Eighty-one years ago today, on August 21, 1944 (July 3, 1944), the Dumbarton Oaks Conference opened. After the outbreak of World War II, the League of Nations as an international organization actually existed in name only. After consultations, China, the Soviet Union, the United States and the United Kingdom held a meeting at the Dumbarton Oaks Building in Georgetown, a suburb of Washington, D.C., from August 21 to October 7, 1944. The meeting was divided into two stages: the United States, the Soviet Union and the United Kingdom (August 21 to September 28) and the United States, the United States and the United Kingdom (September 29 to October 7). After the talks, the conference adopted a proposal on establishing a universal international organization, and suggested that the organization be named "United Nations". The proposal stipulates the purposes and principles of the United Nations, the organization and powers of the main organs of the United Nations, such as the General Assembly, the Security Council, and the Secretariat, as well as various arrangements for maintaining international peace and security and for international economic and social cooperation. In addition to agreeing to the motion in the previous stage, China added three important suggestions at the second stage of the conference: 1. In the peaceful settlement of disputes, international organizations should give due consideration to the principles of justice and international law; 2. The General Assembly should undertake the task of codifying and developing international law; 3. The Economic and Social Council should be expanded to include education and other cultural cooperation. China's proposal has been approved by the United States, Britain, and the Soviet Union. Despite disagreements over permanent membership, the veto power of the Security Council, and the eligibility of founding members, the resolutions it adopted formed the basis for the United Nations Charter, which was drawn up at the 1945 San Francisco Conference.