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CIAM
October 17, 1953
Secretariat: Zurich 32, Doldertal 7, Tel. 324644

Mr. Eero Saarinen
Architect
Bloomfield Hills
Michigan, USA

Dear Mr. Saarinen,

During a stay in Paris in Spring 1953 Mrs. Eva Maria Neumeyer (Mills College, Calif.) approached me that I should outline a plan for an International Exhibition of Modern Architecture. Even if officially backed and financed by the Ford Foundation, complete freedom would be guaranteed. I said immediately that I have not the necessary time at disposal being occupied by my own work and at any rate that I wouldn't do it without a small committee of leading personalities whom I know for a long time.

During my stay in USA this year I had meetings with Mrs. Neumeyer and Prof. Franz Neumann (Columbia University), "homme de confiance" of the Ford Foundation, where I repeated the arguments.

Prof. Neumann told me that he would ask a very large sum from the Ford Foundation to finance the exhibition. Beside this he proposed a reasonable sum being payed already in doing the outline of this exhibition.

Finally now after having received letter after letter from America I could not without certain sacrifices reserve the time to make the enclosed outline.

I did it because this exhibition could be of advantage for the CIAM. We could elaborate our ideas by younger people in in the CIAM which would be payed as people are payed who prepare exhibitions for UNESCO. There are so many things involved in respect to the budget that I cannot take the responsibility to do it alone.

Enclosed is the outline of the scheme.

Please, send me at the earliest convenience your suggestions as well as your estimate of the cost of an exhibition of this kind and the sum you would propose for yourself and the sum you regard reasonable for the members of the committee to survey plan and execution of the scheme, if the proposals are accepted by the Ford Foundation and the necessary sum is guaranteed.

Sincerely yours,
S. Giedion

The outline has been sent to:
Walter Gropius
Le Corbusier
Eero Saarinen
J. L. Sert
Mrs. E. M. Neumeyer
Prof. F. Neumann