In Chapter 4, page 87 of "This Rotarian Age" (1935) founder Paul Harris writes of the skepticism some had that Rotary could even make the leap to the social structure of London. Today, Rotary in England is very strong and became so from the outset.

On page 89, he writes: "A Chicago member, who was about to make a business visit to Cuba, was prevailed upon to attempt the organization of a club in Havana. He did his best, but his efforts were doomed to failure. In a spirit of hopefulness he had undertaken his mission; in a spirit of despair he returned, contending that Rotary was solely an Anglo-Saxon idea; that it never could be appreciated or understood by other races. Those who have been privileged to become acquainted with the splendid Latin American Rotarians know how erroneous were his conclusions."