358 J.-A. PEMBERTON
that as a result, he may not get that ‘variety of expression which you
might have received from people living in their respective countries.’^24
Potter’s response was to deny any bias in favour of League experts.
He stated that it was ‘quite natural that many of the people most com-
petent to write on the experiences of the last twenty years’ had or still
resided in Geneva given that it was there that the ‘chief experiment in
organised international co-operation had been carried on during this
period.’ Potter implied that perhaps Bonnet was being too mindful of the
‘curious anti-Geneva feeling’ that appeared to be ‘developing in some
quarters recently,’ adding that he hoped this feeling would not infect the
planned ISC conference.^25
In his letter of reply, Bonnet denied that his expression of concern was
prompted by a putative ‘anti-Geneva spirit’. Bonnet then explained that
he was convinced that ‘the interests of the Conference, of the study of
International organisation, and of the League itself,’ were best served
‘if the appeal to experts in international matters were addressed as far
as possible to people chosen from the various countries where there are
groups taking part in the work of the Conference,’ adding that this pre-
sented ‘no difficulties...as many of the first-class authorities on the world
of the League do not live in Geneva.’^26
In another written exchange with Potter, Bonnet indicated his alarm
concerning a letter that Potter had written to Viktor Bruns, the head
of the Kaiser Wilhelm Institut für Volkerrecht in Berlin, inviting him
to contribute a submission on the future of international organisation.
In the offending letter, Potter had stated that he ‘personally felt it very
desirable to obtain a contribution from a German scholar’ and that ‘Mr.
Malcolm Davis...who is...Chairman of the Executive Committee of the
International Studies Conference, warmly agreed.’ Potter further stated
that Davis had agreed that it would be ‘most fortunate and advanta-
geous in every way if you [Bruns] could be persuaded’ to make such a
contribution.^27
(^24) Henri Bonnet to Pitman B. Potter, April 24, 1940, AG 1-IICI-K-I-24, UA.
(^25) Pitman B. Potter to Henri Bonnet, April 30, 1940, AG 1-IICI-K-I-24, UA.
(^26) Henri Bonnet to Pitman B. Potter, May 9, 1940, AG 1-IICI-K-I-24, UA.
(^27) Pitman B. Potter to Viktor Bruns, March 19, 1940, AG 1-IICI-K-I-24, UA. Viktor
Bruns, who died in 1943, was among the German international lawyers participating in
the work of the Permanent Court of International Justice in the Weimar period. Detlev
F. Vagts notes that Bruns tried to maintain the independence of the Kaiser Wihlelm