The Executive Committee of the International Economic History Association met in Riverside, California, USA, on May 10, 1999 and resolved the following. (Para 1)

Taking into consideration that the General Assembly of the International Economic History Association meeting in Milan, Italy in 1994 appointed Professor Gabriel Tortella, at the time its President, to organize the XII World Congress of the IEHA to be held in Seville Spain, and that he agreed to such a mandate, and considering: (Para 2)

1) that judging from the report on the XII Congress by Professor Tortella dated February 5, 1999 and a letter from Professor Tortella addressed to Secretary General Jan Luiten Van Zanden dated March 26, the organization of the XII World Congress was commissioned by the former President to a business organization, funds for this purpose were handled by a Foundation which was registered prior the event, and part or all of the registration fees of the Congress participants and other deposits were collected and held by the said entities; (Para 3)

2) that according to reports known to the Association, the conciliatory judicial proceedings initiated in Spain with the purpose of recovering such funds have failed, and that these proceedings are susceptible to continuation with an uncertain result; (Para 4)

3) that out of a confusing situation from which damages have derived both for the Association's members and its prestige, it is the duty of the executive body of the Association to gather and distribute information on the organization and realization of the XII Congress to its member associations and their members; (Para 5)

4) that, in view of the statement made by Professor Tortella in his letter of 26 March 1999 to the Bureau of the IEHA in which he undertook to ask the Secretary of the Board of the Foundation, to put on the Board's agenda any reasoned request for information on the accounts of the Foundation concerning the Madrid Congress; (Para 6)

the Executive Committee respectfully requests professor Gabriel Tortella to provide a report on the income received and the expenditure made by the Foundation in so far as they relate to the aim of the realization of the XII World Congress of the Association, the organization of which was under his personal responsibility. (Para 7)

Further, the Executive Committee requests that Professor Tortella deliver to the Association's Secretary General the copies of the published proceedings of the Congress which were paid for but not delivered to participants, would-be participants, or other individuals or institutions. The Executive Committee asks also for a report on the current state of legal proceedings regarding the recovery of all funds owing to individuals who registered for Seville. (Para 8)