At its Assembly on 16 January 1975, the International Committee of the Red Cross appointed three new members, Mr. Jakob Burckhardt, Mr. Thomas Fleiner and Mr. Alexandre Hay.

Mr. Jakob Burckhardt, who was born in Basle in 1913, read law at the universities of Basle and Munich. As Doctor of Laws he entered the service of the Federal Political Department in 1940 and was stationed in different countries. In 1958 he was appointed the Federal Council's delegate for questions relating to atomic energy and president of the Federal Commission on Atomic Energy. Three years later he became head of the Division of International Organizations in the Federal Political Department, with the title of minister plenipotentiary, and since 1966 he has been chairman of the Council of Federal Polytechnic Schools.