Although by the very nature of its mission the Red Cross is concerned primarily with man's suffering, its efforts to provide the utmost possible protection for the “victim” dovetail with the vast present-day movement for the international defence of human rights. There is nothing fortuitous in this. As a result particularly of the 1949 Conventions, the humanitarian principles underlying the work of the Red Cross have been incorporated in a body of law and the distinction between this “humanitarian” law and international law in general is becoming less and less marked. If humanitarian lawstill deserves a place to itself, this is due less to its intrinsic character than to themethods used to ensure its observance.

In its issues of June and July 1965, the International Review gave some account of Mr. Samuel Gonard's journey. Having left Geneva at the beginning of May, the ICRC President successively visited Pakistan, India, Thailand, the Philippines, Japan, Korea, then Mexico. The last stage of his journey was spent in the United States, where he stayed one week in July and was joined by Mr. Pierre Basset, head of administration and finance of the ICRC in Geneva.

Mr. Thant, United Nations Secretary-General, paid an official visit on July 7 1965 to the International Committee of the Red Cross, meeting in plenary session. The President, Mr. Samuel A.Gonard, in his address of welcome, stressed the common ideal of the United Nations and the Red Cross to promote the spirit of peace.

The International Committee of the Red Cross has intervened whenever possible in order to come to the aid of the victims of the war in Viet Nam. Information on this subject has been given in recent issues of the International Review.