Welcome  Exhibition Panels:  A Time of Crisis and Change  Atlantic City to Bretton Woods  The Founding Fathers From Around the World  Breaking the Mold  Laying the Foundation  Setting the Pace  Toward the Future  Links of interest		Joint Statement by Mr. de Rato & Mr. Wolfensohn What is Bretton Woods? From Around the World The United States, having the largest delegation, brought a wide spectrum of economists and politicians to the Bretton Woods Conference. Delegations at Bretton Woods China, represented by the Nationalist government of Chiang Kai-shek, played an active role and was granted the fifth largest quota among the original members of the IMF. Cuba, governed by Ramón Raul San Martín, sent a delegation that represented the interests of small agricultural economies. Delegates from many Latin American nations were deeply involved in the negotiations. The democratic process at Bretton Woods ensured that concerns of all countries were addressed. Though the delegation from the Soviet Union was active at the Conference and signed the draft Articles, the Soviet government later decided not to join the Fund or the Bank. The cooperation of the U.S. and USSR delegations was a positive moment before the onset of the Cold War. In 1944, the Indian delegation to Bretton Woods included both British citizens as well as Indian nationals, as India was still part of the British Empire. Alexander Argyropulos (at right in photo), a member of the Greek delegation, arrived in New York on June 21. Argyropulos had been a prisoner of war for a year. His arrival in the United States culminated in the reunion with his wife and daughter, who had escaped Greece when Axis forces invaded. Camille Gutt (at left in photo), headed the Belgian delegation. Once the Fund was established, Gutt was elected as its first Managing Director, a post he held until 1951.