Editing Chatham House (section)

=== Origins ===
[[File:Lionel Curtis.jpg|thumb|150px|Lionel Curtis was instrumental in the founding of Chatham House.]]
The Royal Institute of International Affairs originated in a meeting, convened by [[Lionel George Curtis|Lionel Curtis]], of the American and British delegates to the [[Paris Peace Conference, 1919|Paris Peace Conference]] on 30 May 1919. Curtis had long been an advocate for the scientific study of international affairs and, following the beneficial exchange of information after the peace conference, argued that the method of expert analysis and debate should be continued when the delegates returned home in the form of international institute.<ref>{{harvp|Carrington|2004|p=47}}</ref>
The British and American delegates formed separate institutes, with the Americans developing the [[Council on Foreign Relations]] in New York City.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Our history |url=https://www.chathamhouse.org/about-us/our-history |access-date=12 September 2022 |publisher=Chatham House|language=en |archive-date=30 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220930163249/https://www.chathamhouse.org/about-us/our-history |url-status=live }}</ref>

The British Institute of International Affairs, as it was then known, held its inaugural meeting, chaired by [[Robert Cecil, 1st Viscount Cecil of Chelwood|Robert Cecil]], on 5 July 1920. In this, former Foreign Secretary [[Edward Grey, 1st Viscount Grey of Fallodon|Edward Grey]] moved the resolution calling the institute into existence: "That an Institute be constituted for the study of International Questions, to be called the British Institute of International Affairs."<ref name="Carrington_48">{{harvp|Carrington|2004|p=48}}</ref> These two, along with [[Arthur Balfour|Arthur J. Balfour]] and [[J. R. Clynes|John R. Clynes]], became the first Presidents of the institute, with Lionel Curtis and [[Geoffrey Malcolm Gathorne-Hardy|G. M. Gathorne–Hardy]] appointed joint Honorary Secretaries.<ref name="Carrington_48"/>

By 1922, as the institute's membership grew, there was a need for a larger and more practical space and the Institute acquired, through the gift of Canadian [[Reuben Wells Leonard|Colonel R. W. Leonard]], Chatham House, Number 10 [[St. James's Square]], where the institute is still housed.<ref name="Carrington_50">{{harvp|Carrington|2004|p=50}}</ref>