The International House Association relaunched as a global organization in Autumn of 2025. The International House Association (IHA) will represent a collection of historic International Houses – including International House of Chicago – and centers around the world. Our mission is to carry forward the visionary legacy of our founders John D. Rockefeller, Jr., Harry and Florence Edmonds, and others by fostering a global community committed to peacebuilding, cultural exchange, and intellectual collaboration.
Inspired by the pioneering spirit that led to the establishment of the historic International Houses in New York (1924), Berkeley (1930), Chicago (1932), Paris (1936), Tokyo (1952), India International Centre (1962), and London (1965), we serve as conveyors, sources of analysis of current events, curators of cultural content, as educators, and as a group of global institutions committed to furthering understanding across the broad set of communities we serve.
The International House Association mission to promote peace through cross-cultural understanding grew out of the aftermath of World War I when countries started to look inward. For more than 100 years, our mission has never changed, and our community remains committed to this important work.
The Founding and Early History of the International House Association
1939: A Shared Vision for Peace Amid the Outbreak of War
In September 1939, as Europe descended into the early days of what would become World War II, leaders within the International House movement were already imagining a pathway toward peace. On September 11, 1939, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt used her nationally syndicated column My Day to reflect on the fear and uncertainty consuming the world. She warned of the “war psychology” that had gripped nations in 1914 – a mindset of hopelessness and short-term thinking – and urged Americans, especially young people, to begin now to envision and plan for a peaceful postwar world:
If we have a big enough group in this country, particularly young people… determined that this world shall be organized for peace in the future, we can be a great factor in the ultimate adjustment. – Eleanor Roosevelt
That very day, Allen C. Blaisdell, Executive Director of International House Berkeley, read Roosevelt’s column in the San Francisco News. Inspired by her call to action, he wrote to her on September 12, 1939, enclosing a copy of his own article published just a few days earlier in the Daily Californian (September 8, 1939), titled In Time of War Educate for Peace advocating for universities to actively shape a postwar world rooted in justice and understanding. He warns that the “residuum of the war” includes not just death but disillusionment, and that peace itself can be tragic if not thoughtfully constructed. He calls on universities – with their international faculty and alumni networks – to lead global public opinion toward a just peace, to rise above national animosities, and to build a sustaining environment where peace could be born.
If only all the educational institutions of this country could combine students, faculty, and alumni [in] united consideration of the possible characteristics of a lasting peace, I feel we should be able to greatly influence public opinion which might sustain the efforts of our public officials… Allen Blaisdell
Roosevelt responded to Blaisdell on October 10, 1939, with a brief but encouraging note: Your statement, ‘In Time of War Prepare for Peace’, is excellent and I am glad to have had the opportunity to read it. I hope the idea will spread. This message set the tone for the I-House movement’s ongoing commitment to peacebuilding through cross-cultural understanding, academic collaboration, and global leadership. At a time when war was pulling nations apart, the International House mission was already imagining how education could bring people – and the world – back together.
This exchange between two visionary leaders – one in public service and the other in international education – captures the moral foundation of what would later become the International House Association (IHA). It set the tone for the I-House movement’s ongoing commitment to peacebuilding through cross-cultural understanding, academic collaboration, and global leadership.
December 1939: Funding and Formalization of the I-House Alumni Vision
Following the September 1939 correspondence between Allen Blaisdell and Eleanor Roosevelt about the role of educational institutions and their communities in building peace, momentum grew within the leadership of the International Houses in Chicago, Berkeley, and New York to form a united alumni effort.
In late 1939, the three House directors convened in New York to explore the possibility of organizing their former residents into a shared international alumni association. Among the supporters of this idea was John D. Rockefeller III, whose family had played a central role in founding and sustaining the International House system.
On December 1, 1939, Rockefeller wrote to Blaisdell following a recent meeting in New York, expressing his strong support and enclosing a $2,500 gift to help launch the initiative.
I was impressed by the unanimity of the feeling of the group as to the value of the Associations in fostering and carrying on the fundamental spirit and ideals of the Houses… – John D. Rockefeller III
In the closing lines of his letter, Rockefeller wrote not only as a philanthropist, but as a steward of the I-House legacy during one of the world’s darkest hours:
I have a very sincere interest in seeing the International House idea furthered and strengthened – especially in times such as these. – John D. Rockefeller III
Early 1940: Implementation of the Rockefeller Gift and Strategic Planning
With Rockefeller’s $2,500 gift in hand, the leadership of the International Houses began the work of turning vision into structure. On January 30, 1940, Ernest B. Price, Director of International House of Chicago, wrote to Rockefeller to update him on the use of the funds, including staffing, communications, shared infrastructure, and strategic planning.
By May 14, 1940, Blaisdell wrote again to Rockefeller to share a fully developed two-year strategic plan for the IHA and the International Quarterly, supported by a total budget of $5,000. This was the initial $2,500 gift from Rockefeller, along with a matching gift from the International House Berkeley trustees. The plan emphasized careful stewardship of resources, reallocation of internal staff, and a long-range approach to institution-building.
On June 3, 1940, Rockefeller replied with unmistakable affirmation: I liked particularly your long-range approach to the problem.
1941–1945: A Wartime Interruption
Despite early momentum, the outbreak of global war soon overwhelmed the International House Association’s efforts. As World War II intensified, many of the alumni who had once gathered across I-House campuses were drawn into military service, humanitarian aid, or national mobilization efforts. The administrative staff and resources of the International Houses shifted to address urgent needs – supporting refugee students, providing shelter, and navigating wartime restrictions.
The International Quarterly ceased publication, and the centralized alumni coordination efforts envisioned in 1939–40 were largely suspended. While the mission of the International Houses endured locally, the vision of a global alumni network under a unified Association had to be put on hold.
1947–1948: Postwar Rebirth of the International House Association
In May 1947, David Rockefeller, PhD’40 and former resident of International House of Chicago – recognizing the urgency of global cooperation in the fragile postwar world – revived the vision for an International House Association. He began planning meetings with representatives from the Houses in Chicago, Berkeley, and New York aiming to finally formalize the organization first imagined in 1939.
On November 4, 1947, David wrote to Allen Blaisdell, inviting him to participate in foundational IHA meetings on November 15-16 in New York. The schedule included a full slate of working sessions organized by John R. Mott and a dinner hosted by David Rockefeller at Radio City Music Hall.
A telegram from David dated December 23, 1947, confirmed that the meeting of incorporators for the International House Association had taken place. He requested finalization of Berkeley trustees and nominations to the Executive Committee.
By January 19, 1948, the Berkeley Alumni Association had become the first to apply for a Charter under the newly formed IHA. In a letter to Eugenia Schutt, David Rockefeller expressed his amusement and congratulations: The New York Association… had fully expected to have the Number One Charter themselves. It served them right that you got ahead of them!
He emphasized that the success of the revived IHA would depend on the dedication and enthusiasm of its trustees and early champions: Without any question, its success depends almost entirely on the enthusiasm of the group of Association Trustees who must give it guidance during the formative years.
Legacy and Significance
The foundational period of the IHA (1939–1948) reflects a microcosm of 20th-century internationalism: hopeful beginnings, wartime disruption, and postwar reconstitution. The values articulated in this period – educational diplomacy, alumni-driven community, and global citizenship – continue to shape the mission of the International Houses today. Through persistence and visionary leadership, the IHA emerged from global turmoil as a lasting vehicle for peace and international understanding.
Today, as globalization brings new opportunities and complexities, and as crises continue to arise, our work to prepare leaders for a global future and to educate our broader communities resonates with renewed urgency. Building on our legacy of over one hundred years of contributing to peace in the world, we aspire to create new pathways to knowledge through strengthening our collaborations across the worldwide members of The International House Association.