Prior to the adoption of the Constitution, the foreign affairs of the United States were conducted successively by the Committee of Secret Correspondence (1775-1777), the Committee of Foreign Affairs (1777-1781), and the Department of Foreign Affairs (1781-1789). The Department of Foreign Affairs was reconstituted, following the adoption of the Constitution, by an act of Congress approved July 27, 1789. The name was changed to the Department of State and its activities were extended to include some of a purely domestic nature by an act approved September 15, 1789. Some of these activities included the preservation and publication of laws and treaties, keeping the seal of the United States and affixing it to certain documents signed by the President, and serving as custodian of the records of the United States previously held by the Secretary of Congress. Other domestic functions were eventually assigned to the Department, but with the expansion of the Government most of these were passed to other agencies, and the Department has again become concerned almost exclusively with foreign affairs. United States participation in the Brussels Universal and International Exhibition was authorized by the International Cultural Exchange and Trade Fair Participation Act of 1956. The U.S. Commissioner General exercised the authorities vested in, and discharged the responsibilities placed upon, the Secretary of State or the Department of State with respect to such participation. According to the 1957-1958 United States Government Manual- "The purpose of U.S. participation in the Brussels Exhibition of 1958 is to strengthen the ties which bind us with other nations by demonstrating the cultural interests, developments, and achievements of the people of the U.S., and the contributions being made by the U.S. economic and social system toward a peaceful and more fruitful life for its own people andother people throughout the world; and thus to assist in the development of friendly, sympathetic, and peaceful relations between the U.S. and the other countries of the world. "The President is authorized to appoint the U.S. Commissioner General, and two deputies, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate. The organization has been developed along functional lines, consisting of divisions for U.S. Building Design and Construction, U.S. Government Building Exhibits, Fine Arts, Performing Arts, Science, Public Affairs, and Administration." The Office of the U.S. Commissioner General was located in New York City, with a field office in Brussels. These photographs were taken by Andre de Flandre, the photographer in the Public Affairs Division of the Office of the U.S. Commissioner General, and document the many personalities and activities which were a part of the U.S. Pavilion at the Brussels Universal and International Exhibition (April 17 - October 19, 1958). As described above, the U.S. Pavilion displayed the many political, social, economic, scientific, and cultural achievements of the United States. The photographs show art exhibits, daily "State Days" honoring the various states of the U.S., demonstrations of scientific advances, displays of American furniture styles and womens' fashions, and an exhibit sponsored by the U.S. Public Health Service. Of interest are photographs of the construction of the U.S. Pavilion, performances of the U.S. Marine Corps Band and the U.S. Air Force's "Airmen of Note" choir, a demonstration of a bridge-playing Bendix computer, the arrival of a nuclear reactor for an exhibit of nuclear energy at the Pavilion, the "shooting" of a color television show, murals by Al Hirschfeld and Saul Steinberg, and an exhibit of the Children's Creative Center from the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. Photographs of personnel of the Office of the U.S.Commissioner General include Howard S. Cullman, the U.S. Commissioner General; Katherine G. Howard, the Deputy Commissioner General; and George W. Staempfli, the Coordinator for the Fine Arts Program in the Office of the U.S. Commissioner General. Other personalities photographed in this series include King Leopold and Queen Elizabeth of Belgium; Lord Louis Mountbatten and Princess Margaret of Great Britain; Prince Rainier and Princess Grace of Monaco; Queen Juliana of the Netherlands; Herbert Hoover; Eleanor Roosevelt; Adlai Stevenson; Christian Herter, the U.S. Undersecretary of State; and Soviet Vice-Premier Anastas Mikoyan. Entertainers found in these photographs include the Platters, Jayne Mansfield, Harry Belafonte, Mitzi Gaynor, Art Linkletter, Benny Goodman,and the Harlem Globetrotters. Other items in this series include copies of organization charts for the various divisions for the Office of the U.S. Commissioner General. Many of the 8"x10" prints in this series (in box 2) may have corresponding negatives, but do not bear the negative numbers on them. Due to the volume of the negatives, it was not possible to match all of the prints and negatives. In this case, refer to the numbering system for prints in box 2. Also, many of the negatives have no corresponding print; use the numbering system for them as specified below.
