3 CONFERENCES AT PRAGUE AND BERGEN AND THE LOOMING WAR 319Pacific Council would have reached a decision on whether or not to shift
the locale of the meeting.^276 On October 9, Carter informed the mem-
bers of the IPR that ‘[b]ecause of the European war,’ the chair of the
Pacific Council had asked the American Council to take the place of the
Canadian Council as host of the study meeting.^277 Carter added that as
it appeared that the Atlantic seaboard was a more convenient destina-
tion point for most of those attending, the location chosen for the meet-
ing was the Cavalier Hotel at Virginia Beach, Virginia. He also informed
members that because of the change of the meeting’s locale and because
many of those who were going to participate in it were under pres-
sure, the chair of the Pacific Council had decided to shorten the study
meeting and that as a result it was going to commence four days later
than originally planned: the dates now fixed for the study meeting were
November 22 to December 2.^278
As Jessup observed, the study meeting at Virginia Beach was ‘the
product of two wars: had there been no hostilities in the Far East it
would have been the seventh regular conference of the Institute; had
there been no war in Europe it would have met (as was planned) in
Victoria, British Columbia.’^279 Against the background of these wars,
it is not surprising that far fewer members attended the Virginia Beach
gathering than had attended previous gatherings of the IPR. Difficulties
of transport resulting from the war in Europe made it impossible for
the Soviet and Dutch national councils to be represented. The British
and French units of the IPR were not in a position to send full members
and were instead represented by observers: five in the British case, one
of whom was based in the United States and another in Australia, and
two in the French case, both of whom were based in New York.^280 No
Japanese representatives were present as the Japanese National Council
felt that it was unable to participate in a study meeting ‘so closely con-
nected with the subject matter of the Inquiry.’^281
(^276) Ibid.
(^277) Edward C. Carter to the members of the Pacific Council; to the members of the
International Research Committee; to the national secretaries of the IPR; and to the mem-
bers of the IPR Study Meeting, October 9, 1939, AG 1-IICI-K-V-5, UA.
(^278) Ibid.
(^279) Mitchell and Holland, eds., Problems of the Pacific, 1939, v.
(^280) Ibid., 273.
(^281) Ibid., vi.