16 
INAUGURAL PLENARY SESSION 
PHOTOGRAMMETRY SENATE HOUSE UNIVERSITY OF LONDON THANK 
YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR KIND MESSAGE I SEND YOU ALL MY BEST 
WISHES FOR THE SUCCESS OF THE NINTH INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS 
OF PHOTOGRAMMETRY 
(SIGNED) PHILIP PATRON” 
/ I must tell you also how much we have been supported in our work by the 
Departments of Her Majesty’s Government concerned in photogrammetry and, similar 
ly, by commercial, educational and professional institutions, as well as by a very large 
number of individuals, not all of whom, I may say, appear in your printed programme, 
but all of whom have given most unreservedly of their time and their labour and their 
advice. We are extremely indebted to them, and I very much hope that they, themselves, 
are about to reap the reward of seeing you all enjoy a really successful Congress. 
I do not intend to repeat the details shown on the programme. You may read 
them for yourselves at your leisure, if, indeed, you are able to do so, which I very 
much hope you are, for I must say at once that, though I personally have every reason 
to be grateful — as no doubt have many others in this room — that the programme is 
in the English language, I am indeed truly sorry that it is not available to you also in 
French and German editions. I do beg you to excuse that. Circumstances have forced 
this economy upon us, very much to our own regret. 
There are two other administrative matters of interests on which 1 wish to touch. 
The first concerns the venue chosen for the Congress. We chose London, and although 
that may seem to you a very obvious choice it was not made without first considering 
other possible places. We considered various universities and certain holiday resorts. 
Almost all of them had something to offer which London did not, but none of them 
had as much to offer as did London, so on balance London had it and here we are in 
London. 
Moreover, we were very fortunate in securing from the University of London, 
for a comparatively moderate fee, accommodation that is for our various activities as 
good as any procurable. The University buildings are now famous on many counts, 
particularly, of course, as a seat of learning, and I should like to record our grateful 
thanks to the University Authorities and to their departmental staff who have given us 
every possible assistance. 
The other administrative matter on which I wish to touch is the translation and 
recording system, the details of which are in your programme. On the proper use of 
these facilities by the Chairmen and speakers of the sessions will depend our ability or 
our inability to publish a useful record of the discussions. This record is to appear in our 
printed archives which, believe it or not, we hope to publish within six months after the 
end of the Congress. Therefore, please do all you can to ease the task of the recording 
and liaison staff, who are mostly volunteers, and who are competent persons appointed 
to help the Chairmen and speakers and to look after the records. I will not presume to 
suggest how you should do this. I am sure you know very well yourselves. T would only 
offer an old aphorism, by way of reminder to speakers, which runs: stand up, speak 
up, and shut up. 
That brings me to speak, lastly, as President of the Ninth International Society 
with my own appropriate warning sounding in my ears not to speak for too long. Much 
thought has been given in recent years to the study of congresses: why we hold them, 
what they are for, and how to run them. Indeed, there are congresses now assembled 
for the sole purpose of studying congresses. Therefore, there is no reason why any of 
us should be uninformed on this subject though, of course, to become experienced 
requires both time and opportunity. There is no reason why we should not benefit; in 
deed, there is every reason why we should make sure we do benefit from the experience 
of others.