El texto siguiente es una versión de un artículo apaparecido en la
recientemente reeditada revista en color de la FNI.
(fotos y texto de la revista INF Magazine)

    La decisión de fundar una organisación naturista internacional justo después de la Segunda Guerra Mundia - y incluir Alemania - no fue probablemete fácil.
    A finales de los 50, había consenso acerca de que la ONS/Suiza, una de las más antiguas organizaciones naturistas, debería tomar la iniciativa para crear una organización internacional que sirviera de paraguas. El llamamiento se produjo a través de la revista "Sun and Health" encintrando gran resonancia en Suiza, expecialmente en Rene Kielinger; si bien, en la ONS se produjeron ciertos problemas de comunicacion, hasta que finalmente Eduard Fankhauser escribió una carta a Erik Holm en la que constataba que para la ONS aun no había llegado el momento para fundar una organización naturista Internacional. For the time being, that was the end of Erik Holm's appeal

Jaines Noake (BSBA) then adopted the ideas, but hesitated to issue invitations to an initial international meeting. It was only in response to the prompting of the "North Kent Club" (Ernest Stanley) that Will Drury, BSBA president, issued a general invitation to a "festival of international naturism" in London after some preliminary discussions.

Erik Holm had used the magazine "International Sun and Health" as a forum to promote discussion of the importance of such a meeting following the devastation of the Second World War; his articles were picked up by naturist publications around the world.     On 8 September 1951, official delegates arrived at the premises of the North Kent Sun Club in England. The conference was chaired by the President of the British organisation BSBA. This meeting was termed the "First World Naturist Congress"; all subsequent world congress of the INF are numbered starting from this first event.

    On 23 and 24 August 1952, the first Naturist Olympics were held at "die neue zeit" in Thielle, Switzerland at Lake Neuchatel. One week later, on 30 and 31 August 1952 "die neue zeit" in Thielle was the scene of a further conference, organized by Eduard Fankhauser. This second international meeting since WWII was attended by some 300 naturists from 14 nations - 200 Swiss enthusiasts, 37 from Germany, 13 from France, 12 from England, 8 from the Netherlands, 6 from Italy, 3 each from the USA, Austria and Belgium, 2 each from the Saar territory and New Zealand, and 1 each from Brazil, India and Spain.
    The bye-laws for the planned international federation were drafted, primarily through the contributions of Erhard Wachtler (DFK), Albert Lecocq (FFN), Eduard Fankhauser (ONS), as well as the delegates of the other countries. This 2nd World Naturist Congress adopted the following guidelines:
    1. The naturist (nudist) organisations pursue health-oriented objectives, with an emphasis on athletic activities.
    2. In accordance with their respective resources, the organisations represented herein shall tolerate, propagate or realize nude bathing in water, air and sunshine for persons of both sexes. The aim herein is not only the preservation and promotion of health, but also to actively combat feelings of emotional and moral shame and squalor, particularly in the sexually erotic area.
    3. Insofar as possible, naturism shall eschew alcohol and nicotine (tobacco). International events of naturists shall be organised without recourse to such toxic substances. Consideration of further important health factors (vegetarianism etc.) shall be left to future Congress.
    The third World Naturalist Congress was held in the "Centre Helio Marin" in Montalivet, in the Gironde region of France, on 22 and 23 August 1953. The congress culminated on its second day, 23 August 1953, with the founding of the International Naturist Federation INF/FNI. From the very beginning, it was agreed that the organisation would be trilingual - German, English and French. In response to their mandate received from the 1952 congress, Albert Lecocq, Dorothy Thornton and Erhard Wachtler had drafted complete proposals for the nascent organization's "Constitution and Rules" : This document was refined and polished into its final form. The constitutional congress elected an Austrian, Dr. Richard Ehrmann of Vienna, from the IG association, as the organization's first president, for a term of three years. Albert Lecocq (France), Erhard Wachtler (Germany), Eduard Fankhauser (Switzerland) and Dorothy Thornton (Britain) were elected vice-presidents.
    To finance the INF/FNI, it was resolved that the member nations would each contribute dues, with the minimum contribution being set at one pound Sterling. An international membership card (today's INF ID card) was to be introduced starting in 1954. This World Naturist Congress also established the objectives of the Federation: to represent the transnational interests of the naturist movement all over the world, to promote and maintain relationships between national associations throughout the world, to facilitate mutual visiting and to study and monitor all issues of common interest.

WW