Focusing upon the role of the United States government in furthering educational and cultural relations with other nations, the book presents a history of cooperative exchange between the United States and Latin America from 1936-48. The report, based upon primary source material in the form of communications between the Department of State and foreign service posts in Latin America, is presented in six major sections. Section I investigates origins of the Pan American Movement in the early 1800s and reviews private inter-American cultural exchange activities before 1930. Section II outlines the genesis of the program, reviews the good neighbor policy, and evaluates the significance of the 1936 Buenos Aires Conference for the Promotion of Inter-American Cultural Relations. The third section examines program policy in areas such as selecting advisory committees, maintaining contact with universities, and acquiring clearance from Latin American governments for U.S. government activities. Growth and change of the program during World War II are chronicled in Section IV, followed by examination of program activities during the 1940s throughout the United States and Latin America. The final section provides highlights from diaries, letters, and other memoranda of the more than 3,000 individuls from both the United States and Latin America who participated in Department of State cultural exchanges between 1936 and 1948. (Author/DB)