Venice, that ancient melancholic city, gave host, generously, to that ancient melancholic tribe, the anarchists. This polyglot clan built on towering Babel, but like the old community it was, migrated back and forth between Campo Santa Margherita, Campo San Polo and the Facolta Di Architettura. By ancient sign language or stumbling ventures into the strange tongues of their brothers and sisters, this anarchist convocation touched each other eagerly, groping toward recognition, comprehension and empathy. Despite the fact that these comrades, once called by a sympathetic Trotskiest "The Clay Pigeons of History," rejected the concept of taking political control and power, they filled the air of Venice with an aura of energy and personal power.

The four communist members of the Venetian City Council tried to prevent the meeting from taking place, it wasn't until four days before the announced date of the convocation that the city council finally gave the permission that was required. Perhaps it was the wrath of the old communist pantheon, Lenin, Stalin, Trotsky et al, that cabled into being the violent storm that destroyed the encampment at San Polo just two days before it was to open as a display center for anarchist history and films. It took a gargantuan effort on the part of the Italian comrades aided by a host of volunteers, to put things right, in time for the meetings to get underway, in both cases, for the Venetians and the anarchists, the ancient melancholy was tempered by moments of joy, laughter and good humour; a bright sunshine that illuminated everyone.

It cannot be understated; but the efforts and energies of the anarchist comrades who conceived of, and made real this very complex gathering of what the Venetian papers estimated as 3000 anarchists and

sympathizers, must be praised and saluted. To the initiators and the host of volunteers who aided, 1 raise my metaphysical hat to you. It was a gargantuan and emminentiy successful effort Despite the chaotic moments (not anarchic), and times of confusion, and times of boredom, and times of fraternal contest, the exchanges that were made between comrades from different countries, different disciplines, and despite the difficulties posed by the many languages, something wonderful in Venice. A regeneration of anarchist energies took place. Hopefully energies that will continue to flow and grow and touch some of the multitudes of people who are unaware of our beautiful and possibly only practical solution to the problems that beset the world. If one could succinctly state the consensus of ideas that were expressed at the various meetings [mmetings, it was true that had too many speakers, and were too heavily weighted by academics]; one could say that the consensus of the meetings was that we must not hold ourselves aloof from other movements that had libertarian content. But, we must make our anarchist presence felt by participation in the various anti-militarist movements in every part of the world; the various ecology movements; and the growing communitarian and workers control movements. We can't ignore the great danger that our world faces in the growth of the megolithic, militaristic states; the increased danger to our physical environment, and the subversion of humanism by the growing mind control of the electronic media. We must join together with all others who struggle against these tendencies and hopefully by our cooperation and dedication, inform them of our anarchist sensibilities and create an even greater libertarian directions for the world. We must especially be found in the ranks of those that struggle for freedom from brutal oppressors, the third world, the women's movement, the revolutionary gay movement, and join with those who have no advocates in our materialistic society, and by our sense of history; our resistance to totalitarianism, inform them of the pitfalls of viient, marxist, or statist solutions. And the possibilities of voluntary, communal action. Again, despite the fact that this international conference was flawed, I lovingly salute the host of comrades that enabled it to happen and made it emminentiy successful.

David Koven