The problems of surgical intervention in and about the diencephalic region have stimu­ lated the interest of neurosurgeons throughout the world. It was therefore not totally surprising when Professor A. N. Konovalov proposed this topic for discussion at the Fifth Annual Stonwin Medical Conference. Bringing the leading figures in this area to New York for a roundtable conference was an exciting challenge. Professor Russel H. Patterson, Jr., generously consented to be our guest of honor. The conference was held at the Winston Estate on July 13-14, 1987, and met our every expectation for a vigorous exchange of individual experiences and more importantly for a dialogue directed toward present and future expectations in the surgery of this region. In addition, the discussions at that small dinner at the Harvard Club of New York led to the creation of an exchange program for neurosurgical residents, fellows, and faculty members of the N. N. Burdenko Neurosurgical Institute, Academy of Medical Science, and the Department of Neurosurgery of the New York Neurological Institute, which was planned for the spring and summer of 1988. The Stonwin Conference and the exchange agreement and program fostered by the Harry Winston Medical Foundation, Inc., represent the fulfillment of goals con­ ceived by Harry Winston and promulgated by his sons Ronald and Bruce. Henry B. Roberts, Jr.