Since its foundation, the OEI has strived for internationalization. In 1952, the OEI initiated a book exchange with the Westinstiut (Instytut Zachodni) in Poznań, which was located only 250 km to the east. This exchange started only 4 months after the opening of the OEI - at such an early stage that the OEI had no publications of its own that could have been sent to Poznań. In a letter to the West Institute, Georg Kennert explained that "our [the OEI's] publication program will not start until early summer".