During the longest part of its activity, the Academy achieved the goals set by its founders, and succeeded in being the main forum of reflection and intellectual creation, both literary and artistic, of the Romanian people. The kings of the country were the honorary presidents and protectors of the Academy; its acting and associate members were the most representative personalities in sciences, arts, and letters in Romania; its honorary members were important figures of national and international repute, tied through research, contribution and affection to the realities of Romania. Its prestige and tireless work in the service of sciences and of the nation had earned it the authority to proclaim "immortals." The quality of academician was synonymous with absolute intellectual pre-eminence in modern Romanian society. The members of the Academy promoted scientific, cultural and social progress. Educated in the great intellectual centres of Western Europe, they were - by their training, activity and relationships - determined and determining agents of modernization in Romania. They organized research centres in diverse domains; they wrote and published works of reference in Romanian or European scientific literature; they founded and endowed museums and libraries; they provided the solutions to national problems in economy, technology, medicine or education; finally, through courses and theoretical as well as practical guidance, they trained young scholars which would rise to both national and international fame, illustrating excellence both as scientists and as university professors. The development of each domain of activity in the program of the Romanian Academy, summarized in the pages of this book, coincides with the very history of modern and contemporary Romanian culture.

The Romanian Academy was, both by its composition and its objectives, the cultural depositary of the unquenchable ancient longing for the union of all the Romanians. Both by its composition and by activities conducted over the years related to the great moments of the Romanians' fight for national unity, the Romanian Academy has proved that it personifies the culture and the ideal of the entire Romanian nation before and beyond the borders.

... promoting scientific research in mathematical sciences, through communications, talks, publications, congresses, and other means proper to this aim.

... reorganized it into 6 sections and 25 subsections, and gave priority to the exact and applied sciences, placing the socio-human sciences last in rank of importance. On this occasion, more than 90 acting, associate and honorary members were expelled from the Academy, since they were deemed unfit to the new cultural orientations and hostile to the communist regime, on the strength of their ideas, works and political convictions. Purges of this sort were extended to the staff of the Academy's institutes. At the same time, the assets of the Academy were nationalized, and the institution became in all respects enslaved to the state. Later on, the Academy was to be parted from many of its various possessions, often without even a minimum of legal formality, as its collections of documents, coins, archaeological finds and artworks were being abusively shipped to other state institutions.

In the first two decades of the communist regime, the Academy and its scientific network grew considerably, from 7 research facilities with nearly 400 scientific collaborators in 1948 to 56 institutes or centres with about 2,500 employees in 1966. Their activity was checked both scientifically, to ensure conformity with the research plans drawn and followed up by the Academy's sections and by the boards of the institutes, and politically, this time to ensure that the ideological priorities and the correlation with the major interests of the society, which science was supposed to serve, were always safeguarded. However, the main preoccupation of the Academy's scientists was to be constantly in touch, beyond or despite these limitations, with worldwide science, by keeping informed, corresponding professionally, and participating in international meetings held abroad. Every domain of scientific research progressed during this time; yet every advancement was obtained not only with effort and devotion, but also with daring and at personal risk for those involved. During that time, there existed not only laureates of the state science prizes, but also scientists publicly exposed for ideological errors, "cosmopolitanism," etc.

... the highest scientific authority in the country, bringing together the worthiest personalities in science, technology, education, culture and art in Romania, as representing the creative spirituality of the nation.

According to its code of bylaws, the Romanian Academy, Romania's highest cultural forum, has several main objectives: cultivation of the national language and literature, study of the national history, research into major scientific domains, and promotion of democratic and ethical principles of free communication of ideas in Romanian sciences, arts and letters. The Romanian Academy is incorporated and functions autonomously. Its activity is financed by the state, as well as by donations, legacies and other funds earmarked for the accomplishment of academic goals. The Academy administers its assets independently. There are 181 acting members (academicians and associate members), a number established by law; all members of the Academy are elected for life. Eligibility criteria include Romanian citizenship and outstanding performance in a scientific, artistic or literary domain. Candidates for associate membership can be up to 65 years old and can become full members any time after that. The Academy also has 135 honorary members who are both Romanian and foreign citizens of great intellectual value; their number is established by the General Assembly. Age is not a criterion for eligibility as an honorary member.