The Bell System Technical Journal 



April, 1928 



Joint Meeting of the Institution of Electrical Engineers 

 and the American Institute of Electrical Engineers 



ON February 16th last, a joint session of the Institution of Electrical 

 Engineers in London and the American Institute of Electrical 

 Engineers in New York was made possible by the transatlantic tele- 

 phone. The audience in New York numbered over one thousand and 

 that in London was several hundred. The two audiences were called 

 to order at 10:30 A.M. New York time by Mr. Bancroft Gherardi, 

 president of the American Institute of Electrical Engineers, and several 

 papers were read both in New York and London to which the two 

 audiences listened simultaneously. This joint meeting marks such an 

 important milestone in the history of electrical communication that its 

 entire proceedings are reproduced herewith. They are entirely self- 

 explanatory. 



Having called the meeting to order, Mr. Gherardi said: 



"I will ask Mr. Charlesworth, Chairman of our Meetings and 

 Papers Committee, to say a few words concerning the London meeting, 

 and then to arrange for our joint session." 



Mr. Charlesworth: Before proceeding with the joint session with 

 our associates in the British Institution of Electrical Engineers, I wish 

 to say just a few words concerning their London meeting in order to 

 help you visualize the nature and significance of our joint session. 



Our British associates have assembled in the auditorium of the 

 Institution of Electrical Engineers Building located on the Victoria 

 Embankment. The time is about 3:30 in the afternoon. Their 

 meeting includes their President, Archibald Page, Chief Engineer of 

 Central Electricity Board, their Vice President, Colonel Purves, 

 Engineer and Chief of the British Post Ofifice, the full Council of the 

 Institution, members and invited guests from all parts of Great 

 Britain, men prominent in all branches of the electrical industry. 



Through the medium of developments which have been made in 

 electrical communication, we are in effect to wipe out the great distance 

 which separates the meeting'places of our two societies, and to come 

 together in a joint session in which our respective Presidents may 

 exchange greetings in our behalf and in which other distinguished 

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