The International Federation of Societies for Electron Microscopy (IFSEM) was established in the mid-1950s out of a postwar desire to foster communications and collaboration among electron microscopists around the world and, to some extent, in response to growing recognition of the need for formal endorsement of an expanding calendar of meetings featuring foreign speakers and soliciting attendance from the rapidly swelling international community of electron microscopists. The present oversight function, pertaining to the scientific program, adequacy of the budgets, capacity of the facilities, and special amenities of the setting, came later. It must be said that the international ”Olympic Committee” system has worked well with an admirable string of successful meetings and no major problems. This short account deals primarily with the early IFSEM period. Developments during the middle and more recent IFSEM years have been described in a joint publication by Arvid Maunsbach and Gareth Thomas (1996)—both past Presidents of IFSEM. A subsequent account of the present structure, membership, and functions of IFSEM will also appear in a later issue of the Journal.