1964-65 New York World's Fair Groundbreaking and Dedication Booklets

Pavilion of ^^^l.

Cornerstone Laying Ceremony at the New York World's Fair 1964-1965

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er 11,

September 11, 1963

Excerpts from transcription of remarks made by Argen-
tine and World's Fair Officials at cornerstone laying cere-
mony for the Pavilion of Argentina at the New York
World's Fair, Wednesday, September 11, 1963-

DR. ROBERTO de MENDOZA {Deputy Chief of
Protocol]: Your Excellency, Dr. Monaco, Senor Garcia
del Solar, Mr. Consul General, Mr. Moses, Governor
Poletti, distinguished guests, ladies, and gentlemen. We
are to witness today a very important and significant
ceremony; the laying of the cornerstone for the Pavilion
of Argentina, which is being sponsored by the well-known
Argentine company, Comarg, with the cooperation of
the Argentine Chambers of Commerce and the endorse-
ment of the Argentine Ministry of Commerce.

I should like to have the privilege, at this moment, of
introducing three very charming ladies among our dis-
tinguished guests: the wife of the Argentine Ambassa-
dor, Senora Alemann ; Mrs. Charles Poletti, who did much
to help Governor Poletti in making this International
Division a great success; and the daughter of the Argen-
tine Ambassador, Miss Uiana Alemann.

I now have the privilege to present Governor Charles
Poletti, vice president of the International Division of
the New York World's Fair Corporation.

GOVERNOR CHARLES POLETTI: Thank you, Dr.
de Mendoza. Mrs. Alemann, my good friend Iliana,
Mrs. Poletti, distinguished representatives of the Govern-
ment of Argentina and the two hard-working gentlemen
representing Comarg. Dr. de Mendoza has made reference
to our special delight in having an Argentine Pavilion.
We feel now that we have justified the decision that we
made originally, to give special emphasis to our neigh-
bors on our side of the ocean, by nr.ming this principal
avenue, from the main entrance — to the Unisphere,®
the center of the Fair — the Avenue of the Americas.
And all of us are particularly delighted that this corner
which is on the Avenue of the Americas and the Avenue
of the United Nations, has been allocated to Argentina.

I am happy that the seventy million people who will
come to the Fair — most of them will be Americans, many
will be young men and women, the future leaders of the
world — will have an opportunity to find out more about
Argentina.

That's the meaning of this New York World's Fair.

1963 New York World's Fair 1964-1965 Corporation

This is not a trade fair or an industrial fair — it's a Fair
to promote better understanding between human beings,
between brothers under God; that's what we hope to
achieve. We are happy that Argentina will be present.
Thank you.

DR. de MENDOZA: Thank you, Governor Poletti.
The next speaker's wide range of outstanding services
rendered to cities, to states and to the nation, have brought
him world-wide renown and countless honors and
awards. I give you the president of the New York World's
Fair Corporation, Mr. Robert Moses.

MR. ROBERT MOSES: Ambassador and friends. I
always like to follow Governor Poletti on these occasions
because there's very little left for me to say. He tells
the story and all I can do is add the ditto marks, subscribe
to what he said. As far as anything else to add, I would
like to emphasize what Charles said about the purposes
of the Fair.

As I have said a number of times on these occasions,
we look for a metaphor — an analogy — to the Olympic
Games. I've been an enthusiast for these games since I
fooled around a bit with athletics at Yale before I went
to Oxford and saw some more of that sort of thing there.
The Olympic Games have for their objective, bringing
together the best athletes in the world, regardless of
ideology, and simply because they are good at one sport
or another. And it's in that spirit that we're conducting
this Fair. We haven't any ideology to advance; we simply

want all these participants to bring the best things they
have. We promise them a welcome, we promise them fair
competition, and we hope that out of this will grow the
kind of friendship that Governor Poletti has talked about.
I think it will.

We have been very much interested in the Pan Ameri-
can Highway. Now, the concept of a highway starting in
Texas, connecting with all major routes in western United
States, running through Mexico and Central and South
America, has been a thing that we've been after for many
years. It's about to be completed. And we're going to
show that particular facility, what's been done there, here
at the Fair . . . perhaps not on the scale we had hoped for,
perhaps not in precisely the form we aimed at, but that
it is a physical, palpable link between North and South
America. We hope that as time goes on, more and more
people will travel that way — go down there — get ac-
quainted with these countries at first hand.

We have your pavilion starting here — we're delighted
you are here, one of the great countries of the world. We
promise you a most hearty welcome. We promise to help
you in any way we can in putting up this building.

We have here a symbol of the Fair, with the Uni-
sphere® on one side and, on the other, the coat of arms
of the City of New York which next year celebrates its
300th anniversary. Fm very pleased to give this to Am-
bassador Alemann and I hope he'll find a place for it
on his desk.

Ambassador Roberto T. Alemann,
speaking at the cornerstone laying
ceremony for the Pavilion of Argen-
tina at the New York World's Fair.

Shown laying the cornerstone for the Argentine
Pavilion are: (left to right) Ambassador Roberto
T. Alemann. Ambassador of Argentina to the
U. S. ; Mrs. Alemann; Miss I. Alemann; Dr.
Ignacio M. Monaco, president of COMARG,
S.A.; Mr. Bruce Nicholson, International Divi-
sion at the Fair; Mrs. Charles Poletti ; Governor
Charles Poletti, vice president of the International
Division at the Fair; and Mr. E. 0. Schmied, vice
president of COMARG, S.A.

The Argentine Pavilion, sponsored by
a private Argentine group, will depict
the cultural, historical, industrial and
tourist aspects of Argentina, and will
include a luxurious restaurant where
the piece de resistance will be beef
barbecued in the style of the Pampas.
The architect is Paul K. Y. Chen;
Mazza, Spagnolo, Ramos, Alvarez Forn
and C. A. Dodds — Associate Archi-
tects/Engineers. ,,i-;

DR. de MENDOZA: Thank you, Mr. Moses. Our next
speaker is a well-known Argentine lawyer who is a con-
sultant with power of attorney to act on behalf of impor-
tant industrial, construction and metallurgical companies
in Argentina. He has written many articles on labor
rights in the construction and textile industries, and his
vision, energy and enterprise have been decisive factors
in making possible the participation of Argentina in the
New York World's Fair. It is my great pleasure to present
Dr. Ignacio M. Monaco, senior partner of Comarg, which
is sponsoring the construction of the beautiful Pavilion of
Argentina which will shortly rise from this ground.
^ DR. IGNACIO M. MONACO [President of Comarg,
S. A.] : On such a momentous and great occasion, because
of the spirituality inherent in the theme creating this
event — "Peace through Understanding" — and thanks
to the enthusiasm and effort of a group of Argentines
joined under Comarg and supported unconditionally by
all the representative authorities in their country, the
Argentine nation wants to express in simple, modest
words, but clear and strong ones — we are present.

We ardently desired to join all the nations of the world
because it was also a way of demonstrating that we Argen-
tines are very united. At the present historical moment,
only a geographical boundary divides nations; the men
governing the great democracies of the world tend to
overcome all the barriers separating one country from
another. The New York World's Fair aspires to this ob-

jective. They have selected understanding as a means of
achieving the supreme reality — peace in the whole world.
Understanding is achieved only through an integral
knowledge of countries, and in order to get to know
these countries there is no greater opportunity than the
one afforded us by the New York World's Fair. We
Argentines are coming to this Fair resolved to see, to
analyze, to study, to learn, and to understand all the coun-
tries represented. But, at the same time, we want to
demonstrate with pride, with dignity, and with nobility,
all that we have accomplished up to now — the progress
and development which we have achieved.

Our pavilion will display the traditional riches of our
country — agriculture and cattle raising. We will bring
the fruits of our rich provinces San Juan and Mendoza,
the citrus fruit of Salta and the northern provinces, the
tea and tobacco of Misiones — in effect, all the material
capacity of the Argentine Republic. But we will also con-
cern ourselves with everything pertaining to the culture
of our country. We want people to know us through our
art, films, sculpture and literature. The National Council
of Technical Education will show, in our pavilion, how
the youth of Argentina is educated, and how the tech-
nicians and scientists are trained to better meet the chal-
lenges of the modern world. We undoubtedly hope to fill
all these aspirations of ours with an enthusiasm, a cour-
age, and a fervor which coalesced the same day we heard
that the New York World's Fair was being planned. We

want to demonstrate, on this occasion, what we really
are — a free country, democratic by conviction, Christian
by roots and tradition, and lovers of liberty, because we
believe that liberty is the greatest wealth that countries
can offer to the whole world.

Gentlemen, I want you to know that at this very mo-
ment in our beloved Argentina, through the initiative of
the Ministers of Industry and Commerce, this same sym-
bolic event is being enacted, and it is a perfect demon-
stration of the understanding existing between private
enterprise and the Argentine Government which is sup-
porting us in this venture.

I would like to say many more things, but I am really
too moved . . . and I am moved because I could not
visualize this hour when I would be here among you
expressing all of this to you. It is the fruition of long
hours, of long struggles, but with God's help we are here
now and the doors of our pavilion will open on April
22, 1964.

I don't want to leave without first thanking all of the
Fair authorities, their president, Mr. Robert Moses, their
vice president, Mr. Charles Poletti, and especially the
Latin American delegate, Mr. Bruce Nicholson, who has
done so much for us. To all the representatives from
Argentina, thank you very much, and especially our
Ambassador, Dr. Alemann, who from the very beginning
inspired us on to this great endeavor, and to everyone
here, thank you very much.

DR. de MENDOZA: Thank you, Dr. Monaco. It is
now my pleasure and high honor to introduce a dis-
tinguished Argentine lawyer and diplomat who studied
Economy at the University of Berne. During his very
distinguished career, he has been Financial Counselor to
the Argentine Embassies in London and Washington.
He has been National Director of Finance and Economic
Policy of the Argentine Treasury; he has been member
and head of many economic missions to foreign countries
and Minister of Economy of Argentina.

Apart from conferences and articles on economic mat-
ters, he has written two outstanding books: Economic
Systems, published in 1953, and Policy of Investments,
published in 1956. It is my high honor to present the
Argentine Ambassador, His Excellency, Dr. Roberto T.
Alemann.

HIS EXCELLENCY DR. ROBERTO T. ALEMANN:
[Ambassador from Argentina to the United States}:
President Moses, Governor Poletti, Dr. de Mendoza and
friends. When I came in, driving through these Fair-
grounds, I had a feeling I was reviewing the picture,
"How the West Was Won" — that's the way these
wonderful grounds are looking now. As I know from
personal knowledge, the ability of the United States in
building, I'm completely sure that by April of next year
these grounds will look as we have seen them at Head-
quarters of the World's Fair.

I wish to express my personal thanks for this oppor-

tunity to Governor Poletti and Mr. Nicholson for the
patience they have had in dealing with our representation
at this Fair. About a year ago we entered into our first
agreement and it took quite some time before we reached
this very point — to start the building.

This Fair has dealt with a private group of Argentines
who have had some experience in Seattle representing
our country in that fair. And these young and driving and
enthusiastic people from my country, despite all the ob-
stacles, have gone along and finally succeeded, just in
time as we always do, to start building this pavilion. And
I'm sure they will succeed, also, as the whole Fair will be
the outstanding success of the 1960s in the industrial era
of this world.

I want to thank them, too, for the tremendous effort
they have put forth, because I have the sincere feeling that
their effort is a symbol of recovery, the definite recovery
of my country. After the many difficulties we have been
having over the last years, we are now at the point where
we are all united and have a single goal of peace through
understanding — as you do at this Fair. Thank you, very
much.

PAVILION OF ARGENTINA

HIS EXCELLENCY, DR. ROBERTO T. ALEMANN, Ambassador of Argentina to the United States
THE HONORABLE LUCIO GARCIA DEL SOLAR, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister

Plenipotentiary — Deputy Permanent Representative and Charge d' Affaires ad

interim of Argentina to the United Nations
THE HONORABLE RAMON CASANOVA, Consul General of Argentina in New York
MR. HECTOR TASSARA, Economic Counselor of the Embassy of Argentina

COMARG, S. A.:

DR. IGNACIO M. MONACO, President

MR. EFRAIM O. SCHMIED, Executive Vice President

NEW YORK

WORLD'S FAIR

1964-1965

C O R P O RAT I O N

Flushing, N. Y. 11380

Tel. 212-WF 4-1964

ROBERT MOSES, President

THOMAS J. DEEGAN, JR., Chairman of the Executive Committee

WILLIAM E. POTTER, Executive Vice President

CHARLES POLETTI, Vice President, International Affairs and Exhibits

STUART CONSTABLE, Vice President, Operations

WILLIAM BERNS, Vice President, Communications and Public Relations

ERWIN WITT, Comptro//er

MARTIN STONE, Director of Industrial Section

GUY F. TOZZOLI, (Port of New York Authority) Transportation Section

ERNESTINE R. HAIG, Secretory of the Corporation and Assistant to the President

WILLIAM WHIPPLE, JR., Chief Engineer