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So much has been written and so many words spoken about Anna Freud since her death on 9 October 1982, that it would seem almost as if there were hardly anything else to be said.
I am well aware that I cannot add to the esteem in which she was held. That would be difficult in the case of a psychoanalyst whom scientific institutions on both sides of the Atlantic have recognized with numerous awards: awards which included the very rare distinction of an Honorary Doctorate in Medicine from the University of Vienna. At that ceremony, as on other occasions, and with good reason, emphasis was placed on her work in connexion with her remarkable creation, the Hampstead Clinic of London. Yet her work for the International Psychoanalytical Association has been notable and to some extent neglected, not only in the appraisal of her contribution to the psychoanalytic movement, but also to some extent in the tributes which have so far been paid to this remarkable woman all across the world.
Her ties with our organization have been long lasting and very close. Her first official position was that of General Secretary when she replaced Max Eitingon in 1926—a position which she retained until 1934. She became Vice-President in that year and continued to serve in that capacity until 1973, when she was delighted to be elected Honorary President, upon the recommendation of the Executive Council, then under the Presidency of Dr Leo Rangell. The nature of this honour can be judged by the fact that there have only been two other Honorary Presidents: Ernest Jones and Heinz Hartmann. I should add that Anna Freud was an Honorary President of eleven Component Societies, in itself a testimony of her interest in the membership at large.
Thus Anna Freud's link with the IPA covers a period of fifty-six years. There can be no doubt that this long term of office will remain a unique phenomenon in the history of our Association.
Characteristically, her first position in the IPA was as a member