Prof. Adriaan Blaauw (1914–2010) speaks about the aims of ESO

Prof. Adriaan Blaauw (1914–2010), the second ESO Director General (from 1970–1974), visited some of ESO’s sites in Chile in February 2010, at the age of 95. In this extract from an interview made during his visit, he speaks about the aims of ESO, how the organisation has enabled countries to collaborate on astronomical projects larger than they could accomplish individually, and about the excitement of working together for scientific discovery.