The Bretton Woods Agreement
Statement by Franklin D. Roosevelt (29 June 1944)
TextOn 29 June 1944, US President Franklin D. Roosevelt welcomes participants at the Bretton Woods (New Hampshire) Monetary Conference for the establishment of a new international monetary system.
Inaugural address by Henry Morgenthau Jr (1 July 1944)
TextOn 1 July 1944, Henry Morgenthau Jr, US Secretary of the Treasury, outlines the issues to be discussed at the International Monetary Conference opening in Bretton Woods (New Hampshire).
'President Truman wants to lead the United States along the road to "controlled prosperity"' from Le Monde (26 January 1949)
TextOn 26 January 1949, the French daily newspaper Le Monde reports that the United States has set out along the road towards economic prosperity.
Report of Commission I on the International Monetary Fund (20 July 1944)
TextOn 20 July 1944, the first Commission created by the Bretton Woods (New Hampshire) Conference gives a positive assessment of the work relating to the establishment of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Report of Commission II on the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (21 July 1944)
TextOn 21 July 1944, the second Commission created by the Bretton Woods (New Hampshire) Monetary Conference adopts a report relating to the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD).
Report by Commission III on financial and monetary cooperation (21 July 1944)
TextOn 21 July 1944, during the Bretton Woods Conference, the report by Commission III outlines measures to strengthen international financial and monetary cooperation.
Closing address by Henry Morgenthau, Jr (22 July 1944)
TextOn 22 July 1944, in his closing address, Henry Morgenthau, Jr, US Secretary of the Treasury and Chairman of the Bretton Woods Conference, welcomes the establishment of the International Monetary Fund and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development.
The Bretton Woods Agreement (20 July 1944)
ImageOn 20 July 1944, in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, delegates from 44 countries sign agreements which establish the gold exchange standard and make the US dollar the only reserve currency convertible into gold.
Statement by Lord Keynes on the proposed Bank for Reconstruction and Development (1944)
TextIn 1944, at the close of the Bretton Woods (New Hampshire) monetary conference, John Maynard Keynes, renowned international economist and financial adviser to the British Treasury, gives a speech in which he emphasises the urgent need to set up an International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD).
Statement by Henry Morgenthau Jr (Washington, 7 March 1945)
TextOn 7 March 1945, Henry Morgenthau Jr, US Secretary of the Treasury, outlines the economic and political importance of the Bretton Woods Agreements in an address to the Committee on Banking and Currency of the House of Representatives in Washington.
‘The Bretton Woods Agreements' from Le Monde (26 July 1945)
TextOn 26 July 1945, the French daily newspaper Le Monde comments on the US Senate’s ratification of the Bretton Woods Monetary Agreement and describes the dominant role of the dollar and the United States in the new international monetary system.