Younger generations have a scarce knowledge of the early history of the UIS and every day are less alive witnesses of the foundation and development of the national speleological societies. I am proposing to the editors of the UIS Bulletin or International Journal of Speleology to stimulate the historical study on the main development stages, which are according to my opinion as follows.

1. Organisation of the first International speleological Congress in France in the year 1952
   Who has given the initiative for it and which bodies of the French Speleological Society have carried out the real organisation? The names of the official organisation committees and their representatives are usually published in the proceedings of the congresses, but the real initiators and organizers remain sometimes in their shadow.
2. Foundation of the UIS in 1965 at Ljubljana
   In the Proceedings of the 4th International Congress of Speleology in Yugoslavia (September 12-26, 1965), volume 1-2, published in 1973 in Ljubljana, on its pages 8-9 and 36-40 names of the Honourable and Organisation Committees with their members from all Yugoslav Republics and of the Secretariat in Ljubljana, composed by Slovenian speleologs are listed. This secretariat in Ljubljana carried out all the organisation work, In the beginning of the year 1965 on the initiative of the secretary of the programme commission it sent to the national speleological associations in the world a letter with explanation why the foundation of the steady organisation of the UIS and its bureau is necessary. As earlier the French speleological association promised to prepare the proposal of the statute of the planned UIS on the base of suggestions of the national associations, the Ljubljana secretariat in the same letter asked also to send their proposals for statute to France. On the final session in Ljubljana delegations of 22 countries voted for the foundation and statute. Only Austrian delegation declared not to be competent for voting. The birthday of the UIS is so September 16, 1965. Owing to help of French association with preparation of the proposal for statute and since professor Bernard Gèze was elected for the first president of the UIS impressions arose that initiative for the foundation of the UIS came from the oldest national speleological association in the world. In Ljubljana founded bureau and the adopted statute some participants declared to be preliminary but this connotation was later forgotten. More details on the organisation of the 4th Congress is at disposal at the organising secretary of the 4th International Congress Dr. Peter Habič at Postojna, Slovenia.
3. Development of the organisation of the UIS in the following decades
   The most qualified person for this review is Prof. Dr. Hubert Trimmel as the long lasting Secretary General and past-President of the UIS.
4. General data on the foundation of the national speleological unions
   In many countries the foundation and initial stages of their old union and its contribution to the development of the UIS is not known to the young generations. A better knowledge of the history of the UIS and its members gives a better insight into the huge work done by predecessors for their professional association.

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