larly from the moment when the United States entered the war. Of the more important items of our activity during this period should be mentioned the manifesto of the Czech National Alliance at the American elections and the memorandum sent by the Czech Socialists in America to the Socialist parties throughout the world. Reference should also be made to the campaign against American pacifism, the culminating point of which was the open letter addressed by the National League to Miss Jane Addams.
In 1916 numerous lectures were delivered by Pergler, Professor Šimek, Šárka Hrbková, Dr. Smetánka, and others at universities and university clubs. At the beginning of the same year Meyer London, a member of Congress, was induced to bring forward a resolution calling upon the President to convene a conference of neutral nations on the subject of peace terms, and to include the principle of the self-determination of small nations among those terms. A public meeting of those interested in this matter was held on February 25 and 26, 1916, and K. Pergler, the representative of the National Alliance, took this opportunity of acquainting several prominent Americans with our cause. Similar action was taken by Pergler during the session of the legislative committees of the States of Texas, Nebraska, Iowa, Massachusetts, at the anniversary congress of the Alliance of Iowa State lawyers, and on other occasions. Special reference should here be made to Congressman Sabath, who did valuable work on our behalf.
Among the important steps taken in 1917 should be mentioned the activities in connection with the congress of small and oppressed nationalities, and the congress of the American Academy of Political and Social Sciences at Philadelphia. The speeches delivered on these occasions were nearly all issued in pamphlet form and then distributed among universities, libraries, members of Congress, and other prominent public men.
An important stage in the development of our propaganda was the foundation of the Slav Press Bureau, which formed the beginning of an organized and concentrated Press activity. The bulletins of this bureau were distributed among about five hundred daily American papers, which gradually began to print the reports contained in them. At the same time the Slav Press Bureau became a centre for all who wished to obtain information about Czechoslovakia and Central Europe.
