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Thus began the life of the Portuguese Academy of History where, shortly afterwards, three founders were elevated to the category of "honorary members": Carlos Malheiro Dias, José Leite de Vasconcelos and José Maria Rodrigues. David Lopes, Luis Barbosa Xavier da Costa and Rui Pinto de Azevedo were chosen to fill the positions left vacant. At a later stage, the national supernumeraries were assigned: Aarão Lacerda, Alberto Feio Soares de Azevedo, Alfredo Botelho de Sousa, António Barbosa, António Ferreira de Serpa, Domingos Maurício Gomes dos Santos, Francisco Manuel Alves, Gastão de Melo de Matos, Gustavo Adriano Matos Sequeira, Henrique Quirino da Fonseca, Luiz José de Pina Guimarães, Manuel Heleno, Manuel Lopes de Almeida, Mário Brandão, Mendes dos Remédios and Moisés Bensabat Amzalak. The following Brazilians were chosen for the same category: Basílio de Magalhães, Gilberto Freyre, Jónatas Serrano, Roberto Simonsen and Tobias do Rego Monteiro. In the words of the President, “… With all the positions filled by Portuguese and Brazilian academics and supernumeraries, the Academy will most certainly be actively involved in helping the government to make the double Centennial commemorations in 1939-1940 a success .” Among the various commemorative proposals advanced, that of Afonso de Dornelas is worthy of mention, which consisted of "... obtaining the reproduction of the existing stamps in official and private archives and libraries...". He suggested that "... we should immediately look into how to organise a reproduction workshop... which was fully approved". As a result, forces were joined to ensure that "... in the commemoration of the centennials, the Academy could stage a reproduction exhibition of Portuguese stamps from the foundation of the nation, at least until King John IV". The proposal was approved by order of the Minister on 9 May and communicated to the Academy by Official Notice no. 322 from his office on 13 May of the same year. The goal was accomplished and the collection may still be found at the Portuguese Academy of History today. This is how these men of high intellectual calibre and historical knowledge worked and who, surrounding the President, gave shape to the commemorations project, whose specific programme was read out to the Academies of Science, Fine Arts and History in May of the same year by the Minister of Education. Afonso de Dornelas, Secretary General, was present and, at a council meeting on 20 May, he told the remaining members what this programme demanded of the Academy:
“- Monumental publication of diplomatic and iconographic documentation relating to the foundation of nationality and the restoration of independence;
- Historical and political studies on the same facts;
- Archaeological and ethnographic studies of interest to the history of Portuguese nationality;
- Popular edition of a revised "History of Portugal".
