during world war i, the interdisciplinary, government-sponsored "inquiry" in preparation for the paris peace conference was led by the ags and headquartered in the society's building in new york. after the armistice of 11 november 1918, president woodrow wilson and the american delegation sailed for france. with them sailed ags director isaiah bowman and three truckloads of geographical information compiled by bowman and 150 geographers, historians, economists, statisticians, ethnographers, political scientists, and scholars of international law.