16 June 1998

From Patrick K. O'Brien, President, Economic History Society

To my fellow economic historians,

I returned to London this week and read a large file of messages about the XIITH Congress including Sam's courteous letter to me dated 8 June as well as his general bulletin to "subscribers of the Congress list" dated 9 June.

Sam Williamson's role in providing us all with information over these difficult weeks continues to be invaluable. Matters are still confusing but are now moving in favour of Madrid. Surely the prudential way to act at this moment is to follow the example of most economic historians who had registered for and/or intended to attend the now cancelled Seville Congress and remain silent?

Indeed "to wait and see" was the approach adopted by the Executive Committee of the British Economic History Society at its meeting on 9 June. Nevertheless I would like to communicate my own personal thoughts, perceptions and predictions to all my colleagues and friends in economic history who remain committed: a) to an attempt to ensure that the XIIth Congress goes ahead more or less as planned; and b) to the longer term survival of a reformed I.E.H.A.

Reform of the Constitution of the I.E.H.A. seems necessary and is now inevitable. Nevertheless I persist in suggesting that the process of reform which must involve constituent national associations and societies will take time and requires carefully formulated proposals and widespread national and international consultation to achieve its objectives. We must certainly open the conversation now.

Meanwhile the most urgent task to address is how best to ensure that the XIIth Congress takes place, on the dates and (as far as possible) in form as planned for the now defunct meeting in Seville. It is my prediction that "our best bet" is to back Gabriel Tortella's current efforts to relocate the event in Madrid.

I realize that in advising colleagues currently registered for the Seville Congress and other potential participants in the Madrid Congress to support the President and the Bureau's current attempt to relocate the XIIth Congress I am in fact asking them to ignore recent history. In particular my personal plea (the plea of an elderly economic historian who has attended six successful international Congresses since 1970) rests on the following premises, assumptions and injunctions:

1. Let suspend for the time being understandable irritation and judgements about the complex and still largely unknown history of the relations between the President and the Bureau on one side and Proconsur on the other. Most of the evidence is still not in the public domain. Any verdict on who is culpable and in what degree concerning the decision to cancel the Seville Congress and then to relocate the meeting to Madrid should not be allowed to obstruct attempts to reorganize the event in Spain's capital city.

2. The risks of further financial losses from potential failure and late cancellation of the Madrid Congress now look minimal for participants already registered for the Seville Congress. The event will almost certainly take place. Proconsur have agreed to return the monies for hotel reservations. Original registration fees will not be refunded for the time being. But NO additional fees will be charged for the Madrid Congress. Participants who register before 15 August will be charged the same fee that they would have paid for the defunct Congress at Seville. Hotel, residence and other accommodation charges in Madrid are comparable to those posted for Seville in the brochure. Local expenditures on accommodation, food transportation, etc. should not differ between the two locations.

For those who have already booked cheaper flights to Seville airlines often charge fees to transfer bookings to another destination (i.e. Madrid). The President and the Bureau could be asked to persuade Iberian and other airlines to bend the rules on this occasion. Alternatively fast trains run to and from Seville-Madrid.

In short, the marginal costs of transfer from Seville to Madrid are not substantial and the cost-benefit ratio might turn out to be higher for already registered participants who opt to stay away. Of course if Seville was your preferred location the gains are already lower.

Total numbers attending and the number of sessions on offer are likely to decrease and thereby reduce choice for networking and potentially profitable intellectual engagement in plenary, seminar and other sessions. Potential reductions in choice depend upon how many sessions will be cancelled in the days ahead. "B" sessions allocated 7 hours of time look particularly vulnerable, but their organizers might consider offering the Congress shorter sessions and/or allow more time to those scholars who opt to present their papers to "B" sessions in Madrid. Provided the rapporteurs and/or the organizers who could deliver the planned reports come to Madrid there is no intellectual reason to cancel "A" sessions which are short and allow maximum time for participants from the floor. The presentational problems involved for organizers of "C" and "E" sessions will vary with the numbers who now decide to come to Madrid.

Yes, the programmes and possibilities for networking will be reduced. But unless the mass of scholars already registered for Seville decide to stay away the scale and scope the event now on offer cannot fail to provide a majority of the participants with most of the gains that they anticipated from gaining to Seville.

To sum up: my perceptions are that the costs and the benefits of the Congress have not been much altered by reallocation. Furthermore those who are worried by the request to authorise Professor Dr Gabriel Tortella to claim reimbursement of fees paid to Proconsur on their behalf are NOT required to sign that form in order to reregister for the Congress. But then I have the deepest respect for the achievements of Spain's economic historians since the demise of Fascism. Many (including Gabriel Tortella) are friends. Let us go to the Spanish capital, consider these matters, reform our International Association and above all enjoy ourselves. One always does in Spain and particularly in Madrid.

Patrick O'Brien

Organizer Session A1