The Caribbean Commission held its 23d meeting in Bridgetown, Barbados, December 10 to 15, 1956, under the chairmanship of H. R. Van Houten (Netherlands). In regard to conferences sponsored by the Commission, it 1) discussed a recommendation of the Town and Country Development Planning Conference held in Trinidad in November 1956 asking the Commission to arrange study tours in Puerto Rico where the activities of the Puerto Rico Planning Board could be observed, and suggesting that arrangements should be made for training of planning technicians and assistants; 2) approved the agenda of the Conference on the Demographic Problems of the area served by the Caribbean Commission, which would be held in August 1957 to discuss the present demographic position, projections, possible solutions of problems of over-population, and need for future research; and 3) decided to hold the West Indian Conference in Curacao, in November–December 1957.

The third part of the eighth ordinary session of the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe was held at Strasbourg from January 8 through II, 1957, under the presidency of Mr. Fernand Dehousse (Belgium, Socialist).

At its meeting in Paris on December 13, 1956, the Council of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), as was reported in April 1957, heard Mr. Selwyn Lloyd explain in general terms his “grand design” for Europe, which was later presented to the Council of Europe at Strasbourg. The principles of his grand design, according to Mr. Lloyd, were the maintenance of the unity of NATO and the expansion of European integration to include not only the federation of France, west Germany, Italy and the Benelux countries, but also such states as Austria, Yugoslavia, Switzerland, Sweden and Finland. Three elements were contained in the plan: the politico-strategic, the economic, and the parliamentary. In the politico-strategic field, Mr. Lloyd stated that development depended chiefly upon the development of NATO in the direction of closer consultation, as recommended by the Committee of Three of the Council of NATO. In the economic field, it was the view of the United Kingdom government that so far the Organization for European Economic Cooperation (OEEC) was the basic channel for the development of the closest economic relations, and that it would be desirable for the machinery which would be set up for the European free trade area to be part of OEEC. Mr. Lloyd proposed, in connection with parliamentary matters, that one assembly be established for the Council of Europe, Western European Union (WEU), NATO, OEEC, the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), Euratom, the Common Market, and the free trade area, as well as for any European organizations which might be established in the future.

The eighth annual report of the Organization for European Economic Cooperation (OEEC), Europe To-Day and in 1960, was made public in April 1957. The report was divided in three parts: Volume I dealt with Europ to-day, Volume II, with Europe in 1960 and Volume III consisted of surveys of the economic situations in the individual member countries.

The Council of the Organization of American State (OAS) took the following decision during the period September 8, 1955 to April 19, 1956: I) It concluded an agreement with the Inter-American Statistical Institute establishing a basis of cooperation in the promotion of basic progress in statistical work. 2) It commended the plans of the Cordell Hull Foundation for International Education to establish fellowships and provide assistance to Latin American students in educational institutions in the United States, and authorized the Pan American Union to offer to collaborate in the program. 3) It approved the distribution of four resolutions of the Inter-American Council of Jurists concerning the Inter-American Academy of Comparative and International Law, a draft convention on extradition, the consideration of amendments to the statutes of the Inter-American Council of Jurists, and reservations to multilateral treaties. 4) It noted with satisfaction the two agreements signed by Costa Rica and Nicaragua on January 9, 1956, and decided to transmit the texts of the documents to the member states.

The third annual meeting of the Council of the Southeast Asian Treaty Organization (SEATO) was held in Canberra, Australia March 11–13, 1957, under the chairmanship of R. G. Casey, Minister for External Affairs of Australia. The meeting was attended by representatives of Australia, France, New Zealand, Pakistan, the Philippines, Thailand, the United Kingdom, and United States. In the communiqué issued at the close of the session, the Council stated that its plans to consolidate and enhance its previous progress provided for 1) maintenance of the defensive capacity of the treaty members to deal effectively with armed aggression, 2) extension of the program to detect, appraise, expose and combat subversion directed from without, and 3) development of the economic resources of the treaty members, particularly the Asian member states, by measures inside and outside SEATO.

The second part of the second ordinary session of the Assembly of the Western European Union (WEU) was held in Strasbourg from October 11 to 13, 1956, under the chairmanship of Mr. J. S. Maclay (United Kingdom). Following examination of a report presented by its General Affairs Committee, the Assembly adopted three recommendations to the WEU Council, concerning, respectively, cultural matters, WEU's activities in the Saar, and social questions. On October 12, the Assembly discussed the state of European defense, on the basis of a report presented by Mr. J. J. Fens (Netherlands, Popular Catholic). Following its debate, the Assembly adopted two further recommendations. The first called upon the Council to take an immediate decision concerning the nature of the reorganization of western defensive forces, and to give a clear lead to public opinion in the matter; it continued that it must be accepted that substantial conventional forces be retained in order to meet all eventualities, and that the west German contribution to European defense should be made effective as soon as possible. In the second recommendation, the Assembly expressed its belief that it could not hold an informed debate unless, with due regard to the requirements of security, all the documentation necessary was made available, and recommended that the Council urgently review its interpretation of the Brussels Treaty as regarded WEU's function in that field. The latter resolution, according to press reports, followed a debate marked by a sense of frustration, with nearly all the speakers complaining that the Council had not given the Assembly's defense committee sufficient information on which to base recommendations. A majority of the continental deputies were reported to favor the Council's becoming responsible to the Assembly, rather than to member governments, for its decisions, but they were reported to realize that the United Kingdom parliament would never accept the consequent limitation of sovereignty. However, in the meantime, the feeling was reported to be that governments could still do much to strengthen WEU.

The twenty-sixth annual report of the Bank for International Settlements was published on June II, 1956. In its survey of the year April 1, 1955—March 31, 1956, the report declared that the most important feature of 1955 was that the effect of an economic boom in North America had been superimposed on the powerful forces for expansion operating in western Europe. There was a definite need, however, for measures which would moderate the boom without weakening the forces tending to promote healthy economic growth. For this reason, direct internal or external controls had not been reapplied by the authorities and trade had been further liberalized, while restrictions on foreign payments had also been further relaxed. There had been a continuation of flexibility in credit policies pursued by the authorities who had employed methods of credit restraint, such as increased interest rates.

Thirty-one of the 35 contracting parties to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) attended meetings of the inter-sessional committee of GATT from April 24 to 28, 1957 to discuss among other matters the procedure to be followed for considering the European Common Market Treaty and to examine a complaint from the government of Denmark concerning exports of subsidized eggs from the United Kingdom. In regard to the first of these matters, it was reported that the committee reached no decision on whether it would be better to call a special session of the contracting parties, as suggested by the delegate from Japan, or whether it should be considered at the regular session to be held in October. It was decided to draw up a program of preparatory work, to extend over several months, including consultations with the interim committee appointed by the signatories of the treaty. The work would be supervised by the GATT Secretariat, and the inter-sessional committee would meet at an appropriate date to arrange for definitive discussions on whether the articles of the treaty conformed with the requirements of GATT. It was reported that in the course of the discussion Japan voiced a complaint against the fact that overseas territories of the Common Market nations would be associated with the Common Market on a privileged economic status.

The eighteenth session of the International Wheat Council was held in Geneva on November 7,1955, while the United Nations Wheat Conference was meeting. The Council, in connection with consideration of quality differentials during the UN Conference, agreed that information should be furnished by the Secretariat concerning prices as recorded in past transactions under the Agreement and also on current prices in the future. The nineteenth session met in London on July 17, 1956, at which time the Council noted expenditure for office and conference accommodation in Haymarket House for the International Sugar Council and the International Wheat Council, and expressed its approval of various proposals, to be adopted subject to the agreement of the International Sugar Council, for apportioning the expenditure between the two bodies and for arrangements necessary for the discharge of their joint responsibilities in connection with the premises. After this session, a conference of the signatories of the International Wheat Agreement, 1956, met and agreed that the latter should come into force.