On June 24, 1859, 30 to 40,000 wounded lay uncared for on the battle-field of Solferino at the mercy of the heat, looters and birds of prey. Henry Dunant was an accidental witness of this disaster and he was so shocked by the suffering and so scandalized by the inadequacy of the medical services that he improvised a relief action with the help of some local country women.

The programme of the Centenary Celebrations in Switzerland will extend over a period from August 15 to September 15, 1963. It will not only enable the finishing touches to be put to a century's existence of an idea which has spread throughout the world, but also to lay the foundations for fruitful work in the future, on the threshold of the second century. It will be an opportunity for the specialists to compare experiences and for the general public to learn about the Red Cross and its activities.

Mr. Frédéric Siordet will remain Vice-President of the International Committee in 1963, whilst Mr. Martin Bodmer has been appointed Vice-President for 1963 and 1964.

The International Committee of the Red Cross has constituted its Presidential Council for 1963 as follows : President: Mr. Léopold Boissier ; Vice-Presidents : Mr. Frédéric Siordet and Mr. Martin Bodmer ; members: Mr. Hans Bachmann, Mr. Jacques Freymond, Mr. Ernest Gloor and Mr. Samuel Gonard.

As we already briefly mentioned in our previous bulletin, Mr. Durand, delegate general of the ICRC in the Far East, went to New Delhi on November 15 in order to discuss with the Indian authorities and Red Cross the various humanitarian problems arising from the Sino-Indian conflict.

Since the end of the Second World War, the International Committee of the Red Cross has been carrying out a non-stop action to reunite or to help to reunite members of families scattered by war or as a result of events which have taken place in Europe or other continents. The International Review has devoted several articles to this problem, the tragic character of which is all too evident.

As in past years, the message of Mr. L. Boissier, President of the ICRC, was this year recorded by the ICRC Broadcasting and Television Service and sent to 95 countries in all the five continents. It was recorded in six languages (French, German, English, Spanish, Italian and Arabic) and the French or English versions were sent to countries speaking other languages so that each broadcasting organization could make a translation.

For some years past the International Committee of the Red Cross has made a point of marking twenty years of service by members of its staff. At a ceremony which took place on December 20, 1962 and in which several members of the International Committee took part, the President, Mr. L. Boissier expressed the institution's recognition of the zeal and loyalty of sixteen staff members, to each of whom he presented a silver salver individually inscribed by name.