First International Conference on Operations Research—Oxford, England, September 2–5, 1957

Another step was taken in establishing operations research as a recognized profession, a strong boost was given to the development of OR in Europe, and a fruitful exchange of ideas between experts took place—all during the four days in Oxford (and another day at eight nearby industrial and governmental OR agencies) devoted to this First International Conference. Two hundred and forty-two delegates from 20 nations drew closer in many ways as they shared their problems, discussed methods of solution, and reported progress; in fact, their cooperative spirit developed to such an extent that the question of whether we should have another conference was soon displaced by the question of how soon another could be organized.