ABSTRACT
Even while the British nation had its collective back to the wall in 1941 there was talk within the Royal Society of holding an Empire Scientific Conference as soon as the war was over. The assumption of an Allied victory was seemingly taken for granted and was inspired, no doubt, by the regular bursts of Churchillian oratory that stiffened the resolve of the country as often as he felt it necessary. In October, representatives of Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and India attended a meeting in London and formed the British Commonwealth Science Committee with the intention of framing plans for a post-war Conference. Discussions with the various governments followed and the Committee reported back, indicating general support, in April 1943. A proposal to hold such a Conference then went to the War Cabinet’s Scientific Advisory Committee and, in July 1944, His Majesty’s Government approved it and invited the Royal Society to be responsible for its organization [1].
