THE FORMATION OF A NEW ORGANIZATION, THE AMERICAN COUNCIL ON THE TEACHING OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES (ACTFL), WILL PROVIDE AN INSTITUTIONAL CENTER FOR THE NEW PROFESSIONALISM THAT HAS DEVELOPED SINCE 1952 AMONG FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHERS AND SUPERVISORS. THIS MEMBERSHIP ORGANIZATION, COUPLED WITH ADEQUATE ACCESS TO INFORMATION IN THE FIELD OF FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHING (MADE POSSIBLE BY THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER), WILL ENABLE TEACHERS OF ALL LANGUAGES AT ALL LEVELS TO BECOME A UNIFIED PROFESSION. ALTHOUGH THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING OF A MOVE INTO PROFESSIONAL LIFE, IT IS THE ONLY WAY BY WHICH THE RECENT PROGRESS AND PROSPERITY OF MODERN FOREIGN LANGUAGE STUDY CAN BE SUSTAINED. RESOLUTIONS OF THE MEETINGS OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF THE NATIONAL FEDERATION OF MODERN LANGUAGE TEACHERS ASSOCIATION AND OF THE COMMITTEE ON ORGANIZATION OF ACTFL IN DECEMBER, 1966 ARE GIVEN IN THIS SPEECH DELIVERED DECEMBER 29, 1966 AT THE ANNUAL MEETING OF THE MODERN LANGUAGE ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA. THIS ARTICLE APPEARED IN "THE MODERN LANGUAGE JOURNAL," VOLUME 51, NUMBER 3, MARCH 1967, PAGES 169-173. (SS)