ABSTRACT
The 1928 Inter-American Conference signed the Convention on the Pan American Union that would have placed the Inter-American System on a permanent coordinated juridical basis; that instrument required unanimous ratification, however, which was not achieved. Three conferences were held between 1945 and 1985 that produced documents forming permanent treaty bases for the Inter-American System. The 1945 conference authorized the drafting of three basic integrated documents: a treaty of reciprocal assistance; a constitution for regional organization; and a treaty to coordinate agreements on the pacific settlements of disputes. The Protocol of Amendment of the 1967 conference aimed to improve the organization's administrative efficiency. The protocol abolished the non-functioning Inter-American Conference and created the General Assembly as the new supreme organ. The United States has been the largest subscriber to the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) from the beginning. Expanded membership broadened the IDB's financial base, with Latin Americans hoping that it would erode US domination.
